Your privacy choices

Browser analytics and advertising measurement stay off until you accept. Signup attribution and server trial events are on by default. Reject optional tracking to opt out. Global Privacy Control also opts you out. Essential features work with either choice.

Privacy Policy
All posts
brand dealsdiscount codesUTM linksbrand deal recap

How to Track a Brand Deal: Codes, Links and Results

Agree on 3 things before you post a brand deal: what counts, which code and link get credit, and when results are shared. Plus a recap to get rebooked.

Aayush Upadhyay·Co-founder, Snippet·
Share this pageShare on XShare on LinkedInEmail
How to Track a Brand Deal: Codes, Links and Results

To prove a brand deal worked, agree on three things before you post. What counts as a result? Which code and link get the credit? When does the brand share the numbers? Then send a short recap that asks for the next deal.

Agree first, because your code can lose the credit for the sale at checkout. On Shopify, discounts don't combine unless the store sets them to, and when two can't combine, "the best discount for the customer's cart is always applied" (Shopify Help). Example: the brand's pop-up gives 15% off a first order and your code gives 10%. If they don't combine, the shopper gets the 15%, your code isn't on the order, and the sale can show under the welcome code in the discount report.

Why doesn't the brand's tracking catch every sale?

Each method misses sales in its own way.

Discount codes. A code can lose to a better discount, as above. Shopify's discount report groups sales by the discount used, and when a store allows combinations, "the same order might be included multiple times" (Shopify Help).

Tracked links. Shopify's marketing reports credit sales with a "last non-direct click" model by default (Shopify Help). If a shopper taps your link and later buys through the brand's ad, the ad can get the credit. Google Analytics uses data-driven attribution by default, which spreads credit across steps (Google Analytics Help). Two tools can count one sale differently.

Platform insights. Each platform shares different numbers with brands, and some need you to act first (see Agreement 3).

Agreement 1: What counts as a result?

Choose one main result: orders, sign-ups, link clicks or views. For sales, write down three details:

  • Window: how long after the post a sale counts. Example: 30 days.
  • Code or link: an order counts if it used your code or came through your link.
  • Once per order: an order with both your code and your link counts one time.

If the deal is about awareness, say so. Then views and link taps are the result.

Agreement 2: Which code and link get the credit?

Ask for both a code and a link.

Code. Get a code that's only yours. Then ask: "Will my code combine with your welcome pop-up and automatic discounts?" On Shopify, discounts "don't automatically combine"; the store sets each one (Shopify Help). If the answer is no, agree that orders through your link still count when another code was used.

Link. Google's guidance: always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, and use utm_content to tell versions apart. Values are case sensitive (Google Analytics Help).

Example: https://example.com/?utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=creator&utm_campaign=fall-launch&utm_content=yourname-video1

Agreement 3: When and how are results shared?

Dates. Example: day 7 and day 30 after the post.

From the brand: orders and sales for your code and your link, counted once per order.

From you: your insights.

  • TikTok: tagging the brand partner adds the post to the brand's Content Suite. TikTok gives brands post analytics only "for whichever ad they choose to run" (TikTok Ads Help). For organic results, send screenshots.
  • YouTube: If you accept a brand partner access request, "the advertiser can view the content's organic performance metrics in Google Ads and use linked videos in their advertising" (YouTube Help). So accept it only if paid ad use is already in your deal, or price that first. Don't make the brand a channel Viewer for one video: that role "Can view (but not edit) all channel details" and revenue data (YouTube Help).
  • Instagram: share screenshots of your insights. Story interactions include link taps (Instagram Help).

What message do I send before posting?

Three yellow binder clips on blue paper. Text: Agree it up front. What counts, which code, when.

Before I post, can we agree on tracking?

  1. Result: [orders / sign-ups / clicks / views], counted for [30] days after the post.
  2. Credit: orders with my code [CODE] or from my link count, once per order. Will [CODE] combine with your welcome pop-up and automatic discounts? If not, link orders still count.
  3. Sharing: you send code and link orders on day [7] and day [30]. I send my insights the same days.

What recap gets me booked again?

Send the agreed numbers, what viewers asked about, and one specific next post with a date:

Hi [name], here's how [post] did from [date] to [date]: Views: [ ]. Link clicks or taps: [ ]. (Screenshots attached.) Orders with [CODE] or from my link, counted once: [ ]. What viewers asked about most: [question or comment theme]. Next idea: [one post idea that answers that question]. Want to book it for [month]?

Snippet helps you track follow-ups and see each deal's next step. Try Snippet.

Sources

Find brands to pitch →

Share this pageShare on XShare on LinkedInEmail
AU

Aayush Upadhyay

Co-founder, Snippet

Building Snippet, the AI talent agency that helps content creators land brand deals without agencies. Previously scaled creator partnerships at multiple startups. Obsessed with using AI to democratize talent management for the 32 million mid-tier creators who deserve better representation.

Related Articles

Your $600 Post Can Be a $1,000 Test for the Brand: Work Out Their Break-Even Before You Quote

Your fee is not what the post costs them. Know their number, and agree the renew/change/stop rule before you post.

A Follow-Up Cadence for Brand Deal Pitches

A follow-up can give a brand another chance to consider your pitch. Here's our suggested 4-touch cadence and how to manage it across your pipeline.

How to Increase Brand Deal Value Without Changing Your Rate: The Bundling and Usage Rights Playbook

Quoting one deliverable at a time and giving away usage rights for free can leave money on the table. Here's how to use bundling and usage rights pricing to grow deal size from the same conversations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't the brand's tracking catch every sale?

Each method misses sales in its own way. A code can lose to a better discount. Shopify's marketing reports credit sales with a "last non-direct click" model by default, so if a shopper taps your link and later buys through the brand's ad, the ad can get the credit.

What counts as a result in a brand deal?

Choose one main result: orders, sign-ups, link clicks or views. For sales, agree how long after the post a sale counts, that an order counts if it used your code or came through your link, and that an order with both counts one time.

What recap gets me booked again?

Send the agreed numbers, what viewers asked about, and one specific next post with a date.

Related

Free creator tools →Compare Snippet to alternatives →Influencer rate benchmarks →