An authenticity checklist before replying to a sponsorship offer

When an unexpected sponsorship or brand-ambassador offer arrives, avoid rushing into the conversation. Preserve only non-sensitive proposal details, contact the company through a separate known-genuine channel, and record the outcome before continuing.

Pause and preserve the offer

The FTC describes bogus brand-ambassador offers aimed at prospective influencers. An unexpected, flattering pitch is not enough on its own to prove that an offer is genuine or bogus. Pause further engagement and make a minimal review record first.

• The sender account or address
• The date received
• The brand the proposal claims to represent
• A short summary of what it requests

You do not need to click links in the proposal or download its attachments. Do not reply, enter passwords or other credentials into a screen linked by the proposal, or send them to the sender. Leave sensitive details such as identification numbers, bank details, and card information out of the record.

This article recommends keeping just these four details so the offer is easy to review later. Leave personal and financial information out of the record.

Verify the brand outside the offer

The FTC explains that bogus pitches may arrive unexpectedly with flattering language, claim a connection to brand insiders, or point to websites that appear affiliated with the brand. These presentation tactics are cues to examine, not a conclusive test by themselves.

Start verification without using a link, phone number, or email address supplied in the proposal.

1. Find contact details through a company website you already know to be genuine or a trusted existing company directory.
2. Use that independent contact to ask whether the proposal and representative are real.
3. Record the channel, date, and contact used for the check.

The separation matters: you are not asking the proposed contact to validate itself. The FTC likewise advises contacting the company through information you know is genuine, rather than information supplied by the purported manager.

Withhold personal and financial information until confirmed

The FTC identifies requests for personal or banking information as a warning sign in these offers. Until independent confirmation is complete, do not send:

• Identification numbers or copies of identity documents
• A home address or other personal details that do not need to be public
• Bank-account, card, or payment-authentication details
• Passwords, one-time codes, or login credentials

The order stays the same even if the sender says the information is needed for product delivery or payment. First confirm the proposal and representative through a separate official channel. Then assess what information is actually necessary and how it should be transferred during a normal sponsorship review.

Record one of three outcomes

Record the result in one of three states. The point is not to label the offer genuine or bogus on the spot, but to make the next action clear.

1. Independently confirmed

If a genuine channel found outside the offer confirms the proposal and representative, record the independent channel, confirmation date, and contact. You can then continue a normal review of terms, timing, and compensation.

2. Not yet confirmed

If the company has not responded or there is not enough information to confirm the proposal, keep it on hold. Do not send or request anything sensitive while confirmation is pending. A lack of response alone does not prove the offer is genuine or bogus.

3. Consider stopping and reporting

If a company explicitly denies the offer through an independently found official channel, the sender’s identity or domain conflicts with the company’s information, the sender requests personal information, financial details, or money, or pressure for a response continues, stop interacting. Consider the relevant platform reporting feature or a reporting route available in your location. The appropriate agency and legal process vary by location.

Continue organizing in Myven after verification

Myven can help organize a sponsorship inquiry after it has been independently verified. Keeping the verification state, brand, contact, and next review date together can make follow-up easier.

Use Myven to organize the result and next follow-up date; verify the brand itself through an official channel you found outside the proposal.

Final checklist

This checklist is a starting point for keeping the verification route and next action separate when an unexpected offer arrives.

• Did you record only the sender account or address, received date, claimed brand, and request summary?
• Did you avoid opening links or attachments in the proposal?
• Did you verify the proposal and representative through an official company channel you found independently?
• Did you withhold personal information, financial information, and credentials until confirmation?
• Did you record the outcome as independently confirmed, not yet confirmed, or consider stopping and reporting?

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Note: This article is based on 2023 guidance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about bogus brand-ambassador offers. Reporting procedures vary by location, so check the official guidance for your area when needed.

Watch the Instagram Reel

You can also review the five essential steps from this checklist in a short video.

Watch the sponsorship-offer verification checklist on Instagram