In short
- Rebuild 12 months of paid posts in a ledger: date, brand, category, label, format and views. Public traces give most of it; a written ask covers the rest.
- Read the ledger three ways: how often the creator posts ads, whether each one carries a label where ASCI expects it, and how sponsored posts perform against organic ones.
- A rival's post is a conflict only inside your exclusivity window, or if the creator hides it. The gap in days matters more than the rival's name.
- Missing labels and hidden deals cost points on checks E1 and E2 of the scored sheet, and they are cheaper to find before the contract than after the post.
To audit influencer past brand deals, rebuild the last 12 months of sponsored posts in a ledger, read it for posting frequency, disclosure and competitor conflicts, compare sponsored posts with organic ones, and ask the creator in writing for what the public trail cannot show. Paid posts are the only evidence of how a creator performs when a brand holds the brief, so they tell you more than any media kit.
Our influencer due diligence checklist opens the last five sponsored posts and asks about conflicts. This post is the longer version: a 12-month ledger and three ratios. It feeds checks E1, E2 and D3 of the scored sheet in our influencer vetting checklist, and it sits under our complete guide to influencer marketing in India.
Where the trail is
Most past deals leave a public mark. Search for each of these, because each misses something the others catch. Platform tools and labels change, so check what your creator's app shows today.
| Trace | What it shows | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| The platform's paid partnership label | Posts the creator tagged as branded content, often with the brand's name | Posts where the creator did not use the tool |
| Words such as ad, sponsored, collaboration or partnership in captions or on screen | Disclosure in ASCI's permitted words | Posts with no disclosure at all |
| Brand handles in captions, on screen or in Stories | Deals the creator mentions | Deals the creator prefers not to name |
| The tagged tab and the brand's own account | Posts that tagged or were reposted by the brand | Brands that never reposted |
| Discount codes, affiliate links, shop links in the bio | Performance and affiliate deals | Flat-fee posts with no code |
| Story highlights named after collaborations | Deals that lived only in Stories | Stories that were never saved |
| Public ad libraries, where a platform offers one | Partnership ads running from the creator's handle | Ads not running now; coverage varies, see dark posting |
| YouTube descriptions and pinned comments | Links, codes and any paid-promotion label | Deals mentioned only in the video |
Deleted posts and expired Stories will not appear, so a gap in the ledger is a reason to ask, not proof of nothing.
Build the ledger
One row per sponsored post. Add a second block of the last 20 organic posts for comparison.
| Column | How to fill it |
|---|---|
| Date | The post date |
| Brand and category | The advertiser, and one of: direct rival, adjacent, unrelated |
| Platform and format | Reel, carousel, Story set, integration, Short |
| Label | None, bio only, hashtag stack, caption line, on-screen, platform tool |
| Views | Public views, set against the creator's median for that format |
| Claims | Any health, finance or comparative claim made on camera |
| Repeat | Whether the brand appears again later in the ledger |
Where the creator has not shared insights yet, public views are enough for a first read. For the data request itself, see how to read influencer audience insights.
Read the ledger in three ratios
Sponsored share. Sponsored posts divided by all posts in the same window. There is no right number. Compare creators on your shortlist, and watch the trend: a share that climbs sharply in the last quarter points to ad fatigue, and it is a reason to check ratio three.
Disclosure rate. Posts that carry a label in the right place, divided by sponsored posts. Use ASCI's influencer guidelines as the yardstick: the label should be upfront and prominent, not only in a bio, not at the end of a post, not behind a "more" click and not buried in hashtags. For video of 15 seconds or less the label should be on screen for at least three seconds, for video under two minutes for a third of its length, and for longer video across the section that mentions the brand. Permitted words include Advertisement, Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration and Partnership, or a platform's disclosure tool.
In ASCI's second check of Forbes India's Top 100 Digital Stars 2024, about two thirds of the 76 upheld cases (65.8%) had no disclosure at all, and the rest were buried or incorrect. A ledger shows which of those two a creator is. Our working scale for a sheet, not a published rule: every post compliant is full marks; one miss in ten is half; two or more is zero until a label clause is written into the contract.
Sponsored-to-organic ratio. Median views of sponsored posts divided by median views of organic posts in the same format and window. A ratio near or above one means the creator integrates brands well. A ratio far below one means the audience skips the ads, and you would be paying for that. This is check D3 in the sheet.
Add one more column of judgement: repeat brands. In a 2025 study reported by Campaign India, 72% of brands said they prefer long-term partnerships. A brand that came back is a quiet reference; a ledger of one-off deals with no repeats is worth a question.
Competitor and category conflicts
List your direct rivals, your adjacent categories and the categories your buyer sees as substitutes. Then search the ledger for each, and write down the number of days between the rival's post and the start of your window.
| Finding | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A rival's post before your window starts | Not a breach; viewers may still read yours as one more ad | Note the gap and ask what the creator said about the rival |
| A rival's post inside the window you want | A conflict | Move the window, narrow the clause or pass |
| Three or four brands from one category in a few weeks | A category sweep; the audience has heard the pitch | Expect weaker response, ask for fresh creative |
| An adjacent brand live now | Not a conflict, but crowded | Put the adjacent category in the clause |
| A rival you did not find until the creator denied one | A trust problem | Stop and use the rule in our vetting checklist |
An exclusivity window costs money. Published rate cards put 30 days of exclusivity at about 30% to 50% on top of the fee, as our exclusivity clause guide sets out, so know what is already booked before you ask for a window.
What to ask the creator for
Ask in writing, and say you ask every creator the same.
- A dated list of paid or gifted collaborations in the last 12 months, month level is enough.
- Any live or agreed deal that overlaps your window, with the names of competitors only.
- Any paid post that is not public: deleted, Stories only, or partnership ads.
- How the creator discloses, and any notice received from a platform or ASCI about their posts.
- Permission to speak to one or two previous brands.
Do not ask for contracts or fees paid by other brands. The reference step is in influencer reference checks.
Red flags
- A discount code, a product close-up and "link in bio", with no label.
- A label only in the bio, or in a hashtag stack at the foot of the caption.
- Story highlights named after brands with no matching posts.
- "No other deals" from the creator, and a rival post that you find yourself.
- The same disclosure failure on every brand. One miss is a slip; ten is a habit.
- Comments turned off on sponsored posts only.
- Health or finance claims in past ads without the credentials ASCI asks for, which moves the file to due diligence.
A worked example
How the Gully Score uses the ledger
Brand safety carries 10 points of the Gully Score, and the ledger answers two of its checks: E1 (past paid posts carry a clear label, 3 points) and E2 (no competitor deal inside your window, 2 points). It also supplies D3 (sponsored posts perform close to organic, 5 of the 15 content-craft points). Those sub-point splits are our suggested split for a manual sheet, and the criterion totals are the Gully Score's own. Repeat brands and disclosure habits also feed the conduct checks described in creator content consistency.
For a rebooked creator, rebuild the ledger every 90 days, because a creator who signed three rival deals since your last campaign is a different booking. Disclosure habits and competitor deals are part of the brand-safety check in every Gully Score we run, and our Instagram influencer marketing service shows past brand work beside each creator. Send us a brief and the plan, with scores and names, returns within 48 hours of the brief call.
Sources
- ASCI Guidelines for influencer advertising in digital media, ASCI (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- ASCI half-yearly complaints report 2025-26, ASCI (Nov 2025)
- Indian consumers and influencers: coverage of a 2025 Kantar-backed study of consumers and brands, Campaign India (12 Jun 2025)
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out which brands an influencer has worked with?
Search the creator's posts for the platform's paid partnership label, ad or collaboration tags in captions, brand handles in the tagged tab, brand mentions in Story highlights, and discount codes or affiliate links. Then ask the creator for a dated list. Public traces miss deleted posts and Stories, which is why the written ask matters.
How many past deals should I review?
Review every sponsored post from the last 12 months, or the last 15 if the creator posts a great many, and set the last 20 organic posts beside them for comparison. That is our working window, not a published standard. A long deal or a regulated category deserves a longer look.
Is it a problem if an influencer has worked with my competitor?
Not by itself. It becomes a problem when the post falls inside the exclusivity window you want, when the creator hides it, or when the rival deal was so recent that viewers will read yours as one more ad. The gap in days is the useful number. See our exclusivity clause guide.
How can I tell an unlabelled post was a paid one?
You cannot be certain, so ask rather than accuse. Signs include a discount code, a product shown in detail, a brand link in the bio and brand-approved phrasing. ASCI counts free or discounted products as a material connection, so a gifted post needs a label too. Our paid partnership label guide covers one tool.
Should I ask for copies of a creator's past contracts?
No. Those are confidential to the other brands, and asking can sour the relationship. Ask for a dated list of recent and live deals, written confirmation that none conflicts with your category window, and permission to call one or two previous brands. See influencer reference checks.
How many sponsored posts are too many?
We found no reliable published threshold, so we do not quote one. Judge it against the creator's own history: does the share of sponsored posts rise, and do sponsored posts get fewer views than organic ones in the same format? A falling ratio is the sign of ad fatigue. Compare shortlisted creators with each other.
What does ASCI say about where the label goes?
ASCI asks for a disclosure that is upfront and prominent, not only in a bio, not at the end of a post, not behind a more click and not buried in hashtags. For video it sets how long a label stays on screen. Read our ASCI influencer guidelines explainer. This is general information, not legal advice.