Funding & Escrow

One of the biggest problems with influencer marketing is trust - brands worry about paying and not getting content, influencers worry about doing work and not getting paid. EZTalent's escrow system solves this by holding the money safely until everyone's happy.

What is Escrow and Why Should You Care?

Think of escrow like a trusted middleman. When you fund a campaign, your money goes to EZTalent (through Stripe), not directly to the influencer. We hold onto it until:

1. The influencer delivers the content
2. You approve the content
3. Everyone agrees the work is done

Only then does the money get released to the influencer. This protects both sides:

Why This is Good for You (the Brand)

• No paying for nothing - You don't release funds until you've seen and approved the work
• Quality control - You can request changes before approving content
• Peace of mind - If something goes wrong, your money isn't already gone
• Dispute protection - If there's a disagreement, EZTalent can help mediate

Why Influencers Like It Too

• Guaranteed payment - The money is already set aside before they start working
• No chasing invoices - They don't have to hunt down payment after doing the work
• Professional process - Everything is documented and clear

How the Escrow Status Works

Every campaign has an escrow status that tells you where the money is:

The Flow

UNPAID → [You Pay] → PENDING → [Payment Clears] → PAID
                                                     ↓
                                  Campaign gets completed
                                                     ↓
                                                 RELEASED
                                                     ↓
                                 Money goes to influencer's bank

How to Fund Your Campaign

Funding is done through Stripe, one of the most trusted payment processors in the world. Here's the process:

1. Open your campaign

   Go to Campaigns and click on the one you want to fund.

2. Click "Fund Campaign"

   You'll see a summary of what you're paying.

3. Review the amount

   Double-check the budget is what you expect.

4. Click "Pay Now"

   You'll be taken to Stripe's secure checkout page.

5. Enter your payment info

   Card number, expiration, CVC, billing address.

6. Complete the payment

   Click Pay and you're done!

7. Return to EZTalent

   You'll be sent back to your dashboard with confirmation that escrow is funded.

Payment Methods We Accept

Stripe handles payments, so we support a lot of options:

International payments? We accept cards from most countries. Everything is processed in USD. Your bank might charge a small foreign transaction fee if you're outside the US.

When Does the Influencer Get Paid?

The money stays in escrow until all of these happen:

1. Influencer submits all the content - They've delivered what was promised
2. You approve everything - You've reviewed and accepted the submissions
3. You request settlement - You click the button saying "Yes, pay them"
4. EZTalent admin approves - We do a quick check to make sure everything looks good
5. Payout is processed - Money gets sent to the influencer via Stripe Connect

How Long Does All This Take?

So from the time you approve, the influencer typically sees money in their account within 1-2 weeks. Most of that time is just banks being slow.

Understanding the 15% Platform Fee

When you set a campaign budget, here's how it breaks down:

• 85% goes to the influencer
• 15% is the EZTalent platform fee

For example:

Refunds: What Happens If Things Go Wrong?

Life happens. Here's how refunds work:

When You Can Get a Full Refund

• You cancel before the influencer accepts - The campaign never started, so you get your money back (minus payment processing fees)
• The influencer declines - They said no, so your money stays in escrow for another campaign or you can request it back
• No one accepts for 30 days - If you can't find an influencer, you can request a refund

Partial Refunds

• Influencer delivers some but not all content - You might get a partial refund based on what was actually completed
• Dispute resolved in your favor - Amount depends on the specific resolution

When There's No Refund

• Campaign completed successfully - Once you approve everything and settlement happens, that's it
• You approved the content then changed your mind - Approval is final
• Work is already in progress - Can't pull the plug mid-campaign

How to Request a Refund

1. Go to your campaign dashboard
2. Click on the campaign
3. Look for "Request Refund" (if it's available)
4. Tell us why you need a refund
5. Submit and wait for review

We typically respond within 2 business days. If approved, expect the refund within 5-10 business days.

Payment Security

Your payment info is safe. Here's why:

• Stripe handles everything - They're a PCI Level 1 certified payment processor (the highest security standard)
• We never see your card number - It goes directly to Stripe, encrypted the whole way
• Fraud protection - Stripe's machine learning catches sketchy transactions
• 3D Secure - Extra authentication for supported cards

Troubleshooting

My payment was declined

Try these:

• Double-check your card details are correct
• Make sure you have enough funds/credit
• Call your bank - they might have blocked it as suspicious
• Try a different card
• Turn off your VPN if you're using one

Payment stuck on PENDING

Usually this clears within minutes. If it's been more than an hour:

• Check your email for a confirmation from Stripe
• Check your bank statement to see if the charge went through
• Email us at info@eztalent.app with your transaction details

I see multiple charges

Sometimes pending authorizations look like duplicate charges. Wait 24 hours - fake ones usually disappear. If they don't, email us and we'll sort it out.