Also known as: SOW, Scope of Work
A Statement of Work is the document that defines the specific deliverables, scope and timeline of a defined engagement, such as a content-production or co-marketing project. It answers exactly what will be produced, by when, and what counts as done.
A Statement of Work applies when a broker-partner relationship includes project deliverables rather than only performance traffic, such as a co-branded landing page, a review hub, an article academy or a webinar series. It answers three questions precisely: what will be produced, by when, and what counts as accepted.
Because it enumerates each deliverable, its delivery date and its acceptance criteria, the SOW is the main defence against scope creep and 'that's not what we agreed' arguments. It typically sits under an MSA for legal terms and may be authorised by a purchase order for the budget. The strongest SOWs tie each payment milestone to a specific accepted deliverable, so money moves as verified work lands rather than as time passes, keeping both sides aligned on real progress.
List every artifact to be produced, item by item.
Assign a delivery date to each deliverable and group them into milestones.
State exactly what makes each deliverable 'done' and accepted.
Link each milestone payment to a specific accepted deliverable.
Sign the SOW referencing the umbrella agreement and any PO.
Produce each item and secure written acceptance before invoicing.
Why it matters for partnership: When a partnership goes beyond simple traffic-for-commission into project work, such as building a co-branded landing page, a review hub or a webinar series, the SOW prevents scope creep and disputes over what was promised.
A broker commissions an educational partner to produce a 10-article academy plus two webinars. The SOW lists each article title, the delivery dates and the acceptance criteria, tied to a fixed fee.
| Document | Governs | Payment basis |
|---|---|---|
| Statement of Work | Project deliverables and timeline | Accepted milestones / fixed fee |
| Insertion Order | A paid traffic campaign | Per conversion (CPA/CPL/RevShare) |
| MSA | The overall relationship | Sets terms; no payout itself |
Tie payment milestones to specific accepted deliverables in the SOW rather than to elapsed time, so both sides stay aligned on progress.
Leaving 'acceptance criteria' vague, which lets either side argue endlessly about whether a deliverable is actually complete.
No. Pure pay-per-performance traffic deals do not; SOWs are for project-based or service-based engagements.