inlink glossary (return, refund, reward, escrow)

Key terms

The words that appear most often on screens and in messages, gathered in one place. Come back here whenever something is unclear.

• Campaign — one public recruitment by a brand looking for influencers. The core unit on inlink.
• Selection — the brand choosing collaborators from the applicants. Brand screens show it as "N selected".
• Not selected — you applied but were not chosen. It is not a rejection, and the participation deposit you placed is returned automatically.
• Revision request (rejection) — the brand asking you to resubmit because the deliverable did not meet the conditions.
• Reward — the compensation (in points) paid when a campaign, proposal or Market order is completed.
• Settlement — actually paying out the reward on a completed transaction.
• Escrow (holding) — a safeguard that locks the reward when a transaction starts. On completion it goes to the influencer; on cancellation it returns to the brand.
• Participation deposit — the points held as a pledge when you apply to a campaign. It is returned when you complete the campaign or are not selected, and may be passed to the campaign contact if you abandon the campaign. See the related article for details.

Return vs refund — what is the difference

These are the two most easily confused words.

• Return = putting points (P) back into your balance. Examples: a deposit returned when you are not selected, an escrowed reward returned when a campaign, proposal or Market order is cancelled, points restored when a withdrawal is declined.
• Refund = cancelling an actual cash or card payment. Example: cancelling a card payment for a subscription.

Almost everything you encounter on the influencer screens is a "return". inlink returns everything in points when a campaign or Market order is cancelled or declined; nothing goes back to a card. So even if you ask for a "refund", it is handled as a points return.

Participation deposits and escrow — why things are held

When you apply to a campaign or accept a proposal, some of the other party's points (or your own) are held in advance as escrow. It is a safeguard so that if one side walks away mid-transaction, the other is not left out of pocket.

• For influencers, what is held is usually the participation deposit (when applying to a campaign).
• For brands, what is held is the reward budget — in full when a campaign is published, when a proposal is sent, or when a Market service is purchased.
• When the transaction completes normally the held amount is paid to the recipient; when it is cancelled or declined it is returned to its owner.

The transaction flow in short (submit → 14 days → payment)

Campaigns, proposals and Market orders on inlink differ only in how they start; the rest is identical.

1. Start — a campaign starts with an application and selection, a proposal with your acceptance, a Market order with a purchase.
2. Submit the deliverable — upload the review URL, screenshots and so on.
3. Await approval (up to 14 days) — the brand approves or requests a revision. If the brand does nothing for 14 days, it is approved and paid automatically.
4. Paid — the reward is paid in points, and any participation deposit is returned at the same time.

Points people often get confused about

Q. I asked for a refund — why am I being given points? When a campaign or Market transaction on inlink is cancelled or declined, everything is returned in points. There is no process for putting money back on a card. Only money you paid by card directly, such as a subscription fee, is "refunded" to that card.

Q. Do I need to do anything if I am not selected? No. The participation deposit is returned automatically with no request.

Q. Are reward and settlement the same thing? "Reward" is the compensation you are owed; "settlement" is the process of actually paying it. The outcome looks the same, but the words are used differently on screen.