Commercial partnership track (Tier B)
Tier B is not “Tier A but friendlier.” It is a different bar: deeper review, possible final-cut review, and a written commercial agreement when money is involved—drafted with counsel.
Operators: Your job is to recognize Tier B, collect information, and hand off. Do not paste the Tier A template or promise rates, exclusivity, or revenue splits.
Triggers (from public policy)
Escalate when any applies (see Media Policy → Two tracks):
- More than one letter in the same project.
- Monetization on the asset or distributing channel/account, or sponsors / brand deals / paid memberships tied to the content.
- Paid product (book, course, etc.).
- Anything unclear or high-risk—when in doubt, Tier B.
First response pattern
- Thank them; name one plain reason it is Tier B (sponsor, multi-letter, etc.).
- Request a full script or detailed treatment and any publish timeline.
- Set expectation: review depth and possible final approval before or as it goes live.
- Internal: notify [Business owner] and counsel per Escalation matrix; start a Drive folder note “Tier B — no Tier A template sent.”
Example opening (adapt, do not over-promise)
“Thanks for the detail. Because this project includes [sponsor / multiple letters / paid distribution], it falls under our commercial partnership track rather than Standard collaboration. I’m routing this for script review and next steps. You’ll hear back from this address or from [counsel/business] as appropriate.”
Evidence
Even before a final agreement exists, keep the same discipline as Tier A: export the inquiry thread, store scripts, and log decisions in the decision log when you decline or attach unusual conditions. Written permission (Tier B template or counsel draft) includes trigger/content warning duties—same idea as Tier A and the public Media Policy.
Why Tier A template is dangerous here
The Tier A email is tuned for a narrow non-commercial license. Using it for sponsored or multi-letter work can create terms mismatch—exactly what counsel handoff is meant to prevent.