How to claim co-op from every brand you carry

Co-op only becomes marketing money when you claim it. It isn’t hard, but it is detailed, and every brand runs it a little differently. This process works across all of them.

If you’re new to co-op, start with how brand co-op works for the basics on accrual, MDF and brand rules.

Where do I find each brand’s co-op program and balance?

Your rep. Some brands also run a co-op portal or use a third-party claims platform, but the rep is the person who can tell you which, and get you a login.

At the start of each program year, ask every rep for the same six things:

1. The written program document for this year.
2. Your current accrual balance, and how often it updates.
3. Eligible media and eligible costs (and what’s excluded, such as agency fees).
4. How pre-approval works and how far ahead it’s needed.
5. The proof of performance list for each type of ad.
6. The claim deadline after an ad runs, and the end date of the program year.

Federal Trade Commission guides say brands should take steps to tell competing customers about their promotional plans in enough detail to decide whether to take part. Asking for the program in writing is normal. Don’t feel like you’re asking a favor.

How do I claim co-op, step by step?

1. Confirm the balance. Check the brand’s accrual before you plan. Don’t plan a $5,000 campaign on a $2,000 balance.
2. Plan the campaign. Dates, budget, which products (usually a launch or a core model you stock deep), where the ads run and the radius around your store.
3. Get pre-approval in writing. Send the plan and, if the brand asks, the ad itself. Save the approval email or the approval number.
4. Build the ad inside the brand’s guidelines. Approved logos and product images, correct model names, the brand’s rules on price and on featuring other brands.
5. Capture proof while it runs. Screenshots on day one and mid-flight, not three weeks after it ends when the ad is gone.
6. Pull the invoices and reports when it ends. Media invoices or statements, plus the campaign report from the ad platform.
7. Submit the claim before the deadline. Use the brand’s form or portal, attach every piece of proof, and match the claimed amount to the invoices.
8. Track it until it’s paid. Record the claim date, the amount, and whether it comes back as a check, ACH or a credit memo.

Running ads through Google? Google Ads statements live under Billing, then Documents, and they aren’t generated until the 5th business day of the following month. In the meantime you can print a payment receipt for each payment from the Billing Summary page. Plan around that gap when a claim deadline is close to month end.

What counts as proof of performance?

Each brand sets its own list. Terms vary by brand; ask your rep. In general, brands want to see that the ad ran, that it ran as approved and what it cost.

The reason is simple: the FTC guides say a brand should take reasonable precautions to see that the services it pays for are actually furnished. Your proof is how the brand checks.

Type of ad	Proof brands commonly ask for
Google Shopping or local inventory ads	Statement or invoice, campaign report showing dates, spend and the brand’s products, screenshots of the ads
Search ads	Statement or invoice, campaign or keyword report, screenshots of the ad text
Social ads	Platform invoice or receipt, ad screenshots, a results report for the dates
Email	A copy of the email, send date, list size or send report
Print, radio or event	Tear sheet or affidavit of performance, the media invoice, photos from the event

Keep proof in one folder per brand per campaign, named the same way every time, such as “Brand, Model, launch, month.” When a claim is questioned months later, you’ll find it in a minute.

How do I track co-op across every brand?

One sheet, one row per campaign, every brand. Here’s a template you can copy into a spreadsheet:

Brand	Program year end	Balance before	Pre-approval date or number	Campaign dates	Spend	Amount claimed	Claim deadline	Claim sent	Paid as	Paid date	Status
Brand A	Dec 31								Check		Planned
Brand B	Jun 30								Credit memo		Running
Brand C	Dec 31								ACH		Claim sent

Review it once a week during race season and launch season. Sort by claim deadline so the next one due is always at the top.

If you use Segments HQ for brand campaigns, it covers the back half of this sheet. When a campaign ends, HQ draws up the invoice to the brand for you to send. HQ never emails a brand itself. It tracks what every brand owes, what’s overdue and what’s paid, lets you record checks and ACH, and exports to CSV. It also drafts a brand report comparing the brand’s sales during the campaign with before and with last year, which is the recap your rep will want. That’s part of our Brand-Funded Growth service, where brand co-op campaigns carry no management fee.

Why do co-op claims get denied?

The common denials are all avoidable:

Reason	How to avoid it
No pre-approval	Get written approval before any spend, every time
Claim sent after the deadline	Calendar every brand’s deadline; claim as soon as each campaign ends
Missing or weak proof	Screenshots during the campaign, invoices and reports attached to every claim
Ad broke brand guidelines	Use the brand’s approved assets; check price and multi-brand rules
Ineligible media or costs	Check the eligible list in this year’s program, not last year’s
Claim higher than the balance	Confirm the balance before you plan, and again before you claim
Amounts don’t match the invoices	Claim exactly what the invoices show, for the dates approved
Wrong products featured	Feature the brand’s products named in the approval, and only those

What should I do when co-op funds are about to expire?

Act a quarter before the program year ends, not in the last week.

1. List every brand with a balance and its program end date.
2. Ask each rep what can still be approved and run in time, and whether any balance carries over. Usually it doesn’t.
3. Pick fast-to-launch media. A Shopping campaign for the brand’s in-stock products can be built and approved faster than a print run. If you’re planning those, make sure your products are clean in Google first: see our guide to Google Merchant Center for running stores.
4. Tie it to a real reason to visit: a new model on the wall, a fit night with the rep, a training group starting for a spring race.
5. Submit those claims first. A rushed end-of-year campaign is still worth nothing if the claim misses the window.