How to disclose sponsored posts on Instagram and TikTok

Updated 3 October 2026

The short version

To disclose a sponsored post on Instagram, the creator adds the paid partnership label and tags your brand. On TikTok, they turn on the content disclosure setting, which labels the post "Paid partnership". The US FTC and the UK's ASA both say the label may not be enough on its own, so add a clear "Ad" at the start of the post or video too. Gifts and affiliate links count, and the brand shares responsibility with the creator.

What Instagram and TikTok require

Both platforms have their own rules for paid content, separate from the law, and both have a built-in label:

Instagram: Meta's Branded Content Policies cover content that "features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value, such as monetary payment or free gifts". Creators must post it with the branded content tool and tag the partner, with the partner's permission. Viewers then see "Paid partnership with" and your account's name. Meta adds that content with an affiliate link should carry the label too, even with no partner tagged.
Your side on Instagram: If you approve branded content creators manually, add the creator to your approved list before they post.
TikTok: TikTok's Branded Content Policy covers content that promotes a third-party brand "in exchange for payment or any other incentive" and requires the content disclosure setting. In the app it's Disclose commercial content, under Content disclosure and ads. Choosing Branded content labels the post "Paid partnership"; Your brand labels it "Promotional content". It can be turned on before or after posting, but once the post is published the label can't be changed, and TikTok may remove or restrict posts without the proper disclosure.
Brand partner tag on TikTok: In the same setting, the creator can tag you as the brand partner, which gives you the post's insights and can grant ad authorisation for it. See Spark Ads and partnership ads.

Why the label alone may not be enough

Advertising law asks whether a viewer can tell at a glance that a post is an ad. The regulators have looked at the platform labels directly:

Source	On the platform label	Where the disclosure goes
US FTC	Don't assume a platform's tool is good enough; use it alongside your own disclosure. Responsibility rests with the creator and the brand, not the platform.	With the endorsement itself, not only on a profile, at the end or behind "more". On TikTok, the FTC's answers call a disclosure only in the caption "very unlikely" to be clear.
UK ASA	The Paid partnership tool may be sufficient if it's upfront, clear and prominent, but the ASA's 2026 research found it may not be enough on its own. If in doubt, add "Ad".	At the start, before people engage, and never only after "See more". Videos should be clearly ads before the click, or from the first moment.
UK CMA	Platform tools are fine if the label is clear and easy to see. If the tool doesn't make clear it's an ad, add "#Ad" upfront.	Clear, upfront and prominent. Tagging the brand, a discount code or an affiliate link isn't enough.

The practical answer is the same everywhere: turn the label on, and put "Ad" where the viewer looks first. For a UK audience, use "Ad" or "Advert": the ASA and CMA advise against "sponsored", "gifted" and "collab". The ASA has also ruled that an Instagram collaborative post, shown under both the creator's and the brand's names, wasn't identifiable as an ad by that alone. For YouTube's own setting and the labels each regulator accepts, see YouTube sponsorship disclosure rules.

Format by format

Feed posts and carousels: Label on, and "Ad" at the start of the caption so it shows before "more". The FTC says that if the picture itself makes the endorsement, the disclosure may need to go on the image.
Reels and TikTok videos: Label or disclosure setting on, "Ad" on screen from the start, and said out loud if the creator talks about the product. The FTC's rule: a spoken endorsement needs at least a spoken disclosure, a visual one at least a visual disclosure.
Stories: "Ad" on each frame, readable in the time it's on screen. The ASA's guide for creators says to label every Story in a series, and each format the content is reposted to. Because Stories disappear, the FTC suggests approving paid ones in advance.
Lives: TikTok's disclosure setting has a LIVE version. The FTC says to repeat the disclosure, so late joiners see it.

Gifted products and affiliate links

Neither needs a fee to count as advertising.

Gifts. The ASA treats a free product as payment even when there's no obligation to post, and the FTC says to disclose even if the creator wasn't asked to mention it. Meta's definition names free gifts, and TikTok's covers any incentive. The CMA tells brands that send gifts to include clear instructions that any resulting post must be labelled as an ad. See product seeding.
Affiliate links and codes. Meta says content with an affiliate link should carry the Paid partnership label. The ASA says a general line that "some" links "might" earn a commission isn't enough: say which parts are advertising. It has also ruled that a personalised discount code doesn't make a post recognisable as an ad, and the FTC recommends erring on the side of disclosure.

Who is responsible

The brand and the creator, together. The FTC's answers tell companies: "Your company is ultimately responsible for what others do on your behalf." Brands are expected to train and check the creators they pay. The ASA says the creator, the brand and any agency involved are all responsible. The CMA's guidance for brands says to check posts about you yourself and get unlabelled ones fixed promptly.

Keep checking for the length of the deal and a while after: the FTC suggests a few months after a contract ends, and the ASA expects disclosure in relevant content for 12 months after a relationship ends.

What to put in the brief

Put the disclosure in the brief and the agreement, so the creator sees it before filming:

The platform label: Instagram's paid partnership label tagging your account, or TikTok's disclosure setting set to Branded content with you tagged as brand partner.
The word: "Ad" at the start of the caption, on screen from the start of any video, and spoken if the creator talks about the product. Agree the wording, in the audience's language.
Every Story frame, and every format the content is reposted to.
Affiliate links and codes named as paid, not covered by a general line.
Your checks: a draft review for the label, a look at the live post, and a prompt fix if the label is missing. Approve paid Stories before they go up.
Gifts: a written note with any free product asking for any resulting post to be labelled as an ad.
Honest claims: only about a product they've tried, and nothing you can't back up.

Our sponsorship brief guide is written for YouTube, but its structure works on any platform.

How Nakodo helps

Nakodo finds creators on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube who fit your brand, emails them on your behalf and introduces you to the ones who say yes. It doesn't write agreements or check disclosures. Each first email waits for your approval by default, so you can add a line such as "We ask every partner to label posts as ads" before it goes, or raise it when you agree the details after the introduction. See how Nakodo works.

Questions

How do I disclose a sponsored post on Instagram and TikTok?

Turn on the platform label: Instagram's paid partnership label with the brand tagged, or TikTok's content disclosure setting set to Branded content. Then add a clear "Ad" at the start of the caption and on screen from the start of any video, because the label may not be enough on its own.

Is Instagram's paid partnership label enough?

Not always. The UK's ASA says it may be sufficient if it's upfront, clear and prominent, but may not be enough on its own, so add "Ad" if in doubt. The US FTC says not to assume a platform's tool is good enough. Use both.

What is TikTok's branded content toggle?

It's TikTok's content disclosure setting, called Disclose commercial content in the app. Creators turn it on when posting, or later from the post's Ad settings, and choose Branded content for a brand deal, which labels the post "Paid partnership". TikTok's Branded Content Policy requires it.

Do gifted posts need #ad?

Yes, when the creator features a product they were given. The UK's ASA counts a free product as payment even with no obligation to post, and the US FTC says to disclose even when the creator wasn't asked to mention it.

What are the influencer disclosure rules in the UK?

The ASA enforces the advertising code and the CMA enforces consumer law. Both expect paid, gifted and affiliate content to be labelled clearly and upfront, preferably with "Ad" or "Advert", and advise against "sponsored", "gifted" and "collab". The creator, the brand and any agency involved are all responsible.

What do the FTC influencer guidelines say about Instagram and TikTok?

The FTC's Endorsement Guides apply on every platform. Disclose any payment, free product or other relationship with the endorsement itself, not only behind "more" or in a TikTok caption; put it in the video for video posts; and don't rely on a platform's tool alone.