Spark Ads and partnership ads: a guide to influencer whitelisting

Updated 3 October 2026

The short version

Spark Ads are TikTok ads that run a creator's own post from their account, usually once the creator sends you an authorisation code. Meta's partnership ads do the same on Instagram and Facebook with the creator's permission, and show both accounts in the ad. Together they're what people call influencer whitelisting. Before anyone generates a code, agree which posts, for how long, who handles comments, what you'll share about spend, and a separate fee for paid usage.

What Spark Ads and partnership ads are

Both run a creator's post as a paid ad from the creator's own account, so people see the creator's post rather than a brand ad. The industry calls this whitelisting. Each platform has its own permission step and its own rules.

TikTok Spark Ads: TikTok's Spark Ads use organic posts, from your own account or from creators' accounts with their authorisation. The views, comments, shares, likes and follows the ad earns are credited to the original post. The ad's display name and text come from the post and can't be edited in TikTok Ads Manager.
Meta partnership ads: Formerly called branded content ads, partnership ads run on Instagram and Facebook with both accounts in the ad's header. With permission, a brand can boost a creator's post, story or reel, or create partnership ads from the creator's handle in Ads Manager.
What neither one covers: Platform permission covers running the post as an ad on that platform. Using the video on your website, in emails or in ads from your own account is usage rights, agreed separately.

How creators give permission

	TikTok Spark Ads	Meta partnership ads
How it's given	The creator taps the three dots on the video, then Ad settings, then Generate, and sends you the code for TikTok Ads Manager. Tagging you as brand partner in the disclosure settings also grants ads authorisation, 60 days by default.	A partnership ad code, or the Allow brand partner to boost toggle when you're tagged in the paid partnership label, covers one post. An account-level request, accepted in Partnership Ads Hub or the app, covers the account.
How long	An authorisation period, shown beneath each post in Ads Manager.	Until the creator revokes it, which they can do at any time. On new branded content the boost toggle turns on automatically for 28 days after their last branded post.
Editing	The caption can't be edited once the post is authorised.	The creator can't edit the post while it runs. Your edits change the ad, not the original post.
Comments	Engagement on the ad counts on the creator's post.	You can hide comments on the ad and on the original post; the creator can unhide them.
Deleting	The video must be un-authorised before it's deleted. A private video becomes public once it's used in a campaign.	Deleting the post stops the ad. Archiving it doesn't.

Sources: TikTok's Spark Ads creation guide and commercial content disclosure help, and Meta's pages on partnership ad permissions and stopping partnership ads. These screens change often, so check them before you brief a creator.

Why brands run creators' posts as ads

It looks like the creator's post. It carries their name, so it reads as a recommendation rather than a brand ad.
You can back posts that already worked. Let a post run for the creator's own followers first, then put spend behind the ones that drew comments and clicks.
It reaches beyond their followers. Your budget decides who sees it, so a smaller creator with a strong post can be worth licensing.
Engagement stays with the creator. On TikTok the ad's likes, comments and follows count on their post, and Meta says their profile may get more visits while the ad runs.
Meta says the ads rank on signals from both accounts. Check that against your own cost per sale.

Creators have reasons to be careful too. Their name sits on an ad they don't control, strangers comment on their post, and heavy spend can show their followers the same video again and again. Clear terms answer most of that.

What to agree: the checklist

Which posts: The post made for this deal, or named existing posts. Meta's account-level permission reaches far more than one post, so write down which you'll use.
How long: Start and end dates, with the TikTok authorisation period set to match. Agree the price of an extension now, so a post that works doesn't become a new negotiation.
Spend and results: Your ad account is yours, so say what you'll share with the creator: the dates the ad ran, rough spend, and how it did.
Comments: Who watches them and what may be hidden: spam and abuse, say, but not fair questions about the product. On Meta you can hide comments on the creator's own post, so settle this first.
Edits: Any link, button, text change or cut you'll make. The TikTok caption is fixed once authorised, so agree it before the code is generated.
Audience: The countries, and on Meta whether you'll include or exclude the creator's custom audience, which account-level permission allows.
Keeping the post live: The post stays up, public and unedited for the whole period.
Other brands: Whether the creator may authorise the same post for anyone else, and whether they'll avoid your competitors. Exclusivity costs them income, so price it separately.
Disclosure: Meta adds an Ad label when a branded post is boosted, but the original post still needs its own. See Instagram and TikTok disclosure rules.

Price paid usage as its own line, not as a percentage of the posting fee that you read somewhere. What it's worth depends on how many posts, for how long, one post or the whole account, your planned spend and any exclusivity. Ask for the post, the usage and an extension to be quoted separately, so you can drop or extend the usage without reopening the rest. See how much to pay TikTok and Instagram creators.

Putting it in the deal and the brief

Write the terms down before the post goes live, in the contract or in an email you both confirm. Then put the practical parts in your sponsorship brief: that you plan to run the post as an ad, the final caption, any link or button, the disclosure, and when to send the code or accept the permission request.

Plain-words clause for paid usage (a starting point, not legal advice)

1. Posts: [link or description] on [platform]. 2. Use: as [TikTok Spark Ads / Meta partnership ads] only. 3. Period: [start date] to [end date]. [Creator] will set the authorisation to match and send the code by [date]. 4. Fee: [amount] for this usage, separate from the content fee. A further [period] costs [amount] if [Brand] asks before [end date]. 5. Results: [Brand] will share the dates the ads ran and [views, clicks] within [number] days of the end date. 6. Comments: [Brand] may hide spam and abuse only. 7. Edits: [Brand] may add [a link, a button] and won't otherwise change the video or caption. 8. Countries: [countries]. 9. [Creator] will keep the posts public and unedited until [end date]. 10. Any other use, including [Brand]'s own accounts, website or emails, needs separate written agreement. 11. The original posts will carry [the platform's label and "Ad" at the start of the caption].

How Nakodo helps

Nakodo doesn't run ads. It finds Instagram, TikTok and YouTube creators who fit your brand, emails them on your behalf and introduces you to the ones who say yes. The deal, including any paid usage, is between you and the creator. If you'll want to run their posts as ads, say so in your offer. See how Nakodo works.

Questions

What are Spark Ads?

Spark Ads are TikTok ads that use organic posts, from your own account or from a creator's with their authorisation. The ad runs from the creator's account, and its views, likes, comments, shares and follows count on their post. The creator usually authorises it with a code generated on the video.

What is influencer whitelisting?

It's the common name for a brand running a creator's post as a paid ad from the creator's own account, with their permission. On TikTok that's a Spark Ad; on Instagram and Facebook it's a Meta partnership ad. It's priced separately from the fee for making and posting the content.

How do I get a TikTok Spark Ads code from a creator?

Ask the creator to tap the three dots on the video, then Ad settings, then Generate, and send you the code to add in TikTok Ads Manager. Agree the period, caption and fee first, because the caption can't be edited once the post is authorised.

How do Meta partnership ads work on Instagram?

The creator gives you permission for one post, with a partnership ad code or the Allow brand partner to boost toggle, or for their whole account through Partnership Ads Hub. The ad shows both accounts in its header, and the creator can revoke permission at any time.

How much should I pay a creator for whitelisting?

There's no standard rate or percentage to apply. Price it as its own line, separate from the posting fee, based on the posts, the period, whether it's one post or the whole account, and any exclusivity. Ask for an extension price at the same time.

Can a creator stop a Spark Ad or partnership ad?

On Instagram and Facebook, yes: creators can revoke permission at any time, and deleting the post stops the ad. On TikTok the authorisation runs for a set period, and the video must be un-authorised before it's deleted. Agree in the deal that posts stay up for the period.