A paid partnership label is the tag a social platform adds to a creator’s post to show it was made in a commercial deal with a brand. On Instagram and Facebook it appears above the post as “Paid partnership with” followed by the brand’s name; TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn have their own versions.
How the paid partnership label works
The creator switches the label on when posting, using the platform’s branded content tool, and names the brand partner. The brand then usually gets notified, can see the post’s performance figures, and on Meta can approve the creator so posts can later run as partnership ads.
The main versions, at the time of writing (October 2026):
- Instagram and Facebook: “Paid partnership with [brand]” above the post, Reel or Story, added through the branded content setting.
- TikTok: a content disclosure setting that adds a “Paid partnership” or “Promotional content” label to the video.
- YouTube: an “Includes paid promotion” notice shown at the start of a video when the creator ticks the paid promotion box.
Platform rules generally require the label whenever a creator is paid or rewarded by a brand, so using it is also a condition of staying within the platform’s own policies.
Why it matters
In the UK, any post where a brand has paid or rewarded a creator and had some control over the content is an ad under the CAP Code, and it must be obviously identifiable as one. Consumer protection law, enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority, separately requires creators to disclose commercial relationships.
The platform label helps, but UK regulators have indicated it may not be prominent enough on its own. It can sit in small text, be easy to scroll past or be hidden by other on-screen elements, and its wording (“partnership”) is less plain than “ad”. The safer approach, and the one I recommend to every UK brand, is to use the label and also put #ad or “Ad” clearly at the start of the caption or on screen. Check the current ASA and CMA guidance for influencers before each campaign, as it is updated.
For the brand, the label also brings practical benefits: access to the post’s insights and the option to put ad spend behind it.
Common mistakes
- Relying on the label alone without an upfront #ad.
- Using it on some formats but not others, such as the Reel but not the related Stories.
- Tagging the wrong account as the brand partner, or not tagging one at all.
- Adding #ad at the end of a long caption or inside a block of hashtags.
- Using vague alternatives such as “#sp”, “#collab” or “thanks to” in place of a clear ad label.
- Forgetting affiliate posts, which count as advertising too.
How to act on it
Write disclosure into every creator agreement: the platform label switched on, the brand account tagged as partner, and “#ad” or “Ad” at the start of the caption or visibly on screen in the first seconds of a video. Give creators the exact wording, and check each post when it goes live, including Stories, which disappear and are easy to miss.
Ask creators to add your brand as a partner in the branded content tool so you get the post’s insights. If you plan to boost their posts, agree usage rights at the same time. This disclosure and approval step is part of how I set up creator content in Instagram ads management, so paid and organic posts follow the same rules. For the wider labelling picture, see ad labelling.