How to turn on the paid partnership label on TikTok and Instagram

What does paid partnership mean on TikTok and Instagram?

A paid partnership label tells viewers that a business gave the creator money, a free product or another benefit to make the post. TikTok and Instagram add it when you turn on their disclosure setting. It doesn't mean TikTok or Instagram paid you.

Sources: TikTok Business Help Center, the Instagram Help Center and TikTok's Branded Content Policy. On both platforms, a free product counts, not only cash.

How do you add a paid partnership on TikTok?

Turn on Disclose commercial content before you post and choose Branded content. That choice shows viewers a Paid partnership label. TikTok's Branded Content Policy says creators must enable the disclosure toggle for branded content, and that non-compliant content may be removed or restricted.

1. 01

   Create your post

   Record or upload your video in the TikTok app and go to the post screen.

2. 02

   Open Content disclosure and ads

   Tap Content disclosure and ads. If you're not part of TikTok One, tap More options first, then Content disclosure and ads.

3. 03

   Turn on Disclose commercial content

   Switch the Disclose commercial content setting on.

4. 04

   Pick Branded content

   Choose Branded content when you promote a third party, such as someone else's app. Your brand is for your own business. For branded content you can also tap Brand partnership to tag a partner.

5. 05

   Save and confirm

   Tap Save, then Continue.

6. 06

   Post

   Leave the More options menu and tap Post.

Already posted? Open the post, tap More options, then Ad settings, turn on Disclose commercial content, choose the type, and tap Save, then Continue. On a computer, click Upload, pick your video, click Show more, and turn on the disclosure setting before you post. Same steps in TikTok's Business Help Center, last updated January 2026.

How do you add the paid partnership label on Instagram Reels?

On Instagram you turn on branded content tools once, then add the label to every Reel you're paid for. Instagram says branded content tools are available only on mobile, not on a computer (Instagram Help Center).

One-time setup:

1. 01

   Open your menu

   In the Instagram app, go to your profile and tap Menu in the top right.

2. 02

   Find Branded content

   Tap Creator tools and controls (or Business tools and controls), then Branded content.

3. 03

   Enable the tools

   Tap Set up branded content tools, then Enable if you're eligible.

On every paid Reel (Instagram renames menus often, so the labels may differ slightly on your version, see the Instagram Help Center):

1. 01

   Get to the extra settings

   After you pick your video and add a caption, effects and filters, tap Next, then open More options (some versions call it Advanced settings).

2. 02

   Turn on the label

   Switch on Add paid partnership label.

3. 03

   Tag the brand

   Tag the brand partner, then share the Reel. The brand has to approve the tag.

What can stop you. Instagram's eligibility rules say branded content is for Instagram professional accounts, and that creators need an authentic, established presence, which includes enough followers. Instagram doesn't publish a follower number. The brand you tag also needs a professional account and must approve the partnership. If the brand denies it, Instagram removes the label.

Do you have to disclose a paid partnership, and is the label enough?

Yes, you have to disclose, and in the US the label alone may not be enough. TikTok and Instagram both require their own tool on paid posts. The FTC tells influencers not to assume a platform's disclosure tool is good enough and to add a clear disclosure of their own.

Its Endorsement Guides FAQ says a platform offering a disclosure feature is no guarantee it works, and the responsibility stays with you and the brand. The guidance for video, in short:

• Put it in the video. A disclosure only in the description isn't enough. Viewers are more likely to notice it when it's both said out loud and shown on screen.
• Use plain words. "Ad", "advertisement" and "sponsored" work. Avoid "sp", "spon" and "collab". "Ambassador" or "partner" alone can be unclear.
• Make it hard to miss. The FTC lists your profile page, the end of a video and anything behind a "more" tap as places a disclosure gets missed, and says to keep it with the endorsement itself.
• Match the language. Disclose in the same language as the video.
• Only talk about what you tried. You can't describe your experience with a product you haven't used, and if you're paid and thought it was terrible, you can't say it's great.
• Posting from outside the US? The FTC says US law applies when it's reasonably foreseeable that your post will affect US consumers. Your own country's laws may apply too.

Example for a 30-second app video: the platform label is on, "Ad" is on screen near the start, and you say "This is an ad, I'm paid to show you [app name]" out loud. The disclosure is then in the label, on screen and in the audio.

Does the paid partnership label hurt reach?

TikTok says no. Turning on the disclosure setting and labeling a post Paid partnership won't change how TikTok recommends it, according to TikTok's Business Help Center. TikTok cites a 2023 internal study of nearly 2 million videos, tested in Indonesia and Pakistan, that found no performance difference between videos with and without proper disclosure.

A successful appeal restores For You eligibility. Instagram's help pages we checked don't say whether the label changes how Reels are shown, so treat claims either way as unproven. Either way, both apps require the label on paid posts.

What does Markapping check, and why don't unlabeled videos count?

Markapping is a pay-per-view creator marketing platform for mobile apps: app owners fund a campaign and pay creators for every 1,000 views their videos get on TikTok and Instagram Reels. It isn't live yet. Campaign videos must go on your own account with the paid partnership or branded content label on, or they don't count.

• Your own account. The video is on the TikTok or Instagram account you connected, not a friend's page or a repost.
• The label. Paid partnership on TikTok (Branded content) or Instagram's paid partnership label. No label, no counted views.
• A fake-view check on every video. After the counting window (7, 14 or 30 days after approval, set by the campaign), the Markapping team reviews videos in a 3-day check. Suspicious videos are held, a person makes the final call, and you can appeal once.
• Written campaign rules. An app owner can reject a video only for breaking a rule written in the campaign, and must name the rule and give a reason.

Example, not a promise: a video gets 50,000 counted views in a campaign paying $1.20 per 1,000 views. That's 50 x $1.20 = $60. Markapping keeps 5%, so you keep $57. The same video posted without the label earns $0 on Markapping, however many views it gets.

So turn the label on before you post, every time. For the money side, read how getting paid per view works and how to get paid to promote apps, or see Markapping for creators.

What are the most common paid partnership mistakes?

Most problems come from picking the wrong option or hiding the disclosure. They're easy to avoid before you post and hard to fix after, because label types may be locked after posting and Instagram removes the label if the tagged brand says no. Check this list before every paid video.

• Choosing Your brand on TikTok for someone else's app. Viewers won't see a Paid partnership label, and Markapping needs it. If you can't change the type after posting, delete and repost.
• Only #ad at the end of the caption. The FTC's FAQ says a disclosure in the middle or at the end of a post is easier to miss.
• Skipping the Instagram setup. Turn on branded content tools on a professional account before your first paid Reel.
• Tagging the wrong brand on Instagram. If the brand denies the request, the label comes off your Reel.
• Praising an app you haven't opened. The FTC says you can't talk about your experience with a product you haven't tried.

Questions