If you run sponsored posts, you already know you need to disclose the relationship. What most operators don’t realize is that each platform has its own technical requirements for where that disclosure appears—and some of them override what you write.
Instagram and Facebook: the built-in toggle wins
Meta’s platforms require you to use the “Paid partnership with” label when posting branded content through a business or creator account. You enable it in the advanced settings before publishing.
If you add #ad or #sponsored in the caption, that’s fine—but it doesn’t replace the toggle. Meta’s terms treat the built-in label as the compliant disclosure. The hashtag is supplementary.
The label appears at the top of the post, above the image and caption. It’s styled in Meta’s UI and can’t be customized. If you’re working with a brand that wants specific language, send them Meta’s official branded content guidelines—they’re locked into this format.
YouTube: the first five seconds, or the description box
YouTube’s policy requires disclosure “in the video itself” or “in the description.” If you choose the description route, it needs to appear above the fold—before the “Show more” link.
For video content, the safest approach is a verbal mention in the first five seconds, paired with on-screen text that stays visible for at least three seconds. The FTC has cited creators for burying disclosures at the end of a video or in collapsed description text.
YouTube also has a “Includes paid promotion” checkbox in the upload flow. Checking it adds a small disclaimer to the lower-left corner of the video player. That checkbox is required for certain ad categories (political, prescription drugs), but for standard sponsorships, it’s considered supplementary—not a replacement for in-video or description disclosure.
TikTok: the branded content toggle is mandatory
TikTok requires the “Branded Content” toggle for any post that promotes a third-party product or service. You’ll find it in the post settings under “Advanced settings” → “Content disclosure.”
Enabling it adds a “Paid partnership” label to the top of the video. Like Meta, TikTok treats this as the primary disclosure mechanism. Adding #ad in the caption is recommended but not sufficient on its own.
One catch: TikTok’s branded content toggle is only available to accounts in the Creator Marketplace or those that meet specific eligibility thresholds (10,000+ followers and 100,000+ video views in the last 30 days as of mid-2026). If you don’t have access yet, you’re stuck with caption-based disclosure—and the platform may limit your reach or remove the post if it’s flagged as undisclosed advertising.
LinkedIn: text-based disclosure still rules
LinkedIn doesn’t have a built-in sponsored-content label for individual posts (its “Sponsored Content” product is for paid ads run through Campaign Manager, not organic posts).
For organic posts that include a paid partnership, you need to disclose it in the text itself. The FTC’s guidance applies: the disclosure should appear before the call to action and be clear without requiring users to click “see more.”
Common phrasing: “Sponsored by [Brand],” “Paid partnership with [Brand],” or “This post is sponsored by [Brand].” Put it in the first two lines of the post. Burying it after three paragraphs or in a comment doesn’t meet the standard.
What the FTC actually enforces
Platform-specific tools help, but the FTC’s core rule is simple: disclosures must be “clear and conspicuous.” That means:
- Visible without scrolling, clicking, or hovering
- In plain language—no ambiguous hashtags like #partner or #collab
- Close to the claim being made, not buried at the end
In practice, the FTC has gone after creators and brands for disclosures that appeared only in collapsed text, in light-colored fonts against light backgrounds, or in strings of hashtags where #ad was the eighth tag.
If a platform’s built-in tool exists and you don’t use it, that’s a red flag during an audit. If you use it and add text disclosure, you’re in the clear.
One disclosure format that works everywhere
If you’re cross-posting the same sponsored content to multiple platforms, lead with a text-based disclosure in the first sentence and enable any platform-specific toggles where available.
Example: “Sponsored by [Brand]. Here’s why I’ve been using [product]…”
That satisfies LinkedIn and Twitter (which has no built-in tool). Then layer on Meta’s partnership toggle, TikTok’s branded content flag, and YouTube’s in-video mention. It’s redundant, but redundancy is the point—regulators and platforms both want the relationship to be unmissable.
Got a question about disclosure rules for a specific platform or sponsor agreement? Reply to this email—we’ll cover it in a future Q&A.