A creator posts your campaign. Somewhere, it says it's paid.
Maybe in the bio. Maybe as the 30th hashtag. Maybe nowhere.
Where the disclosure goes isn't a detail. Here's what the rules say:
1. X: paid partnership posts need "clear and prominent" disclosure, like #
ad#, #
paidpartnership# or #
sponsored#. Leaving it out can lead to enforcement.
2. Instagram: branded content should use the paid partnership label to tag the brand.
3. FTC (US): a disclosure has to be hard to miss. A line in the bio isn't enough, and the platform's built-in label on its own isn't either.
The usual worry is engagement. A study of 583,000 sponsored Instagram posts from UK creators (HypeAuditor × IMTB) found #
ad# disclosure wasn't linked to lower engagement.
So settle it before launch, on page one of the brief:
#
ad# in the caption where readers will see it, plus the platform's paid-partnership label where there is one.
Projects: where does the disclosure go in your brief?