#ad and paid partnership labels: a plain guide for EU brands
What to label, where the labels go, and why clear labels help your brand.
The basic rule
EU consumer rules say advertising must be recognisable as advertising. If a post promotes your product and someone was paid or rewarded to publish it, viewers should be able to tell straight away.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your country may have its own guidance on top.
Where the labels go
Use the platform's own label and a clear tag in the caption.
- TikTok: switch on the branded content setting, which shows a Paid partnership label.
- Instagram: add the Paid partnership label with the brand tagged.
- Caption: put #ad near the start, not hidden among other hashtags.
How we handle it
Every test post we publish carries #ad and the platform's paid partnership label where it exists. Our account bios say that paid partnerships are marked. Nobody pretends to be a customer.
When you take a winning post to your own account, you do not need the test label, because it is your own brand posting. Add a label if a creator or partner is involved.
Why clear labels help you
Labelled posts can still do very well, and a winning post that was labelled is a fair result. If a post only works when people think it is not an ad, it will not work when you promote it.