Paid post disclosure rules, country by country

One rule, six ways of saying it

Every source below asks the same thing: if a brand gave you anything for a post, whether money, a free product, a discount or a commission, your audience must know before they read on. Where they differ is the wording, and a label that passes in one country can fall short in another. This is a summary of each source as it read on the date below, not legal advice.

The label all six accept

“Ad” as the first word of the caption, or the first thing said or shown in a video, is accepted by every source here. The rest is where they part ways:

• “Sponsored” is fine in the US and India. The UK advises against it on its own, and Ireland accepts it only next to a main label such as #Ad.
• “Gifted” is accepted in Canada, and in Ireland for unrequested products when the brand had no say in the post. Australia says it may not be enough.
• “Collab”, “spon” and “sp” are called vague or ambiguous by the US, Canada and Australia.
• For affiliate links, Canada suggests #affiliate, #AffiliateLink or #CommissionEarned rather than #ad. Ireland counts a commission as a benefit that needs a main label such as #Ad, and says a product link alone is not enough.

Country by country

• United States, FTC: disclose any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a brand, and free or discounted products count. Put it with the post itself, not only in a bio, at the end, or mixed into a group of hashtags. Avoid “sp”, “spon”, “collab”, or a lone “thanks” or “ambassador”.
• United Kingdom, ASA and CAP with the CMA: it must be obvious from the start that the content is an ad. A clear “Ad” label upfront is the recommended way; “sponsored”, “gifted” or “collab” on their own are advised against.
• Ireland, CCPC with the ASA of Ireland: any benefit counts, including payment, commission, discounts and products gifted or lent. The label should be the first word, never only in the bio or at the bottom. Use #Ad (or #Fógra), the platform’s paid-partnership label, or #Gifted for products you did not ask for when the brand had no say in the post; #Sponsored, #Collaboration or #Affiliate only alongside one of those.
• Canada, Ad Standards: free products count, and affiliate and refer-a-friend programmes can trigger disclosure. Upfront is best, a bio alone is not enough, and a label should not be buried among hashtags. #ad and #sponsored work; #Collab, #Spon, #PR and #Promo are called ambiguous.
• India, ASCI: any material connection counts, including free products you did not ask for. The label must be upfront and prominent, not only in a bio, at the end, or among hashtags. Accepted labels include Advertisement, Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration, Partnership, Free gift, Affiliate, and the platforms’ paid-partnership tags.
• Australia, AANA Code of Ethics clause 2.7: “Advertising shall be clearly distinguishable as such.” Payment and free products both count, and affiliates are named. The relationship must be clear, obvious and upfront. #ad, Advertising and Paid Partnership work; “gifted”, “Affiliate”, “Collab”, “Spon” or a brand mention alone may not be enough.

Before every paid post

1. Put the label first: “Ad” at the start of the caption, or said and shown at the start of a video.
2. Use the platform’s paid-partnership tool as well as a written label, not instead of it.
3. For affiliate links, label each post or page that carries one, next to the link, not only in your bio or footer.
4. If your audience is in more than one country, follow the strictest rule that applies to it.
5. Write down what each brand gave you and how you labelled it. A brand may ask, and Few Found Verified asks creators to share how they disclose paid posts.

Sources

Every rule above was read against these on 6 Nov 2026. Rules change: check the source before you rely on it.

1. US Federal Trade Commission, Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers, November 2019.
2. Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice (UK), with the CMA, Influencers’ guide to making clear that ads are ads, October 2026, fourth edition.
3. Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (Ireland), with the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland, Influencer advertising and marketing, Views as of October 2023.
4. Ad Standards (Canada), Influencer Marketing Steering Committee, Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines, Fall 2025 update.
5. Advertising Standards Council of India, Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media, May 2021, with addenda of July 2021 and August 2023.
6. AANA, now the Marketing Association of Australia, Code of Ethics, clause 2.7 and practice note, Effective 1 February 2021.