FTC Influencer Guidelines: 2026 Guide for Brands & Creators

What is FTC influencer guidelines

FTC influencer guidelines are the US rules that tell your company one simple thing:

If a post is paid (in money or perks), it must look paid to a normal person — instantly.

They’re based on the FTC’s Endorsement Guides and its plain-language “Disclosures 101” guidance, and they apply to brands, agencies, and creators. Translation for CEOs and brand managers:

• If you give a creator cash, free product, commission/affiliate links, discounts, trips, event access, or any other perk — that’s a material connection.

• That connection has to be disclosed clearly and up front (not buried at the end, not hidden in a hashtag pile, not “implied”).

• The point isn’t “legal checkbox.” It’s consumer trust — people should immediately understand why this person is talking about you.

Think of it like a label on food: if it’s sponsored, the label needs to be visible before the first bite.

Now, key bullets to understand about disclosure language 👇

3 Key concepts of disclosure language for brands, agencies, and creators 

The main FTC influencer disclosure guidelines goal is to tell people why you’re hyping it. Were you paid? Was it gifted? Are you an affiliate? Do you work there? Is the brand your sister’s boyfriend’s startup?

 Cool. Just say so. Clearly. In normal words. That’s 90% of the rules.

What counts as an endorsement?

Any time you promote, recommend, or show a product in a way that could influence someone, the FTC considers it an endorsement.

This includes:

• Posts

• Stories

• Tags

• Likes, pins, and saves

• Affiliate links and codes

• Reviews

• UGC the brand reuses in ads

• Allowing a brand to “whitelist” your content

• Featuring products in videos

If you’re helping a brand sell or get attention, it counts.

What is a “material connection”?

A material connection is anything that explains why you talked about a brand.

Examples:

• You were paid

• You were gifted the product

• You earn affiliate commissions

• You’re a brand ambassador

• You work for the company

• You want a relationship with the brand

• You got special access, perks, or discounts

If your relationship with the brand might matter to your audience, you must disclose it.

“Clear and conspicuous” in real life

Your disclosure must be:

• Easy to see (not hidden, not tiny)

• Easy to understand (no abbreviations like #sp or #collab)

• Placed before the “more” cut

• On-screen long enough to read

• Highly visible in Stories and Reels

• Spoken out loud + written on screen for videos

Who’s responsible – brand, agency, or creator?

All of them.

Brands must tell creators what’s required, put it in contracts, and check what gets posted.
Agencies must enforce and monitor — they can’t shrug and say “we just broker deals.”
Creators must disclose properly, even if the brand never reminds them.

It’s about general terms. But disclosure guidelines vary depending on the social media platform. Let’s look at how👇

FTC disclosure rules by platform

Here, you’ll get a clear answer to the question everyone asks: “Exactly how do I disclose on each platform?” We’ll also dive deeper into brand processes and real examples, all aligned with the FTC influencer marketing guidelines 2025.

Instagram

According to Instagram policy, your disclosure needs to show up before anyone hits the “more” cut. If you drop “Paid partnership with…” after 15 lines of hashtags? Forget it. That’s basically invisible. 

And the FTC doesn’t care that Instagram gives you a fancy “Paid partnership” tag at the top of the post. It helps, but it’s not enough on its own.

Image source.

(As you can see on my screen, the beauty influencer used the “Paid partnership” tag and also doubled it in the hashtag at the beginning. It’s a great example of how this should be done.)

So your caption should literally start with something like: “Ad”/”Paid partnership with”
Even better if you say it right away in the Reel, too. Spoken or on-screen. Big enough to read. High contrast. No vanishing text that flies by in half a second. Like on this example 👇

Image source.

On Instagram Stories, put the disclosure right on top of the photo or video itself, and make sure it stays on screen long enough that people can actually read it without rushing.

TikTok 

TikTok is its own universe. Lots of fast content, lots of movement, and lots of FTC traps because everything moves so quickly. TikTok does have a “commercial content disclosure” toggle and yes, you should absolutely use it because it automatically stamps your video with a little “Paid partnership” label at the top. 

For the video description, the same rule: put “Ad” or “Paid partnership with…” right in the first two lines, before it gets cut off.

Image source.

(Paid partnership tag is in the lower left corner)

And if you’re Live? Say it out loud at the beginning, and repeat it occasionally because new viewers pop in every second. One disclosure at the start of a 30-minute LIVE doesn’t help someone who joins at minute 22.

This is exactly the kind of stuff that comes up in TikTok influencer disclosure guidelines — the FTC wants real clarity, not hide-and-seek.

YouTube

YouTube gives you that “includes paid promotion” checkbox. Great. Use it. It pops a label on your video for the first few seconds.

But again — platform labels alone aren't enough.

On YouTube product placement videos (especially long-form), you need to say it out loud near the beginning: “This video is sponsored by ___.”

Image source.

(“Includes paid promotion” checkbox is in the upper left corner. Plus, you can see #ad hashtag in the title and in the first line of the description — exactly how it should be done).

And put it in the description early, not after a wall of SEO text. The FTC also expects you to clearly mention the relationship when you bring up the product, so if you talk about it halfway through the video, mention the partnership again right there. Because someone might skip around.

YouTube is one of the places where “burying #sp at the bottom of the description” is both useless and risky.

Facebook

Facebook is a little simpler because posts don’t have the same “more” cutoff dynamic as TikTok or IG, but the rule is the same: creators on both platforms need to use the branded content tool for any sponsored posts, even if they just received the product or service as a gift.

Image source.

(On the screen, you can see the disclosure hashtag #ad placed at the top of the hashtags.)

When disclosing a paid collab in a Facebook caption, say it clearly, at the top, in normal language like “Gifted by [Brand] or  hashtags like #ad, #Paid partnership with…, #Sponsored by…

X (Twitter)

X moves fast and you only have so many characters to work with. A simple “Ad” or "Promoted Content” at the beginning is enough.

You must ensure that the product, service or call-to-action (CTA) are clearly promoted without requiring users to click on any additional links. 

Image source.

If you’re posting a video, include it in the tweet and in the video itself, because many people watch from embedded players where they never even see the caption. That’s one of those sneaky things in the clear disclosure social media influencers conversations that the FTC keeps hammering.

Podcasts / long-form / blogs briefly

If it’s audio-only (like a podcast), the rule is: say it clearly right when the ad starts. Not 10 minutes in, not hidden in show notes.

Blogs and newsletters? Put it at the top of the content, before any affiliate links or mentions. Not in the footer, not in a link that says “affiliate policy.”

And yes, you need actual sentences like:

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you buy.

Not symbols. Not branded icons. Actual words.

What about updates? 👇

Is there anything new? FTC influencer guidelines news 2025

What’s new with FTC influencer guidelines? Since 2019, there have been numerous amendments, clarifications, and updates. Let’s walk through all the key changes so you can see how the rules have evolved and what matters most for creators and brands today.

2025 Highlights: What to change in your program now” box

FTC influencer guidelines 2024-2025 enforcement heat ramped up.

Higher penalties, sharper focus on sensitive areas like health and finance, and an expectation that brands don’t just rely on the platform’s built-in labels. 

If you’re in any category where trust matters: supplements, financial advice, wellness, the FTC is watching. Strong analyses show these enforcement moves aren’t random; they’re signaling exactly what content and relationships need disclosure.

So what does this mean for your influencer program right now in 2026? 

👉  First, your briefs need to explicitly call out the disclosure line, show examples, and explain exactly where it goes in posts, videos, or Stories. No vague “remember to disclose” notes — you need to spell it out for creators. 

👉  Contracts also need updating: you should have the right to withhold payment if a post isn’t compliant, require corrections, and include audit rights to check content. 

👉  And monitoring? Platform labels alone won’t cut it anymore. You need actual content checks to make sure every post, Reel, or livestream meets FTC standards.

2023 – Revised endorsement guides & FAQ updates

Fast forward to July 2023, the FTC finalized revised Endorsement Guides. That’s where things started getting more specific. They doubled down on what “clear and conspicuous” actually means, flagged fake or misleading reviews, and emphasized that brands need to actively monitor their influencers. 

2019 – Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers

So here’s the scoop on the FTC and influencers, with a bit of history so it makes sense. Back in 2019, the FTC put out the Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers booklet. 

That was basically the starting point — “hey, if you’re working with brands, here’s how to tell your audience.” It was simple, foundational, but enough to get the ball rolling.

Global vs US: Do FTC influencer guidelines apply internationally?

Yes and no.

Here’s the tricky part a lot of global brands and agencies trip over: the FTC is a US agency, so technically, its rules are aimed at US consumers. But in practice, that doesn’t mean you can ignore them if you’re posting from abroad.

The key phrase the FTC uses is “reasonably foreseeable.” If it’s likely that your content will reach US viewers (even if you’re sitting in Berlin or Buenos Aires), those posts need to follow the same disclosure standards as if you were physically in the States. That means clear, conspicuous disclosures, proper placement, all the things we’ve been talking about.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that other regions have their own sets of rules. The UK, for example, has the CMA. The principles are similar: be honest, disclose your relationship with brands, and make it easy for your audience to see, but the specifics can differ from country to country. If you want the full breakdown for other markets, here’s a good reference → iubenda.com.

It’s time to dive into real cases, examples, and rules 👇

Real enforcement examples and what they teach your team

Trade associations & health influencers letters (2023) 

Around November 2023, we saw warning letters going out to dietitians, health influencers, and to two trade associations (American Beverage Association (AmeriBev) and The Canadian Sugar Institute). 

The issue? Those influencers promoted the safety of an artificial sweetener (aspartame) or sugar‑containing products in posts or videos, but failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose that they were paid or otherwise connected to those groups. 

The disclosures were weak, hidden, or missing entirely. Some posts buried the disclosure in a collapsed caption, others just had a hashtag like #sp that nobody could actually see.
The takeaway: if the FTC can’t spot it without playing hide-and-seek, you’re in trouble.

The FTC warned all involved they could face civil penalties of up to $50,120 per violation if they fail again.

Other high-profile cases & themes

Here’s a quick snapshot of recurring mistakes the FTC keeps flagging — seeing them together makes the risk crystal clear.

Translating these failures into your internal rules

Here’s where you take all that scary enforcement news and make it actionable for your team. Think of it as a “we never” playbook:

• We never bury a disclosure in hashtags or after a cut.

• We never rely solely on platform labels.
  We never assume a gifted product doesn’t require disclosure.

• We never leave employment or affiliate relationships unexplained.

• We never let a creator post across multiple platforms without checking disclosures on each.

By making these part of your internal workflow, you’re not just following the FTC — you’re building trust with your audience. 

The lessons from these cases are simple: if the disclosure isn’t obvious, readable, and front-and-center, you’re inviting risk. 

Here are both good and bad examples 👇

Compliant vs risky – side-by-side disclosure examples

How brands operationalize FTC compliance in influencer marketing

1️⃣ Define the “Who’s responsible” 

What the brand is expected to do (policies, training, monitoring, contracts)

Brands carry the heaviest backpack here, simply because they’re the ones hiring and approving the work. They’re expected to build the guardrails: clear internal policies, a short onboarding guide creators can actually understand, and training sessions that explain disclosure the way a normal person speaks. No legal dissertation required.

There’s also the monitoring part. Brands should be watching what creators post — not obsessively, but consistently enough to catch issues before they become warning-letter material. 

And every contract should include language spelling out disclosure expectations, the right to request edits, and what happens when someone goes rogue. It sounds formal, but it saves so many headaches late

What the agency is expected to do (if present).

If there’s an agency in the mix, they’re the connective tissue. They translate brand rules into creator-friendly guidance and keep an eye on the entire workflow. They’re the ones who spot the missing disclosure in a Story frame at 10 p.m. before the brand ever sees it.

They also help vet creators, confirm their claims won’t get anyone in trouble, and review content before it goes live. Essentially, they’re the quality-control team with a marketing brain and a light legal spine.

What the creator is responsible for (accurate claims, proper disclosure). 

Creators are the final voice the audience hears, so their responsibilities feel personal. They need to stick to proper disclosure, make accurate claims, and follow whatever guidelines the brand lays out.

2️⃣ Analyze and vet creators

Before integrating FTC compliance, you must be sure you target the right creators. The key parameters: 

• Geography first. If someone says they’re based in Los Angeles but 60% of their followers are in Brazil or Indonesia, that’s a red flag. For region-specific campaigns, aim for at least 80-90% of followers in your target location. 

• Check engagement quality. Watch out for sudden follower spikes, post likes way higher than story views, or comment sections full of generic emojis. 5-7% engagement rate is considered quite good.

Reachability matters too. Accounts following more than 1.5k people often don’t see sponsored posts. If a quarter of the audience isn’t seeing the content, why pay for it?

IQFluence’s audience analytics dashboard. Try it for free. 

As for the green flags, look for steady follower growth, a consistent posting cadence, like 2–3 times per week is perfect, and natural comment threads like “I need to try this!” or “Where can I book this?” Diverse, relevant niche hashtags are another good sign. All of these points to authentic engagement.

IQFluence’s vetting dashboard. Try it free for 7-days

Always vet creators: If more than 15–20% of followers are inactive or look like bots, skip. That usually means inflated numbers or purchased engagement. 

3️⃣ Build FTC compliance into your influencer brief template

Start by planting a standard disclosure section right in the middle of the brief. Bold it, highlight it, make it feel like a moment. And yes, you absolutely include one explicit line that never changes:

 You must follow FTC guidelines for influencers and comply with our brand disclosure policy in every piece of content you create for this campaign.

Then give them examples right there in the template — not as a footnote, not in some Google Doc from 2021 nobody remembers. Creators need to see how disclosure should look in their actual voice.

Examples to plug into briefs:

• “Paid partnership with @Brand tag — showing you how I use their new [product] in my routine.”

• Spoken line for video: “This is a paid partnership with Brand.”

• Story overlay: “AD / Paid Partnership” in high-contrast text, visible on screen.

• Caption hashtags at the beginning: #ad #sponsored by @Brand

4️⃣ Contracts & SOWs – clauses you must have

Your influencer contract is what protects you when someone decides to be creative with disclosure, or worse, skips it entirely.

These are the clauses that matter, and you can copy these word-for-word:

Creators agree to follow FTC rules:

Creator agrees to comply with all applicable FTC guidelines for influencers, including clear and conspicuous disclosure of any material connection with Brand in every content format.

Creators agree to fix non-compliant content fast:

Creator agrees to edit, correct, or remove non-compliant content within 24 hours of Brand’s request.

Withholding payment:

Brand reserves the right to withhold payment, in whole or in part, for any content that fails to meet FTC compliance or the disclosure requirements outlined in this Agreement.

Audit & screenshot rights:

Brand and Agency may capture, store, and audit screenshots, screen recordings, and analytics of all campaign content for compliance and reporting purposes.

Approval flow:

Content must be submitted for approval prior to posting. No content may be published until Brand provides written approval. Brand may also request post-publish corrections to maintain compliance.

These aren’t “nice to have.” These are “the FTC sends letters and we don’t want one” essentials.

5️⃣ Approval flows – pre- and post-publish checks

Now let’s talk about what happens once those briefs are out and the contract is signed. This is where your content review workflow either saves the campaign… or turns into a frantic hunt for missing disclosures at 11:59 p.m.

Every brand needs one point person — someone who knows the rules well enough to spot trouble immediately. Give them authority and a checklist, not a vibe.

When reviewing content before posting, they should be looking for:

• Is the disclosure present?

• Is it early in the caption or spoken in the first seconds?

• Is it visible on Stories or video frames?

• Is the claim accurate?

• Does anything feel like an overpromise?

6️⃣ How campaign monitoring helps

Once content goes live, the job isn’t over. You need post-publish monitoring, especially for formats that disappear, like Stories, Reels, Lives, and TikTok posts.

Your team’s job doesn’t stop once content goes live. Someone needs to be actively watching Stories within that 24-hour window to make sure the disclosure stays visible, checking Reels and TikToks for on-screen text that’s readable, listening for spoken disclosures in videos, and confirming that creators didn’t quietly edit captions after approval. 

You also want to capture screenshots or recordings to keep a clean compliance archive.

That’s exactly where a platform like IQFluence comes in. Instead of drowning in screenshots, tabs, and guesswork, it pulls everything into a single, clean dashboard. You can and your campaigns stay FTC-compliant.

It also lets you:

• Centralize creator lists and briefs so nothing slips through the cracks.

• Track all campaign links and posts, connecting content performance to which posts were properly disclosed (for example, tagging those posts or campaigns directly in IQFluence).

• Track CPM, CPV, CPC, CPR, CPA, engagement rate, likes, comments, shares, and views, while making sure your disclosures are front and center.

Campaign monitoring dashboard in IQFluence. 

FTC influencer compliance checklist (copy-paste)

Staying up to date: how to track FTC influencer guidelines news & updates

If you want to get FTC influencer guidelines updates, the key is having a set of reliable sources you check regularly. The FTC itself is always the first place to look. Their business guidance and newsroom pages are updated whenever there’s new guidance, revised rules, or enforcement announcements. 

The classic Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers resource is also maintained by the FTC and provides foundational guidance for anyone working with influencers.

Outside of the FTC, the American Influencer Council keeps a regularly updated page with regulatory developments, best practices, and interpretations. Law firm blogs can be a great supplement, for example, Baker Botts and Hall Render have posted detailed breakdowns of post-2023 FTC updates, enforcement trends, and practical advice for brands and creators.

Our promise: we update this guide whenever the FTC issues new guidance or notable enforcement actions, so you can bookmark this as your hub for ftc influencer guidelines news today, ftc influencer guidelines update 2025 news, ftc influencer guidelines news October 2025, and ftc influencer guidelines update November 2025.