Creator Partnership Ads in India: Permissions and Disclosure Requirements

How do you get permission to run a creator's ad?#

Ask the creator for a partnership ad code for a single post, or send an account-level request from Meta Business Suite for an ongoing partnership. Without one of these, Meta won't let you run ads from the creator's handle.

Meta now calls branded content ads partnership ads. The creator's account, the brand's account or both appear in the ad's header, and the ad uses signals from both accounts for ranking. The creator can withdraw permission at any time. The only exception is two accounts owned by the same business, where an employee has ads access to both.

	Content-level permission	Account-level permission
How the creator gives it	Shares a partnership ad code, or turns on Allow brand partner to boost on a post with the Paid partnership label	Accepts the brand's request in the Instagram app, the Facebook app or Creator Marketing Hub
What the brand can run	That one post, story or reel	Ads from the creator's handle without an existing post, plus any existing post that tags the brand
Extra access	Hide comments; see insights	Hide comments; include or exclude the creator's custom audience
Best for	A one-off Reel	An ongoing ambassador

How the creator shares an ad code#

In the Instagram app, the creator opens the post, story or reel and taps the three dots.
They tap Partnership label and ads.
They turn on the Get partnership ad code toggle, then copy or share the code.

The creator can also turn on the toggle while creating the post. On Facebook, they tap the three dots on the post, then Share partnership ad code, and turn on Get partnership ad code. The creator needs an Instagram professional account, or a Facebook Page or profile in professional mode.

How the brand sends an account-level request#

In Meta Business Suite, click Creator Marketing in the left menu.
Under the Creators tab, click Manage permissions, then Add partnership.
Search for the creator, click Next, select your account and click Done.
Click Send request.

The creator accepts in the Instagram app, the Facebook app or Creator Marketing Hub, which some Meta pages still call Partnership Ads Hub. To boost the creator's existing Instagram content, your brand must be tagged in it. The tag can be the Paid partnership label, an @mention, a people tag, a product tag or an Instagram Collab.

How to set up the ad in Ads Manager#

Click + Create and choose your objective.
Set the conversion location, budget, schedule and audience, then click Next.
At the ad level, turn on the Partnership ad toggle.
Click Enter ad code or post info, and paste the ad code, post ID or post URL.
Select the second identity for the ad's header.
Choose both identities, the first identity only, or dynamic identity, which is on by default.
Click Done, finish the ad and click Publish.

If an agency runs your ads, give it permissions across your Instagram account, Facebook Page and ad account. Approving a creator to tag your brand in organic branded content is a separate permission from partnership ads, so set up both.

Which creators and Reels qualify#

Meta requires creators to follow its Community Standards and have an authentic, established presence with enough followers. Threads doesn't support partnership ads.

Reels up to 15 minutes qualify, and an existing video story must be 60 seconds or less. A Reel with music from the Instagram music library won't qualify, and nor will copyrighted music unless you hold the rights. Original audio and royalty-free music from Sound Collection are fine, so ask creators to use them in any Reel you may want to run as an ad.

Meta's Branded Content Policies also require the creator to tag your brand with the branded content tool, and to make every disclosure local law needs.

What the brand can and can't change#

You can edit the content for the ad, and the creator's original post stays the same. You can also customise the creative for each placement, see insights, and hide comments on the ad and on the original post. The creator can unhide those comments.

You can't stop the creator withdrawing permission:

If the creator revokes account-level permission, running ads are paused.
If the creator turns off an ad code, no new ads can be made from it, but running ads carry on.
The creator can stop a running ad in the Instagram app: Profile, Menu, Creator tools and controls, Partnership ads, Active ads, then View ad, Options and Stop.

When a Paid partnership post runs as an ad, it also carries Meta's Ad label, like any other ad. Every partnership ad appears in Meta's Ad Library, where anyone can see it.

Do partnership ads cost less than brand-handle ads?#

Yes: across Indian brands that run both, partnership ads cost 18.5% less per purchase than ads from the brand's own handle. Their click-through rate is 32.5% higher. These figures, and the usage-rights and creator-fee figures below, come from ProfitBox360 research, 2025 (client data and shopper surveys).

In rupees, purchases that cost ₹1,00,000 through brand-handle ads cost about ₹81,500 through partnership ads. For every 1,000 clicks a brand-handle ad earns, a partnership ad with the same impressions earns about 1,325.

These are averages, and your own gap will differ. Run a partnership ad and a brand-handle ad with the same creative, budget and audience, then compare cost per purchase.

How much should you pay for usage rights?#

Budget 40% of the creator's content fee for the right to run their content as partnership ads, usually for 90 days. At the average micro-creator Reel price of ₹10,750, that is ₹4,300.

Creator fees vary widely by tier and platform, so price each deal on its own quote.

Does the rights fee pay for itself?#

Illustrative example: a brand pays a micro creator, with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, for one Reel and wants to run it as a partnership ad.

Content fee: ₹10,750
Usage rights: 40% of the content fee, for 90 days
Partnership ads cost 18.5% less per purchase than the brand's own ads, so 81.5% as much
Fees exclude GST

Rights fee = ₹10,750 × 40% = ₹4,300

Total paid to the creator = ₹10,750 + ₹4,300 = ₹15,050

The content fee is paid either way, so judge the ₹4,300 on its own. It pays for itself once the 18.5% saving reaches ₹4,300.

Break-even partnership spend = rights fee ÷ 18.5% × 81.5%

Same purchases from the brand's own handle: ₹4,300 ÷ 18.5% = ₹23,243.24
Partnership-ad spend for those purchases: ₹23,243.24 × 81.5% = ₹18,943.24, or ₹210.48 a day over 90 days

If the brand spends ₹1,00,000 on the partnership ad over the 90 days, the same purchases would have cost ₹1,00,000 ÷ 81.5% = ₹1,22,699.39 from its own handle. That saves ₹22,699.39, or ₹18,399.39 after the rights fee.

So if you plan to spend less than ₹18,943.24 behind the Reel within the 90 days, the rights fee costs more than it saves.

Put the rights in writing#

Agree these points before the creator posts:

Period: the start and end dates of the usage rights, and who pauses the ads on the last day.
Permission: an ad code for named posts, or account-level access.
Accounts: Instagram only, or Facebook as well.
Edits: whether you may trim the video, add subtitles or change the call to action.
Claims: you supply only claims you can prove, and the creator checks them.
Disclosure: the creator adds the labels described below.
Renewal: the fee for extending the period.
Early stop: what happens to the rights fee if either side ends the ads early.

What must a paid creator post disclose in India?#

Every paid or gifted creator post must carry a clear label, such as Ad or Sponsored, wherever the creator has a material connection with your brand. The label must sit where no viewer can miss it.

Three sets of rules apply:

The ASCI Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media, from the industry's self-regulatory body.
"Endorsements Know-hows!", a guide the Department of Consumer Affairs released on 20 January 2023 for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers.
The CCPA's Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, issued under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

When a post counts as an ad#

A post needs a label when the brand has given the creator anything of value, such as:

money or other payment
free products, including ones the creator received unsolicited
discounts, gifts, contest entries, trips or hotel stays
media barters, coverage or awards
a family, personal or employment relationship

ASCI requires the label even when the review is honest and in the creator's own words. A creator who bought your product and has no connection with your brand needs no label.

Which label to use#

Use Ad, Advertisement or Sponsored. Those three are on both the ASCI list and the Department of Consumer Affairs list, which differ in other ways too.

Point	ASCI guidelines	Endorsements Know-hows!
Labels allowed	Advertisement, Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration, Partnership, Employee, Free gift, Affiliate, "Paid Partnership" tag on Instagram, "Includes Paid Promotion" tag on YouTube	Advertisement or ad, sponsored, paid promotion or paid
Platform label	Use it in addition to the creator's own disclosure	Make a separate disclosure apart from platform tools
Video	In the caption; with no caption, on screen for at least 3 seconds (up to 15 seconds long), a third of the length (up to 2 minutes), or the whole brand section (2 minutes or longer)	In the video itself, not just the description, in both audio and video
Live streams	Announce at the start and end	Show continuously for the whole stream
Language	English or the language of the ad	The same language as the endorsement

Where the label goes#

Put it upfront. ASCI says a label is likely to be missed if it sits only in a bio, at the end of a post, or behind a tap on "more". It also mustn't be buried among hashtags or links. The Department of Consumer Affairs guide asks for labels that are "extremely hard to miss", superimposed on pictures and placed inside videos.

For a Reel you may run as an ad:

Start the caption with Ad or Sponsored, before any hashtags.
Show an on-screen Ad label for at least ASCI's minimum time, even when the caption carries the label.
Have the creator say near the start that it's a paid partnership.
Use the same language as the Reel for all three.
Add Instagram's Paid partnership label, tagging your brand.

For a live stream, keep the label on screen throughout and have the creator announce it at the start and the end.

Creators who give health or money advice#

Since 17 August 2023, ASCI has required creators who give technical advice on health and nutrition, or on banking, financial services and insurance, to hold relevant qualifications. Examples are a medical degree, or certification as a nurse, nutritionist or dietician. They must state these upfront, on screen or as the opening remark in a video. Creators without such qualifications may share only general information.

Health, supplement and skincare claims carry further rules under Indian law and Meta's ad policies, beyond these disclosure rules.

Is Instagram's Paid partnership label enough?#

No: keep the creator's own Ad or Sponsored label in the caption and the video as well. ASCI treats a platform's disclosure tool as an addition to the creator's own disclosure. The Department of Consumer Affairs guide asks for a separate disclosure apart from platform tools.

A partnership ad also shows Meta's Ad label. Neither guide says a platform label alone is enough, so the creator's label stays in every version that runs.

What happens if a brand breaks the rules?#

ASCI can send notices to both the brand and the creator. The CCPA can fine a manufacturer or endorser up to ₹10 lakh for a misleading advertisement, or up to ₹50 lakh for a repeat.

Who is responsible#

ASCI holds both the brand and the creator responsible. The brand must make sure the post follows the ASCI code, and ask the creator to edit or delete it where needed. Creators who keep breaking the guidelines are named on ASCI's public list of non-compliant influencers.

The CCPA's guidelines, notified on 9 June 2022, cover every advertisement in any medium and every endorser. Under them:

The brand must be able to prove any factual claim, and show the proof if the CCPA asks.
An endorsement must reflect the endorser's genuine, current opinion, based on adequate information about or experience of the product.
Any connection between the endorser and the brand that could affect the endorsement must be fully disclosed.

Penalties under the Consumer Protection Act#

Under section 21 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the CCPA can order a false or misleading advertisement to be stopped or changed. It can also:

fine the manufacturer or endorser up to ₹10 lakh, and up to ₹50 lakh for each repeat
bar an endorser from endorsing for up to one year, or three years for a repeat
fine anyone who publishes, or is party to publishing, a misleading advertisement up to ₹10 lakh

An endorser who checked the claims with due diligence isn't liable to the fine or the bar. Under section 89, a manufacturer or service provider behind a false or misleading advertisement can face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh. A repeat offence carries up to five years and ₹50 lakh.

The Department of Consumer Affairs guide warns that failing to disclose a material connection can lead to strict action under the Act.

FAQ#

Does a barter collaboration need an ad label?#

Yes. A free product counts as a material connection under both ASCI's guidelines and the Department of Consumer Affairs guide, even when the creator received it unsolicited. The creator must label the post as an ad if they mention the brand. Only a product the creator bought, with no link to the brand, needs no label.

Which language should the disclosure be in?#

Use the language of the content itself. ASCI accepts English or the advertisement's own language, while the Department of Consumer Affairs guide asks for the same language as the endorsement. So a Reel spoken in Hindi should carry its spoken and on-screen disclosure in Hindi, which satisfies both sets of rules.

Does an employee promoting the brand need a label?#

Yes. ASCI and the Department of Consumer Affairs both count an employment relationship as a material connection, so an employee's post about the company's products needs a label. ASCI accepts Employee as a label. The Department of Consumer Affairs list doesn't include it, so add Ad or Sponsored as well to meet both.

Can a brand keep running a creator's ad after the usage period ends?#

Only with a new agreement. Switching off a partnership ad code stops new ads being made from it, but ads already running carry on. So the brand has to pause every ad that uses the creator's handle on the last day of the agreed period, or agree a renewal fee before it ends.

Does a post with an affiliate link need disclosure?#

Yes. Commission is a material connection. ASCI lists Affiliate as an accepted label, and Meta says content with an affiliate link should carry the Paid partnership label even without a tagged brand. Because the Department of Consumer Affairs list doesn't include Affiliate, the creator should start the caption with Ad as well.

How many brands can use one partnership ad code?#

Two at a time. A creator's partnership ad code works for up to two partners at once, and the creator can generate a new code whenever needed. On Instagram, archiving the post doesn't remove a brand's access through the code. To end that access, the creator switches the code off and stops any running ads.