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Paid Partnership Label on Instagram: Meaning, How to Add It, and When It's Required

By Vedant Padmawar, Founder, Hypee·Published ·5 min read

The paid partnership label is the "Paid partnership with [brand]" line Instagram shows on branded content. Instagram says all branded content must use it, and branded content includes posts where a brand paid you in money or anything else of value, including free products. In India, also add a clear label like #ad or #collaboration at the start of the caption: ASCI and the government's influencer guidelines ask for a disclosure in the post itself.

What counts as branded content

Instagram defines branded content as content for which the creator has been compensated by a brand or business partner, with money or something else of value. That includes products and services you were gifted. So a barter collaboration needs the label too.

How to turn on the paid partnership label

The label works on Feed posts, Stories, Live, Reels and Instagram videos, and can only be added in the Instagram app. To be eligible you need to follow Instagram's Branded Content Policies and Community Standards.

  • • In the Instagram app, go to your profile and tap the menu (top right).
  • • Tap Creator tools and controls (or Business tools and controls), then Branded content.
  • • Tap Set up branded content tools, then Enable. If you aren't eligible, you can request a review.
  • • When you post, add the label and tag the brand. You must do this every time you post branded content.

What India's rules add

ASCI lists Instagram's "Paid Partnership" among accepted disclosures, alongside words like Ad, Advertisement, Sponsored, Collaboration, Partnership, Employee, Free gift and Affiliate. It also asks that the disclosure be upfront and hard to miss: not only in your bio, at the end of the caption or hidden among hashtags. India's Department of Consumer Affairs guide asks endorsers to disclose any material connection clearly. The safe habit: use the label and start the caption with #ad, #collaboration or #partnership.

ASCI influencer guidelines explained →

When these rules were checked

Checked against the official sources listed below on 1 November 2026. Instagram and India's regulators change these rules, so the linked pages always have the current version.

Sources

  1. Instagram Help Center — Get started with branded content (paid partnership label)
  2. ASCI — Social media disclosure guidelines for influencers
  3. ASCI — Influencer guidelines FAQs
  4. PIB, Department of Consumer Affairs — Guidelines for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers ("Endorsements Know-hows!")

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FAQ

 

What does the paid partnership label mean on Instagram?

It shows that the creator was paid or given something of value, like a free product, by the brand named in the label.

Paid partnership label ka matlab kya hai?

Iska matlab hai ki creator ko brand ne paise ya koi free product diya hai. Instagram kehta hai ki har branded content par ye label lagana zaroori hai.

Do I need the paid partnership label for a barter collaboration?

Yes. Instagram counts gifted products and services as branded content, and ASCI counts free products as a material connection that must be disclosed.

Why is the paid partnership label not showing for me?

It needs a professional account, branded content tools enabled under Creator tools and controls → Branded content, and an account that meets Instagram's branded content eligibility. If you're not eligible, request a review there.