FTC Disclosure
U.S. Federal Trade Commission requirement that creators clearly disclose paid or material relationships with a brand.
Definition
FTC guidelines require that any paid, gifted, or otherwise material relationship between a creator and a brand be clearly disclosed in the post itself — not buried in a bio or comment. The standard cues are #ad, #sponsored, or platform-native 'Paid Partnership' tags.
Responsibility for compliance sits with both the brand and the creator. Brands that fail to enforce disclosure in their contracts have been hit with FTC action and reputational damage. Always make disclosure explicit in writing and require platform-native tagging.
Example
Every contract requires the creator to use Instagram's Paid Partnership label and include #ad in caption — non-compliance triggers a takedown and contract penalty.
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