Creator Disclosure Guide: How to Disclose Sponsored Content and Brand Partnerships
When disclosure applies, which labels to use, where to place them on Reels, Stories, YouTube, lives and newsletters, how platform tools fit in, and the Indian guidance behind it.
Disclosure tells your audience when there's a commercial relationship behind what they're seeing. It protects them, protects you, and is expected under Indian advertising guidance and platform rules. It doesn't need to hurt performance; audiences mostly object to feeling tricked, not to creators being paid.
This is a general guide, not legal advice. Check the current ASCI guidelines, government guidance and each platform's branded content policies for your specific situation.
Quick answer
Disclose whenever you have a material connection with a brand you feature: payment, free products, discounts, trips, commissions, employment or other benefits. Use a clear label such as "Ad", "Sponsored", "Collaboration", "Partnership", "Free gift" or "Affiliate", place it upfront and prominently (not buried in hashtags or behind "more"), overlay it on videos and Stories, say it in lives, and also use platform tools like Instagram's paid partnership label and YouTube's paid promotion setting. India's Department of Consumer Affairs and ASCI both publish guidance for influencers.
What counts as a material connection
- Money for a post or campaign.
- Free products or services, even if unrequested and kept.
- Discounts, trips, hotel stays or event access.
- Affiliate commissions or referral fees.
- Employment or family relationships with the brand.
- Being paid by an agency for the brand.
Indian guidance
The Department of Consumer Affairs issued "Endorsement Know-hows!" for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers in January 2023, calling for clear, prominent disclosure of material connections, with disclosures superimposed on images and videos and made continuously during live streams. ASCI's influencer advertising guidelines list acceptable labels and placement expectations. Both are worth reading in full.
Labels and placement by format
| Format | Where to disclose | Platform tool |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram post / carousel | Start of caption; on the image where practical | Paid partnership label |
| Instagram Reel | On-screen text early and long enough to read; caption start | Paid partnership label |
| Instagram Stories | On every sponsored frame | Paid partnership label |
| YouTube video | Say it early; on-screen text; description | Paid promotion setting |
| YouTube Shorts | On-screen and in title/description | Paid promotion setting |
| Live streams | At the start and throughout / at the end | Platform label where available |
| Newsletters, WhatsApp, blogs | At the top of the sponsored section | N/A |
| Affiliate links | Near the link and upfront in content | Platform shopping disclosures where applicable |
Platform help: Instagram paid partnership label and YouTube paid promotion disclosure.
Language that works
- Use the language of the content: a Hindi video can disclose in Hindi as long as it's clear.
- Avoid ambiguous tags on their own ("#collab", "#sp", "#thanks").
- Say it plainly: "This video is sponsored by [brand]" or "[Brand] sent me this for free."
Special cases
- Gifted products you didn't ask for: disclose if you feature them.
- Old sponsored posts re-shared: keep the disclosure.
- Whitelisted or partnership ads: the ad format should show the partnership.
- AI-generated or virtual influencers: disclose both the partnership and, where required, the synthetic nature.
- Creator-owned products: make clear it's your brand.
Disclosure is one part of the rules. Honest claims, genuine use of the product, qualifications for health and finance claims, SEBI's finfluencer restrictions and prohibited categories are covered in creator advertising rules.
Common mistakes
- Disclosure hidden in a block of hashtags.
- Only using the platform label without a clear verbal or text label (or vice versa) where both are expected.
- Not disclosing gifts or affiliate links.
- A brand asking you to hide the partnership, and agreeing.
Disclosure is part of every contract and brief; see the influencer contract guide for creators, how to read a brand brief and creator affiliate marketing.
Disclosure is one part of recommending products honestly; see creator product recommendations and how to review sponsored products authentically.
Disclosure is one part of keeping sponsored content credible; creator audience trust covers the rest.
Conclusion
Make disclosure a default step in every sponsored script and caption. It's quick, it's expected, and it protects the trust your partnerships depend on. Add it to your pre-posting checklist in the creator brand deal checklist.