Understanding Instagram's Branded Content Guideline

Recently we’ve seen many creators’ sponsored content taken down by Instagram.
Reels and posts are suddenly removed from your feed without any prior notice (even weeks after you posted the content).
If it’s happened to you, it’s because Instagram is doubling down on efforts to enforce its Branded Content Policies, and here’s what you need to know about it.

Your sponsored posts will be taken down if you don't do this

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a lot of branded content taken down, even months after posting it! The reason is not always known (and Instagram doesn’t specify why the content was taken down). But sometimes, it’s because the post did not follow Instagram’s Branded Content Policies.

Instagram clearly states specific restrictions for different kinds of branded content. For example - if you advertise alcohol, the content has to be gated behind age restrictions (with different age restrictions according to the country’s laws).

How to avoid branded content restrictions?

First, ensure that your content does not promote any of the following prohibited services and products: 

1. Adult products or services, such as sex toys or escort services.
2. Illegal products or services, such as weapons or illicit drugs.
3. Unsafe supplements or medicines.
4. Tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes.
5. Unauthorized sales or distribution of copyrighted content, such as pirated movies or music.
6. Spyware or malicious software.
7. Multi-level marketing or pyramid schemes.
8. Investment or money-making opportunities must be appropriately licensed or regulated, including Payday loans, paycheck advances, and bail bonds.
9. Third-party technical support services
10. Initial coin offerings, binary options, or contracts for difference trading.
11. Controversial political or social issues or crises should not be exploited for commercial purposes, and negative portrayal of voting or census participation in the United States, or advising users not to vote or participate in a census, is not allowed.
12. State lotteries.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and you should always review the specific policies of Instagram and Facebook before promoting any products or services on their platforms. If your content includes one of the above, it may be cause for account suspension or restrictions.

Second, before posting, carefully review your content to ensure it does not contain any restricted or sensitive information. Some types of sensitive content may only be promoted with certain restrictions, such as. Make sure you understand the specific restrictions for any sensitive content you wish to limit the post's visibility based on age or location.

Here’s the list of restricted services and their limitations:

Alcohol -

• Prohibited locations: Afghanistan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Egypt, Estonia, Gambia, India, Kuwait, Libya, Lithuania, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
• 25+ years or older: Sweden.
• 21+ years or older: Cameroon, Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and the United States.
• 20+ years or older: Japan, Iceland, Thailand, and Paraguay.
• 19+ years or older: Canada, South Korea, and Nicaragua.

Subscription services - must comply with all applicable local laws, and branded content posts must only be visible to users aged 18 years or older. 

Financial and insurance services - must only be promoted to users aged 18 years or older, and must not contain any misleading or deceptive information about student loan consolidation, forgiveness, or refinancing. 

Cosmetics products and weight loss products - must only be visible to users aged 18 years or older. 

Posts about family planning and contraception must emphasize the contraceptive features of the product rather than sexual pleasure or enhancement and must only be visible to users aged 18 years or older.

It is important to note that this list is not exhaustive, and you should always carefully review the specific policies of Instagram and Facebook before promoting any products or services on their platforms.

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Restricting visibility of branded content by country or region?

Here’s how to prevent people in specific countries or regions from seeing your sponsored content step by step:

1. While uploading a new post or reel, select ‘Advanced settings.’
2. Scroll down to ‘Branded content’ and turn the toggle ON (add paid partnership label).
3. Now, select ‘Add brand partners’, search for your partner, and click ‘Add’ and ‘Next’.
4. Click on the  ‘Add audience restrictions’ at the brand partners review page.
5. Select ‘Location restrictions’, search and select country or region.
6. Click ‘Add’ to add more countries/regions, or clear the list by clicking ‘remove’. 
7. Finish the process by clicking ‘Done’ at the top right corner.

How to limit the content's visibility based on age or location?

Here’s how to require people to be a certain age to see your branded content. To gate your branded content before you upload your content using Minimum age restrictions:

1. While uploading a post/reel/story, select ‘Advanced settings’.
2. Scroll down to ‘Branded content’ and turn the toggle ON (add paid partnership label).
3. Now, select ‘Add brand partners’, search for your partner, and click ‘Add’ and ‘Next’.
4. At the brand partners review page, click on the  ‘Add audience restrictions’ on the brand partners review page.
5. Select ‘Minimum age’’; There you have two options -
   - Default minimum age - set a minimum age for people everywhere.
   - Minimum age by country - set a different minimum age for specific countries. For example, you could set the default to 21 but choose a lower minimum age in specified countries.
6. Click ‘Add’ and type the age.
7. Finish the process by clicking ‘Done’ at the top right corner.

It’s good to know that you can set up a  minimum age for all your content in your creator or business settings.

Before any branded content that includes these categories, check Instagram branded content policies and if the types of branded content you upload fall under one of the restricted categories.

How to know if and why my content was removed?

In most cases, when Instagram removes branded content, the creator should receive a notification in their monetization & shops feed stating the following:

“Your post was removed for promoting goods, services, or brands that have restrictions or require additional business partner authorization.”

You should check your account status page for more information. Unfortunately, Instagram does not provide more details about the reasons for these restrictions. 

The best way to address this issue is to review the branded content policy page and determine if your content falls into any of the categories that Instagram restricts.

If you still want to repost the content, we recommend that you enable age restrictions under the "Advanced" settings before posting. Additionally, I have attached the relevant section of Instagram's Branded Content Policies regarding alcohol promotion for your reference.

What to do if my collaborate tab on Instagram has disappeared?

Here's how to troubleshoot the "Invite Collaborator" option not showing up on Instagram:

1. Confirm that the Collab feature is available in your region.
2. Make sure your Instagram app is up-to-date by updating it on the App Store or Google Play Store.
3. Change your account settings to public.
4. Convert to a business account, fill in your profile information, and give it 48 hours to take effect.
5. Enable tagging on your Instagram account.
6. Contact Instagram support through the in-app support feature (open Account settings, select Help, and click Report a problem).

When should I add a “paid partnership label” to my content?

According to Instagram's Branded Content Policies, you must use their "Paid Partnership Label" when posting branded content on the platform. Branded content is created or published by a creator/publisher that features or is influenced by a business partner in exchange for value. This includes when you post content that was given to you for free. Here’s when you have to use a sponsored label - 

1. When a brand or business sends you gifts or free products or services, and you create content featuring or mentioning those products or services, you must use the "Paid Partnership Label" according to Instagram's Branded Content Policies. For example, posts featuring a free product or gift from a brand or business partner are considered an exchange of value and therefore require the use of the "Paid Partnership Label."
2. If a brand or business pays you to create content featuring or mentioning their products or brand/business, you must also use the "Paid Partnership Label" according to Instagram's Branded Content Policies. 

You don’t have to add branded content tags if you post content that promotes your services or products. You can read more about legal guidelines creators need to follow when working with brands.

Main takeaways 

In conclusion, if Instagram has removed your branded content, it is likely due to the platform's efforts to enforce its Branded Content Policies. While Instagram does not always specify the reason for the removal of content, it is essential to ensure that your sponsored posts follow the specific restrictions and guidelines outlined in the policies. For example, if you are promoting alcohol, your content must be age-restricted in accordance with the laws of the country where it is being viewed. Following these guidelines can help prevent your branded content from being taken down by Instagram.

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Share this with people in the industry, and let’s make sure we avoid getting our content taken down!

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