A TikTok paid partnership is a post where you switch on the Disclose commercial content setting and choose Branded content, which makes TikTok show a Paid partnership label; choosing Your brand instead labels the post Promotional content, according to TikTok's Help Center guide to promoting a brand, product or service. TikTok requires the setting whenever you promote a brand, product or service, and its Branded Content Policy treats gifted products, paid posts, affiliate links, promo codes and ambassador relationships as branded content.
Switching it on takes seconds. The decisions around it are where creators slip: which option fits the deal, whether to tag the brand, what changes on LIVE, and whether the label alone meets the advertising rules where you live. This guide covers TikTok's setting and policies, and points to the regulators for the law rather than restating it. If the deal came through TikTok's own marketplace, read our guide to the TikTok Creator Marketplace first, because TikTok One projects set the disclosure for you.
Disclosure decision table: deal type to setting
Match the deal to a row before you film, not after you post. The definitions come from the Branded Content Policy, published 4 August 2026 and in force since 31 August 2026, and from the commercial disclosure rules in TikTok's Community Guidelines.
| Deal type | Setting to choose | Label viewers see | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid post for a brand | Disclose commercial content, then Branded content | Paid partnership | Tag the brand only if your agreement covers ad use |
| Gifted product, no fee | Branded content | Paid partnership | The policy counts gifts sent by or on behalf of a brand |
| Affiliate link or promo code that earns commission | Branded content | Paid partnership | Commission through TikTok Shop also falls under TikTok Shop's own policies |
| Ambassador, or a brand you used to work with, even on an unpaid post | Branded content | Paid partnership | The policy covers current and past commercial relationships |
| Your own product, service or business | Your brand | Promotional content | Self-promotion needs disclosure too under the Community Guidelines |
| TikTok One project | Switched on for you | Branded content label applied by TikTok | Check the label once the video is live |
| Restricted category, such as alcohol, financial services or gambling | Branded content, only when an approved brand invites you | Paid partnership | Shown only in the market where posted, may be age-restricted, and run through TikTok One |
| Prohibited category, such as adult products, weight-loss products or legal services | Decline the deal | None | No setting makes these allowed under the policy |
| Paid political content | Decline the deal | None | TikTok bans paid political advertising, disclosed or not |
| Something you bought yourself, with no incentive or relationship | Leave it off | None | If TikTok flags it as commercial, appeal from the notification |
The self-promotion row is easy to miss. The Community Guidelines require disclosure when you promote your own business, product or service, so a creator selling their own merchandise, course or subscription uses Your brand. That label does not make otherwise restricted promotion acceptable; our TikTok marketing guide for creators covers promoting a subscription business within TikTok's rules.
How to switch it on: new posts, old posts, LIVE and web
The Help Center and the Business Help Center version, updated January 2026, give the same four paths, with slightly different switch names on LIVE and web.
- New post: on the post screen tap Content disclosure and ads (if you are not part of TikTok One, it sits under More options), turn on Disclose commercial content, choose Your brand or Branded content, tap Save and Continue, then post.
- Existing post: open it from your profile, tap More options, then Ad settings, switch on Disclose commercial content and choose the option.
- LIVE: before starting, tap Add post, then LIVE, then Settings, then Content disclosure; switch on Disclose LIVE content and choose Own brand or Branded content.
- Web: while uploading, click Show more and switch on Disclose post content before you click Post.
Choose carefully the first time. The Help Center says that once a post or LIVE is published, its Paid partnership or Promotional content label can't be changed, and the only fix it offers for a wrong choice is to remove the post or LIVE and publish it again with the right selection.
One wording gap between TikTok's two help centres: the Help Center calls the self-promotion label Promotional content, while the Business Help Center describes it as a Commercial content label. Both agree that third-party deals display Paid partnership.
The brand partner tag: what it hands over
After choosing Branded content you can tap Brand partnership to tag the brand. TikTok's brand partner tag article, updated April 2026, says the tag puts the video in the brand's Content Suite, gives the brand post insights covering engagement, performance and audience demographics, and pre-authorises the video for use as a Spark Ad for 60 days by default. The Help Center adds anchor authorisation, which lets the brand attach its own campaign links to the video.
That is convenient when the deal includes paid usage and a giveaway when it doesn't. Treat the tag as a licensing decision: check that your agreement lets the brand run the video as an ad, for how long, and at what price. Our UGC rate card worksheet prices usage rights and creator-handle ads as separate lines for this reason. The Help Center presents tagging as something you are able to add after choosing Branded content; the Branded content choice is what produces the Paid partnership label.
Disclosure on LIVE
LIVE has its own switch in LIVE settings, and the Accounts and Features section of the Community Guidelines says commercial content on LIVE must be disclosed with the commercial disclosure toggle. The same section adds a reach rule: in markets where TikTok Shop is available, TikTok reduces the visibility of content directing viewers to buy products off-platform, and lists LIVE sessions that do so as ineligible for the For You feed.
A label set at the start may also miss people who join halfway. The FTC's Disclosures 101 for social media influencers tells US creators to repeat the disclosure periodically during a live stream so viewers who catch only part of it still get it. Saying it aloud each time you return to a sponsor segment is a sound habit in any market.
What TikTok says about reach
TikTok's position is consistent. The Help Center says turning on the setting won't affect how your post is distributed in feeds, and the Business Help Center's content disclosure article for creators says a Paid partnership label won't change how TikTok recommends content, citing a 2023 internal TikTok study of nearly 2 million videos, tested in Indonesia and Pakistan, that found no performance difference.
Read that evidence for what it is: TikTok's own internal research, limited to the year and markets it names. It is the clearest published statement available, but it isn't independent, and it can't tell you how your particular audience reacts to a visible label.
The documented risk runs the other way. The same creator disclosure article says undisclosed commercial content may lose For You feed eligibility, and that when TikTok suspects undisclosed branded content it notifies you and gives you 24 hours to respond before the video becomes ineligible. You can switch the disclosure on, or appeal if the video isn't branded content; only the original poster can appeal. TikTok says it flags commercial content from financial incentives such as links, promo codes or QR codes; brand mentions in hashtags, tags or logos; and product recommendations such as demos, tutorials or buy-now prompts. The Community Guidelines add that TikTok may reduce visibility or apply the setting itself, and that repeated failures can bring temporary posting restrictions or an account ban.
When the setting can't make a deal allowed
Disclosure labels a deal; it doesn't approve one. The Branded Content Policy lists prohibited industries that no label fixes, including adult and sexual products and services, weight-loss products, political advertising, professional services such as legal and accounting work, and financial schemes such as pyramid schemes and payday loans. Restricted industries, including alcohol, dating apps, financial services, gambling and some medicines, need an invitation from an approved brand; that content is shown only in the market where it was posted and may be age-restricted.
The policy also sets rules for every branded post: name the product clearly in your voice-over or caption so viewers don't need your profile or a link to know what is being promoted, make no false or misleading claims, and don't promote illegal products. Where the law requires it, the post may be added to TikTok's Commercial Content Library, and the policy warns it may have to stay there even after you delete or edit the original.
The toggle is not the whole legal duty
TikTok's policy says its rules are not exhaustive and that complying with the law is your responsibility. How much more you need depends on where you and your audience are, and this section only flags how each regulator treats a platform label; their own guidance is the authority.
- United States. The US Terms of Service, now an agreement with TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, require branded posts to follow the Branded Content Policy and the FTC's Endorsement Guides, and the policy link in those terms resolves to TikTok's global policy page. The FTC's Disclosures 101 says not to assume a platform's tool is good enough, to use it alongside your own clear disclosure, and to put the disclosure in the video itself, not only the description.
- United Kingdom. The ASA's advice on recognising ads on social media says a platform's branded content tool may be enough if the label is upfront, clear and prominent, notes that its 2026 research found such labels help but may not suffice alone, and says to add an “Ad” label if in doubt. The ASA and CMA influencers' guide is due an update for the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
- Australia. In its December 2023 influencer update, the ACCC told influencers to disclose promotional posts in a way that is immediately obvious, including when the incentive is a free product, ticket or gift, and noted that the AANA Code of Ethics requires advertising to be clearly distinguishable as such.
Across all three, the cautious reading is the same: keep TikTok's label on, and also say or show the commercial relationship early in the video itself.
Pre-post checklist
- Name the incentive: money, a gift, commission, an ambassador deal, or your own business.
- Find its row in the decision table and pick Branded content or Your brand before you post.
- Confirm the category isn't prohibited, and if it is restricted, that an approved brand invited you through TikTok One.
- Decide on the brand partner tag only after checking your agreement covers ad use; the tag article sets a 60-day authorisation by default.
- Name the product out loud or in the caption, without relying on your bio or a link.
- Add a spoken or on-screen disclosure near the start where your audience's regulator expects more than a platform label.
- Check that every claim matches your real experience of the product, and cut any scripted line that doesn't.
- For LIVE, set the disclosure in LIVE settings before starting and repeat it aloud during sponsor segments.
- After posting, check the label shows, and answer any suspected branded content notification within the 24 hours the creator disclosure article allows.
- Keep a record: the brief, the agreement, proof of payment or the gift, and a screenshot of the label, alongside your media kit and rate history.
Limits of this guide
This guide reflects TikTok's help pages, Community Guidelines and Branded Content Policy as published on 1 October 2026. TikTok issued a new Branded Content Policy in August 2026 and new Community Guidelines later the same month, so check the live pages before each campaign. Its limits: it explains TikTok's setting, not the full law of any country, and the regulator notes above are pointers rather than legal advice. US enforcement is also now decided by TikTok USDS Joint Venture, which the joint venture announcement says holds trust and safety authority in the US, so outcomes there may differ from other markets. For a contract dispute, a regulated product or a regulator's complaint, speak to a lawyer who handles advertising law where you operate.