Influencer advertising
A recommendation can still be an ad.
The creator’s relationship to the brand matters. Viewers should be able to tell when money, gifts, commissions, or other connections are part of the story.
What needs to be disclosed?
The FTC calls it a material connection: a relationship that could affect how viewers evaluate the endorsement. That can include payment, an affiliate commission, free or discounted products, employment, and personal or family ties. A free item can matter even when the creator was not instructed to post.
Clear means hard to miss.
A disclosure should appear with the endorsement itself. Hiding it in a profile, behind “more,” in a wall of hashtags, or only in an easily missed caption can leave viewers without the context they need. For video, a disclosure in the video is important; viewers may not open the description.
Does a platform label solve everything?
No single label automatically excuses a false product claim. Truthfulness and disclosure are separate questions. A creator can identify a paid partnership and still make a misleading claim about a feature, performance, price, or result.
What to document
Save the complete endorsement, caption, pinned comment, shop link, affiliate code, profile, and any visible disclosure. State only the connection you can observe. If you are uncertain whether a creator was paid, say that the connection was not clear to you, not that you know they concealed a payment.
Personal experience is not proof
“It worked for me” is different from “it works for everyone.” An endorser should not describe firsthand experience with a product they have not used, and a specific, objective claim needs appropriate support. Ask which product was used and under what conditions.
Where the report goes
Report the post or ad using the platform’s current reporting controls. If the concern involves a deceptive business practice or undisclosed endorsement, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov as well. Include the account, business, product, exact claim, endorsement URL, and what disclosure was or was not visible.
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