Instagram to add commercial partnership labelling

Instagram is looking to add more transparency to commercial relationships, between influencers and publishers with brands and businesses, by creating a “paid partnership with” sub-header on posts and stories.

The move comes as Instagram looks to help users distinguish sponsored Instagram pictures, which was identified earlier this year after the US Federal Trade Commission warned a number of influencers, brands, and celebrities to properly disclose paid-for promotions to their fans.

“The relationships people form on Instagram drive our community and make it so unique. Partnerships between community creators and businesses are an important part of the Instagram experience, and a healthy community should be open and consistent about paid partnerships,” said Instagram in a statement.

The “paid partnership with” tool will be voluntary and will be rolled out across the platform in the coming weeks said Instagram, with a small number of creators and businesses, before plans to make this tool widely available in the coming months, along with an official policy and enforcement guidelines.

“The new tool will allow a creator to quickly tag the business they have a relationship with. The post or story will appear with a sub-header that reads “Paid partnership with,” followed by a tag to the business partner’s account. This makes the nature of the relationship more transparent for the community,” added Instagram.

Images: courtesy of Instagram