01
Where does a disclosure need to be?
Prominent and unavoidable, which for short video generally means inside the clip itself rather than only in the post text. Post text is truncated after a line or two and is absent entirely when a clip is shared onward, so a disclosure placed only there is invisible to most of the audience.
02
Where a disclosure survives
Post text is truncated and absent entirely when a clip travels, which is why a disclosure placed only there is invisible to most of the audience.
| Placed | Seen by | Survives sharing? |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the clip, early, on screen | Everyone | Yes |
| Platform paid partnership label | Most viewers | Usually not |
| First line of post text | Many | No |
| After the more link | Few | No |
| Spoken only | Those with sound on | Yes, for them |
03
Wording that viewers understand
Plain words work best. Phrases like paid partnership with, sponsored by or ad are recognised immediately. Vague terms such as thanks to or collab can leave viewers unsure whether money changed hands, which is the confusion disclosure rules exist to prevent.
Say it early. A disclosure at the very end reaches only the viewers who stayed, while one at the start or on screen from the beginning reaches everyone who saw the clip at all.
Spoken and written disclosure together is the safest combination.
04
Free products and affiliate links
Sponsorship is not limited to cash payments. Receiving a product for free, being paid a commission through a link or having a business relationship with a brand can each count as a connection viewers should know about. When in doubt, disclose.
Affiliate links deserve a short note even when the clip itself is not sponsored. A simple line saying you may earn a commission is enough in many places.
05
Using the platform tools as well
Most platforms offer a built-in label for paid content. Use it, but treat it as an addition rather than a replacement for saying it clearly in the clip. Labels can be small, hidden or missing when a clip is shared elsewhere, and the rules in many countries focus on what viewers actually notice.
Check each platform's policy separately, because some require the label for specific kinds of partnerships.
06
Keeping records of partnerships
Keep a simple record of every sponsored or gifted arrangement: the brand, the dates, what was agreed and which clips were involved. If a question arises later, you can show that disclosures were made.
Rules differ between countries and change over time, so check the guidance that applies where you and your audience are based, and review it at least once a year.
07
Put it where it will be seen
- Put it in the first seconds of the clip. Early and on screen is the safest interpretation everywhere.
- Use the platform's own paid label as well. It is expected, and it is not sufficient on its own in some markets.
- Say it plainly. Abbreviations that a viewer has to decode are treated as inadequate in several jurisdictions.
Produce a clip with the disclosure inside it. Nothing to pay for the first.
Questions people ask
- Is a hashtag enough?
- In several markets, no, particularly when it sits among many other tags or below the truncation point.
- Does the platform's paid partnership label cover it?
- It is part of the answer and not always the whole of it. Regulators in some countries require disclosure in the content as well.
- What counts as sponsored?
- Broader than cash. Free products, affiliate arrangements and gifted services are covered in most frameworks.
- Are the rules uniform worldwide?
- Substantially, and this is one of the areas where they differ most.
- Where does it go on the clip?
- Somewhere it cannot be missed, early, and clear of the interface band that covers the bottom of the frame.