Disclosures
Disclosure guide.
Last updated · October 2026
Every clip made for a campaign on Obscure Exhibit is paid content, and in the United States the law requires that viewers can tell. This guide explains how to disclose, platform by platform, and what brands must and must not do. It is part of our Terms of Service. It is not legal advice, and other countries may require more.
1. Why every campaign clip needs one.
The FTC requires a disclosure whenever there is a material connection between the person posting and the brand: payment, free or discounted products, or a business or personal relationship. Being paid per view for a clip is a material connection, even if you picked the campaign yourself and even if you only show the brand's content.
It applies whichever account you post from, a clip page as much as a personal one, and in every format: posts, Reels, Shorts, Stories and live.
2. Where it goes.
- In the clip, at the start. The FTC says a video's disclosure belongs in the video, not only in the description. Put it on screen in the opening moments, where it is hard to miss.
- Said out loud too, if the clip has your voice. The FTC notes viewers are more likely to notice a disclosure made in both audio and video.
- At the top of the caption. Before the “more” cut-off, and not mixed into a block of hashtags.
- Repeated on live streams, so people who join late still see it.
3. Words that work.
Clear
- Ad
- Advertisement
- Sponsored
- Paid partnership with [brand]
- [Brand] paid me to make this
Not enough
- “sp”, “spon” or “collab”
- “Thanks [brand]” or “ambassador” on their own
- Tagging the brand with nothing else
- A disclosure mixed into a block of hashtags
- A disclosure only in the description, or behind “more”
- A disclosure only in the comments
4. Platform tools.
Use each platform's tool in addition to your own disclosure. The FTC warns not to assume a platform's tool is enough on its own.
- TikTok
Before you post: Content disclosure and ads → turn on “Disclose commercial content” → choose “Branded content”.
The post is labeled “Paid partnership”. The label cannot be added or changed after the post goes live, so set it first.
When posting: Advanced settings → Branded content → turn on “Add paid partnership label”.
Only in the Instagram app, not on the web. Tagging the brand as a partner needs the brand to approve you on Instagram first.
- YouTube
In YouTube Studio: tick “My video contains paid promotion like a product placement, sponsorship, or endorsement”.
YouTube shows viewers a paid-promotion notice for the first 10 seconds.
- X, Facebook and others
Put “Ad” in the post text where it shows without expanding the post, and use the platform’s paid-partnership tool where it has one.
Menu names are each platform's own and can change; if one has moved, the platform's help center has the current path.
5. For brands.
- Never ask or pressure a creator to leave out or hide a disclosure.
- Put your disclosure expectations in the campaign itself. Add #ad as a required hashtag: we read each clip's live caption and flag any clip that is missing it in your review.
- Check for a disclosure when you review a clip, and request changes if it is missing.
- Make sure every claim a campaign asks creators to make about your product is truthful and backed up.
6. What we do.
Clips are published by creators on their own accounts, and we do not review them for disclosures before they go live. Each creator is responsible for their own disclosures, and each brand for what its campaign asks of creators. A brand may decline a clip that is missing a disclosure, and we may take action under section 8 of our Terms of Service, including holding payouts, against accounts that ignore this guide.