Compliance
FTC
Disclosure.
Every campaign posted through WeTheFan must comply with U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) endorsement guidelines. This page explains what that means — and exactly how to stay compliant.
Legal standard
Under 16 CFR Part 255 (the FTC Endorsement Guides), creators must clearly disclose any material connection with a brand — including paid campaigns booked through WeTheFan.
Do this
- ✓Use clear, conspicuous language: #ad, #sponsored, or “Paid partnership with [Brand]”.
- ✓Place the disclosure BEFORE the reader has to tap “more” or scroll.
- ✓For video, disclose both verbally and with on-screen text at the start of the sponsored section.
- ✓Disclose in the same language as the endorsement.
- ✓Disclose even for gifted products or affiliate links — any “material connection” must be revealed.
Never do this
- ✗Do not bury the disclosure at the bottom of a caption behind hashtags.
- ✗Do not use vague terms like #partner, #collab or #thanks without also using #ad.
- ✗Do not rely on Instagram/TikTok’s built-in “Paid partnership” tag alone — include text disclosure as well.
- ✗Do not remove the disclosure after the campaign approval window — it must stay for the life of the post.
- ✗Do not make claims about a product you have not actually used or tested.
Instagram / TikTok / X
Caption starts with #ad
Include text in the first line of the caption. Video content also needs on-screen disclosure in the first 3 seconds.
YouTube
Verbal + visible
Say “This video is sponsored by [Brand]” and pin a text disclosure to the top of the description AND on-screen at the start.
Podcasts / Audio
Read the disclosure
Announce the sponsorship verbally at the start of the sponsored segment — not just in the show notes.
Enforcement
Deliverables that lack a compliant FTC disclosure may be rejected without penalty to the customer or WeTheFan LLC. Repeated non-compliance is grounds for removal from the marketplace. WeTheFan’s Trust & Safety team spot-checks published posts.
More detail: FTC — Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers