TikTok has introduced new transparency rules that all creators must follow starting September 2025. TikTok now requires creators to disclose any branded or commercial content before posting!
The goal is to make commercial content more transparent and to preserve the authenticity that makes TikTok fun, creative, and genuine.
If you post product reviews, gift collaborations, or any type of paid partnership, this update directly affects you! This means that if you are paid, receive a gift, or any other form of compensation for talking about a product or brand, you must enable the Disclose Commercial Content option on TikTok.
How does it work?
When creating TikTok content, you must enable the disclosure option in the app before posting your content.
To do this, follow these steps before publishing your content:
- Click on More options.
- In Advanced Settings, click on Content and Ads Disclosure.
- Enable the Disclose Commercial Content option.
- Enable the Branded Content option.
- Your setting is now activated! Click Continue.
Rules to know by country
Although TikTok’s new branded content policy applies globally, it is also designed to be compliant with local advertising laws and consumer protection regulations.
This means that even if your audience or campaign is in another country, you are still legally required to clearly and visibly disclose your commercial collaborations.
Here’s an overview of what is expected in the main regions:
In the EU, transparency is a legal requirement under Directive 2005/29/EC (Unfair commercial practices directive).
As creators, you must clearly indicate when a post or video contains paid promotion, a gift, or any collaboration with a brand, so that consumers can easily recognize it as advertising.
Using TikTok’s disclosure tools also ensures that your content remains eligible for paid promotion (Spark Ads, collaborations, and reposts) across all EU markets.
In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) require creators to indicate very clearly when content is sponsored or gifted, ideally at the start of the video.
Labels such as “ad,” “paid partnership,” or “gifted collaboration” must be easily visible and understandable. TikTok labels “Promotional Content” and “Paid Partnership” meet these standards, ensuring your videos are both platform-compliant and legally transparent.
Hiding labels in captions or hashtags (e.g., #ad, #collab) is not sufficient under ASA rules. Disclosure must be clearly visible in the video, which TikTok’s built-in system ensures.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires creators to disclose any “material connection” with a brand, whether it’s payment, free products, affiliate links, or discounts.
This means even unpaid collaborations (such as gifted campaigns via Skeepers) are considered commercial relationships and must be disclosed.
TikTok’s disclosure labels (“Promotional Content” or “Paid Partnership”) automatically meet FTC requirements for clarity and visibility.