How to Give Brand Accounts Permission to Whitelist your Instagram Content

What is “Whitelisting?”

Whitelisting means giving brands access to your Instagram posts to promote as ads.

The most common form of whitelisting on Instagram is Branded Content Ads. 

Branded content refers to any post made by creators in exchange for compensation (ex: gifted products). These posts are identified by Instagram’s “paid partnership” label.

Companies then take those organic creator posts and “boost” them as paid posts served to audiences across Instagram. Those paid posts are Branded Content Ads.

Here’s a quick summary of how whitelisting works with Branded Content Ads:

• You create an Instagram post tagging and promoting a brand on your account
• Then, you grant that brand permission to boost your post
• The brand promotes your content as a Branded Content Ad, featuring your account handle
• Bonus: Once the ad is ‘ON,’ you may see increased engagement in your own insights due to ad activity

Requirements for Creators

• You must have a creator account on Instagram
• You must have branded content tools enabled (Settings > Creator > Branded Content)
• You must be an approved partner for the brand you’re working with

Steps for Creators

So a brand loved your content so much that they want to turn it into an ad – congratulations! Here are the steps you need to follow in order to give them permission to turn your post into a paid ad:

Step #1: Request Brand Partnership Approval

• In the Instagram app, go to Settings > Creator > Branded Content
• Select Request approval from brand partners
• Enter the name of the brand, find their account and tap Request, and then Send Request
• This will send a partnership request for approval
• You will receive a notification when your brand partner approves your request

Step #2: Access the Post You Want to Allow the Brand to Sponsor

• Select the post (Reels, Stories, In-Feed) you plan to promote as an ad
• Note: For Story ads requests, you must first turn on Stories archives. Click here for instructions.
• Review your post, then tap ⠇ (or ⋯) and then Edit.
• For photo posts you should see an option directly under your handle that says “Add paid partnership label…” Click this, and then tap to toggle On Add paid partnership label 
• For video posts, after clicking Edit, open Advanced settings, and then tap to toggle On Add paid partnership label 

• Tap to select Add brand partners
• Select the brand partner you want to promote and tap Allow brand partner to boost
• Double-check that the Add paid partnership label is toggled on, and then tap Done