The free box that wasn't free
A brand mailed Dev a $180 skincare kit. No contract, no cash. He posted a glowing first-impression Reel.
What happened
Dev didn't use the Paid Partnership label because he 'wasn't paid'. A follower called it out in the comments, and the brand later asked him to remove a claim it couldn't legally make.
The rule behind it
Free products are 'something of value'. If they shape your content, it's branded content and needs the Paid Partnership label with the brand tagged.
Getting paid by following the rules
- Turn on the Paid Partnership label and tag the brand, with their OK.
- Add a plain #ad or 'gifted' in the caption too, since Meta's label doesn't automatically satisfy FTC rules.
- Only repeat claims you can stand behind.
Gifted counts. When in doubt, label it.
More stories
The reaction channel that went quiet
Jada's split-screen reactions to viral clips were pulling 200K views a week. Then her earnings dropped to zero overnight.
Quotes, slides and zero dollars
Marco's motivational quote videos got shared everywhere. His dashboard said they earned nothing.
The giveaway that backfired
To celebrate 20K followers, Tasha offered a $300 rug to anyone who liked, shared and tagged three friends.