Guidance

Social media endorsements: guidance for content creators, brands and agencies

Updated 28 August 2025

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Blogs, videos and other online publications influence people’s buying decisions. Businesses know that securing a positive endorsement can help sell their product. Consumers need to know when the endorsement they are reading or viewing has been paid for or is otherwise incentivised. 

“Product” covers goods, services and digital content.

It’s not illegal for businesses to pay people or publications to promote their brand or products in blogs, vlogs, tweets or other online articles - as long as this is clearly labelled as an advert. People that publish such content, businesses that want to get their products endorsed and any media agencies that place endorsements all need to make sure that the consumer knows the endorsement has been paid for. If not, they risk breaking the law. 

If you engage in misleading or otherwise unlawful practices you may breach consumer protection law, and be liable to pay a fine of up to 10% of global turnover. You might also breach industry rules on advertising.  

If paid endorsements aren’t identified, you may be breaking the law. 

Content creators and influencers 

If someone who publishes content accepts payment or has any other incentive to endorse something, they need to make sure that the content is clearly identifiable as being incentivised. For example, they could label posts or videos as ‘advertisement feature’ or ‘advertisement promotion’. 

Payment includes any form of incentive or reward such as money, commissions, discounts, leases or loans free of charge or in more favourable terms than those offered to the general public, gifts of any products. Having an incentive includes where you are posting on behalf of your own business, or the business of a friend or relative.

Businesses and brands 

If a business wants to incentivise someone to endorse their product online, they should work with the people that run the channel to make sure that the content published is clearly labelled as incentivised, and help ensure they understand that their endorsement might be considered an advert. 

PR and marketing agencies  

Media companies who arrange for the publication of content on behalf of businesses also risk breaking the law if it is not clear when content is incentivised. 

They should always make sure that such content is clearly identifiable. For example, they should: 

  • provide clear instructions to the person publishing the content, and anyone else involved, on how incentivised content should be identified 
  • ensure that the marketing agency’s staff training materials, internal policies, corporate brochures, contracts and related material, accurately reflect the requirements of the law 

The UK Advertising Codes contain similar industry rules on making sure that marketing communications are easily identifiable. You can get fast, confidential advice on complying with the Codes from the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). 

More information 

These materials do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.

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