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A quick guide to branded content on Instagram
What is the difference between paid partnership, partnership ads and collaboration?
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2 min to read
Written by:
Štefica Škarika
Instagram has evolved from a social network into a dynamic platform where numerous brands fight for the attention of potential customers. The area where creativity and sales intertwine is governed by Instagram’s Branded Content Policy guidelines. Here are some key terms that everyone should know.
What is branded content?
Any content for which the creator received some kind of compensation, including cases where products and services were obtained for free, is considered branded. For example, the creator received products from the brand and published their photo – this is branded content. Regardless of whether branded content is posted from a creator, personal or business account, it must be labeled as such. To publish branded content, creators must use the branded content tool to tag a product, brand, or business partner.
Certain products or services, according to Instagram’s rules, may not be promoted through branded content, while some sensitive content may be promoted with restrictions. You can read more about it in the Help Center.
Branded content vs. ads
Branded content in communication often alternates with ads displayed on Instagram. You can distinguish the type of content by the fact that for branded content above the post it says “Paid partnership with …”, while for partnership ads the accounts of the advertiser and partner are shown in the ad header with the tag “Sponsored”. Partnership ads allow advertisers to display content with creators, brands, and other businesses. With the help of partnershi ads, creators can increase the reach of content, and advertisers can create more authentic and interesting content, which ultimately results in more effective advertising.
Instagram Collaboration
This feature allows the same post to appear on both user profiles that co-created the content and shows both user profiles as content authors. They also share post statistics, including comments, likes, and share counts. This type of collaboration can contribute to achieving greater reach and engagement, given that the post is shown to the audience of both authors.
