Learn how to ensure advertising disclosure rules are followed when your members post content on social media.
A social media post published as part of a product testing campaign (Social campaign asset), a mission (Hashtag / Social post), or a contest (Social media type) may legally be considered an advertisement if the member receives a benefit: product, discount, reward.
In this case, the commercial collaboration must be clearly disclosed in the post.
Compliance framework
International and local regulations require explicit disclosure of a commercial collaboration when content is published in exchange for a benefit (free product, discount, reward, or other benefit).
If disclosures are missing or unclear, the brand and creators may be exposed to:
- Regulatory or administrative sanctions, including fines
- Removal of non-compliant content, reduced visibility, or reclassification as advertising content
- Reputational impact for the brand and the creator
You are responsible for ensuring that your campaigns comply with the laws applicable to your market, country, and campaign. This information and the features that help enforce regulations do not constitute legal advice.
International rules
The social mission features in the back office are designed to help you comply with regulations when members post content on social media. The exact wording and placement of the disclosure vary depending on the country, platform, and campaign type: please refer to the applicable laws.
European Union - DSA and consumer law
- The Digital Services Act (DSA) has applied since 2024. It requires users to be able to clearly identify commercial content as advertising.
- Disclosures must be clear, unambiguous, and easily accessible, without requiring additional clicks or scrolling.
- Common disclosures include “In collaboration with @brand” and hashtags such as #ad and #sponsored.
The exact wording may sometimes need to be adapted to the country and local language.
France - Commercial Influence Law (No. 2023-451)
- The French Commercial Influence Law (No. 2023-451) requires any content promoting a product or service in exchange for payment or a benefit to be clearly identified as commercial.
- The disclosure must be immediately understandable and visible, and must not be hidden at the end of the caption or behind the See more fold.
- Common disclosures include “Publicité”, “En collaboration avec @marque”, “Collaboration commerciale”, and hashtags such as #publicité and #sponsorisé.
United Kingdom - ASA/CAP + DMCC Act 2024
- In the United Kingdom, the ASA/CAP Code and the DMCC Act 2024 require the commercial nature of an influencer’s or creator’s post to be obvious to consumers.
- The disclosure must be visible, placed at the beginning of the caption, and unambiguous, with no room for interpretation or concealment.
- Common disclosures include “Ad”, “Advertisement”, or “In partnership with @brand”.
If a campaign includes an incentive, the creator must still make the commercial relationship explicit. The safest approach is to use a clearly visible disclosure at the beginning of the caption.
Nordic countries - Konsumentverket SE, Forbrukertilsynet NO, etc.
- Nordic consumer protection authorities (Konsumentverket in Sweden and Forbrukertilsynet in Norway) are among the strictest in Europe regarding influencer marketing.
- They require immediate and explicit identification of commercial content, often with clear wording in the local language and highly visible placement of disclosures, usually at the beginning of the caption.
- Common disclosures include “Reklam”, “ Annons”, “Ad”, “Sponsored”, and “In collaboration with @brand”, depending on the country.
In these markets, it is important to check the local language and the recommendations of the relevant authority.
Italy - AGCOM and self-regulatory rules
- In Italy, influencer marketing is based on a combination of consumer law principles, self-regulatory rules, and more recent recommendations from AGCOM.
- Commercial content must be clearly identifiable as advertising, and the disclosure must be visible, understandable, and unambiguous.
- Common wording includes “Pubblicità”, “Sponsorizzato da”, “In collaborazione con @marca”, and hashtags such as #adv and #pubblicità.
Spain - Influencer Advertising Code
- In Spain, the rules also require a clear distinction between editorial content and advertising content.
- The commercial nature must be visible and immediately identifiable. The disclosure must not be vague or hidden in the caption.
- Common wording includes “Publicidad” and “En colaboración con @marca”.
Applying these rules
When creating a social mission in the back office (product testing campaign, mission, or contest), you can define the compliance elements that members must include in their post :
- Compliance hashtags (e.g. #ad, #sponsored).
- A compliance wording (e.g. “In collaboration with @brand”). You can define up to 10 different wordings per mission. The member selects one, and their post will be approved if it contains the selected wording.
- Requirement to place the compliance wording at the beginning of the caption (before the See more fold)
These requirements are then automatically checked when the member submits their post for approval.
For admins: configure compliance requirements
You can define compliance hashtags and wording when configuring the social mission.
For members: a simple, guided experience
Members can see the compliance requirements in the mission details. They can easily copy all required elements (hashtags and wording) and submit their post for approval.
Best practices
- Define rules before launching the campaign, based on the recommendations of your legal team and your market.
- Use short, clear wording that complies with applicable laws (e.g. “In collaboration with @brand”).
- Enable the First position option when the disclosure must appear before the See more fold.
- Clearly explain the rules to members to reduce friction.
- Regularly review compliance settings, as regulations and platform standards evolve.
Brand & community benefits
Using the social mission features in the back office allows you to:
- Reduce legal risk by ensuring that social media posts include the required disclosures.
- Save time by avoiding manual checks for each post.
- Improve transparency for consumers, strengthening trust in the brand and the community.
- Reduce support requests thanks to a simple and intuitive member experience, with automatic checks and contextual error messages.
Need help configuring compliance for your campaigns?
If you are unsure which compliance elements to apply, discuss it with your legal team or contact your Skeepers point of contact. Once the rules have been defined, the Social Ad Compliance feature allows you to apply them consistently across all social missions and product testing campaigns.