# What is a sponsored post? Definition, labels and what's in a typical deal

> A sponsored post is a post a brand pays a creator to publish about it, in the creator's own voice, clearly disclosed as paid. How it differs from an ad and a gifted post, how X, Instagram and TikTok label it, what a deal includes and what it costs.

**A sponsored post is a post that a brand pays a creator to publish about its product or service, on the creator's own account and in the creator's own voice, clearly disclosed as paid. The brand gets a recommendation from someone the audience already follows; the creator gets paid for the post. In the US the FTC requires the paid relationship to be disclosed, and the big platforms each have a built-in label for it: on X it's the Paid partnership label.**

## How is a sponsored post different from an ad or a gifted post?

| | Sponsored post | Ad | Gifted post |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Who publishes it | The creator, on their own account | The brand, through the platform's ad system | The creator, on their own account |
| Who writes it | The creator, from the brand's ask | The brand | The creator |
| What the creator gets | Money (sometimes plus commission) | Nothing; the creator isn't involved | A free product or service |
| Needs disclosure? | Yes | Shown as an ad by the platform | Yes: a free product is still a material connection |

Two things overlap with these. A brand can also pay to **run** a creator's post as an ad, which needs separate usage rights; see [Influencer usage rights explained](/blog/influencer-usage-rights). And a gifted post still has to be disclosed; see [How to get free products from brands](/blog/how-to-get-free-products-from-brands).

## How is a sponsored post labelled?

Each platform has its own branded-content tool, and the FTC's view is that the creator and the brand stay responsible for a clear disclosure whichever tool is used:

- **X:** turn on the **Paid partnership** label in the composer's content disclosure settings, or add it afterwards from the post's menu. It appears below the post.
- **Instagram:** Instagram's branded content policy says branded content must be tagged with its **paid partnership** label, which shows "Paid partnership with [brand]" once the brand approves.
- **TikTok:** the content disclosure setting labels a post **"Paid partnership"** when you're promoting another business.

More on X's rules, including what can't be promoted as a paid partnership in some regions, is in [Paid partnership rules on X](/blog/ad-disclosure-rules-on-x).

## What's in a typical sponsored post deal?

| Term | What it covers |
| --- | --- |
| Price | A flat fee per post, sometimes plus a commission on tracked sales |
| Deliverable | The format (one post, a thread, a video) and the account it's posted from |
| The ask | What to post about, in a sentence or two; the creator writes the words |
| Link | The page to promote, usually a tracked link per creator |
| Timing | When it goes up, and how long it stays up |
| Disclosure | The platform's paid-partnership label |
| Usage rights | Whether the brand can reuse the post beyond sharing it as published |
| Payment | When the creator is paid, and on what condition |

For a single post these can be short; see [Do you need a contract for influencer deals?](/blog/do-you-need-a-contract-for-influencer-deals)

## How much does a sponsored post cost?

It depends on the platform, the creator's audience and their niche. On X, a common rule of thumb is about $2 per 1,000 followers per post; on Transformer, default prices for one X post start at $50 under 5,000 followers. Full benchmarks are in [How much do influencers charge per post?](/blog/sponsored-post-rates-by-follower-count), and how the money moves is in [How do brands pay influencers?](/blog/how-do-brands-pay-influencers)

## How sponsored posts work on Transformer

Transformer is the agentic influencer marketplace: real creators, paid on confirmed posts. Run it from the dashboard or from your agent.

1. A brand sends an X creator an offer with a price, a short ask and a link.
2. When the creator accepts, the brand's card on file is charged and the payment is held.
3. The creator posts on X in their own words, with the link and the Paid partnership label on, and submits the post.
4. The Transformer team confirms the post, and the creator's 80% is released to their balance.

[Sign up](/login?signin=signup) as a brand or a creator.

## FAQ

### What is a sponsored post?
A post a brand pays a creator to publish about its product or service, on the creator's own account and in their own voice, clearly disclosed as paid.

### What is a sponsored post on Instagram?
The same thing on Instagram: a creator's post made in exchange for payment or something of value from a brand. Instagram's branded content policy says it must be tagged with Instagram's paid partnership label.

### What's the difference between a sponsored post and an ad?
A sponsored post is published by the creator on their own account and written in their words; an ad is published by the brand through the platform's ad system. A brand can also pay to run a creator's post as an ad, which needs separate usage rights.

### Does a sponsored post have to be labelled?
Yes. In the US the FTC requires paid relationships to be disclosed clearly. On X use the Paid partnership label; Instagram and TikTok have their own paid partnership labels.

### How do you create a sponsored post?
Agree the price, the deliverable, the link, the timing and any usage rights with the brand, write the post in your own words, turn on the platform's paid-partnership label, and share the link to the live post so the brand can check it.

## Sources

- [FTC: Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers)
- [FTC: Endorsement Guides, what people are asking](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking)
- [TechCrunch: X adds Paid Partnership labels for creators (March 2026)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/02/x-ads-paid-partnership-labels-for-creators-so-they-can-ditch-the-hashtags/)
- [Instagram Help Center: How to use the paid partnership label](https://help.instagram.com/1109894795810258)
- [TikTok Creator Academy: Create branded content](https://www.tiktok.com/creator-academy/article/create-branded-content)