We define branded content as a creator or publisher's content that features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value, such as monetary payment or free gifts. Branded content may only be posted with the use of the branded content tool, and creators must use the branded content tool to tag the featured third party product, brand, or business partner with their prior permission. Branded content may only be posted by Facebook Pages, Groups, and profiles and Instagram accounts with access to the branded content tool. Creators cannot accept anything of value to post content that does not feature themselves or that they were not involved in creating.
Learn more about common branded content scenarios:
You must also comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including by ensuring that you provide all necessary disclosures to people using Facebook or Instagram, such as any disclosures needed to indicate the commercial nature of content posted by you.
Prohibited Content
Certain goods, services, or brands may not be promoted with branded content. We prohibit promotion of the following:
- Violations of Facebook’s Community Standards or Instagram’s Community Guidelines
- Illegal products or services
- Tobacco products, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes, or any other products that simulate smoking
- Drugs and drug-related products, including illegal or recreational drugs
- Unsafe products and supplements
Unsafe supplements include but are not limited to anabolic steroids, chitosan, comfrey, dehydroepiandrosterone, ephedra, and human growth hormones.
- Weapons, ammunition or explosives
Branded content must not promote firearms (including firearms parts, ammunition, paintball guns and bb guns), firearm silencers or suppressors, weapons (including pepper spray, non-culinary knives/blades/spears, tasers, nunchucks, batons, or weapons intended for self-defense), or fireworks or explosives.
- Adult products or services, except for family planning and contraception
Branded content must not promote the sale or use of adult products or services, except for posts for family planning and contraception.
- Payday loans, paycheck advances, and bail bonds
- Multilevel marketing
- Initial coin offerings, binary options, or contract for difference trading
- Controversial political or social issues or crises in an exploitative manner for commercial purposes
- State lotteries
- Negative portrayal of voting or census participation in the United States and/or advising users not to vote or participate in a census
Restricted Content
Some sensitive content can only be promoted with restrictions, such as restricting who can see the post based on age or geographical location. Please click on any of the categories below to learn more about required restrictions:
- Alcohol
Branded content promoting or referencing alcohol must comply with all applicable local laws, required or established industry codes, guidelines, licenses and approvals, and include age and country targeting criteria consistent with Facebook's targeting guidelines and applicable local laws. Branded content must be age-gated to 18 years or older in all permitted countries except as follows:
- Prohibited: Afghanistan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Egypt, Estonia, Gambia, India, Kuwait, Libya, Lithuania, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
- 25 years or older: Sweden.
- 21 years or older: Cameroon, Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka and the United States.
- 20 years or older: Japan, Iceland, Thailand and Paraguay.
- 19 years or older: Canada, South Korea and Nicaragua.
- Subscription services
Branded content promoting subscription services, or products or services that include negative options, automatic renewal, free-to-pay conversion billing products, or mobile marketing must follow all applicable local laws. Branded content posts must be age-gated to 18 years or older.
- Financial and insurance products and services
Branded content promoting credit cards, loans or insurance services must be targeted to people 18 years or above. Posts must not promote misleading or deceptive services related to student loan consolidation, forgiveness, or refinancing.
- Cosmetic procedures and weight loss
Branded content promoting cosmetic surgery, cosmetic procedures, weight loss products, or weight loss services must be age-gated to 18 years or older.
- Family planning and contraception
Branded content promoting contraceptives must focus on the contraceptive features of the product, and not on sexual pleasure or sexual enhancement, and must be age-gated to people 18 years or older.
Business Partner Authorization
Additionally, some categories require that the business partner sponsoring the branded content be authorized to promote their services. The following types of business partners require written pre-authorization from Facebook or Instagram before engaging in branded content:
- Dating services
The business partner must receive written permission from Facebook to promote online dating services. Branded content posts must be targeted to users 18 years old or older.
- Real money gambling
Both the business partner and creator/publisher must receive written permission from Facebook to promote real money gambling. Branded content posts must be targeted to users 18 years or older and restricted to the jurisdiction for which permission has been granted.
- Pharmacies
The business partner must be certified with LegitScript and receive written permission from Facebook to promote pharmacies.
- Prescription Drugs
The business partner must apply to Facebook to promote prescription drugs. The following entities are eligible to apply for permission from Facebook: online pharmacies, telehealth providers, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers. Advertisers can learn how to apply here.
Branded content posts promoting prescription drugs must be restricted to people 18 years or older and restricted to the United States, New Zealand, or Canada. Prescription drug promotion is prohibited outside of these locations.
- Cryptocurrency products and services
The business partner must receive written permission from Facebook to promote cryptocurrency products and services.
- Drug and alcohol treatment centers
The business partner must be certified with LegitScript and receive written permission from Facebook to promote drug and alcohol treatment centers.
- Government, elections or politics
Current elected and appointed government officials, political candidates, political parties, and political committees may not use branded content. However, in the United States, the branded content tool may be used in branded content posts if the business partner has been authorized to run ads about social issues, elections or politics.
Format Restrictions
Your branded content must comply with the following restrictions:
- Branded content may only be posted where the branded content tool is available, such as Facebook Stories or Instagram posts.
- Don’t include pre, mid, or post-roll ads in videos or audio content.
- Don’t include banner ads in videos or images.
- Don't include title cards within a video's first three seconds. Interstitial cards outside of a video's first three seconds, such as mid cards or end cards, must not persist for longer than three consecutive seconds and must not be included within Facebook Stories or Instagram Stories.
Visit our Help Center for visual examples of format restrictions. For policies related to branded content within our ads product, please see our Advertising Policies.
