How partnership ads work
Meta describes partnership ads as ads that advertisers run with partners: creators, brands and other businesses. The partner's account, the advertiser's account or both appear in the ad header, and Meta says the ads use signals from both accounts for ranking. You can promote a partner's existing post, story or reel, or, with account-level permission, create a new ad from the partner's handle without any existing content. Meta says that starting in September 2026 they can also run in the WhatsApp Status placement.
The two permission types
Content-level permission covers a single post, story or reel. Either the creator turns on Allow brand partner to boost and tags you in the paid partnership label, or the creator shares a partnership ad code, which works on any of their posts and can be used by up to two advertisers at a time.
Account-level permission is broader. You send a request from Meta Business Suite, the partner accepts it in the Instagram or Facebook app, and you can then create ads from their handle, boost their content that tags you, and include or exclude their custom audience. Partners can revoke either type at any time.
Why a contract is not enough
Meta treats the permission and your agreement with the creator as two separate things. The permission is the technical access in Meta's tools. The contract sets scope, duration, exclusivity and pay. A signed deal does not let you run the ad until the permission is active, and an active permission does not settle compensation or content rights. We check both before launch, and we confirm the permission is still active before restarting any paused partnership ad.
Common questions
What were partnership ads called before?
Branded content ads. Meta's help center now states that branded content ads are called partnership ads. Creators still use the paid partnership label to tag the brand on organic branded content.
Is a contract with a creator enough to run partnership ads?
No. Meta says advertisers need permission from the partner whose handle the ad will include, granted in Meta's tools. Meta also says that permission does not establish or replace your separate agreement, so you need both.
What is a partnership ad code?
A code a creator or partner generates for an Instagram or Facebook post, story or reel. Sharing it lets an advertiser run that content as a partnership ad, whether or not it is branded content, and Meta says one code works for up to two advertisers at a time.
Do I need partnership ad permissions if we own both accounts?
Not always. Meta says that if two Instagram or Facebook accounts are owned by the same business and an employee has ads access to both, that person can run partnership ads without partnership ad permissions.
Can a creator stop a partnership ad?
Yes. Meta says creators and partners can change or revoke permissions at any time, and advises advertisers to review affected ads before running them again.