How Meta partnership ads work, and how to set them up

How Meta partnership ads work: the short answer

A partnership ad is a paid Meta ad that runs from two identities at once, usually your brand and a creator. Both handles can appear in the header, and Meta uses signals from both accounts when it ranks the ad. You still buy it in your own Ads Manager, on your budget, with your targeting and reporting. Partnership ads used to be called branded content ads, and some people still call the practice whitelisting.

To run one you need the creator's permission first: either an ad code for one post, which lets you boost that post, or account-level permission, which lets you run ads from their handle with new creative and use their engaged audience. Then, at the ad level in Ads Manager, turn on the Partnership ad toggle and set the identities. For an ongoing creator program we ask for account-level permission; for a one-off post, an ad code is enough.

What a partnership ad changes, and what it does not

The ad looks like the creator is talking, because the creator's name and profile picture sit in the header. That is the whole point: people stop for a person they follow, or a person who looks like them, faster than they stop for a logo. Meta says partnership ads use signals from both accounts for ranking, so the creator's account is doing work in the auction, not just in the creative.

Dynamic identity is on by default. Where a placement does not support it, Meta shows both identities. If the creator has no Facebook Page, the ad can still run on Facebook with their Instagram name and profile picture.

Ad code or account-level permission: which to ask for

Meta has two kinds of partnership ad permission, and the one you ask for decides what you can do.

Creators can revoke either permission at any time. An ad code can be used by up to two partners at a time, and turning the code toggle off stops new ads being made from it while ads already running keep running. One exception saves time: if the two accounts belong to the same business and an employee has ads access to both, you can run partnership ads between them without requesting permission.

Agree the terms in writing before you ask: how long you can run the ads, whether you can edit or cut the video, whether you can use the creator's audience, and what happens to live ads when the period ends. The permission in Meta is a switch; the agreement is what stops a dispute in week six.

How a creator makes a partnership ad code

Send your creator these steps. They need an Instagram professional account, or a Facebook Page or profile in professional mode.

1. New Instagram post: while creating the post, story or reel, tap Partnership label and ads, turn on Get partnership ad code, share the post, then copy the code or tap Share to DM it to you.
2. Existing Instagram post: open the post, tap the three dots, tap Partnership label and ads, turn on Get partnership ad code, then copy or share the code.
3. Existing Facebook post: open the post, tap the three dots, tap Share partnership ad code, turn on Get partnership ad code, then copy or send it.

On Instagram, archiving the post does not stop you boosting it with the code. Archived Facebook content cannot be used. The ad itself never shows on the creator's profile, but it does appear in the Meta Ad Library like any other ad.

How to set up a partnership ad in Ads Manager

With an ad code:

1. In Ads Manager, click + Create and choose your objective. For an ecommerce brand that is usually Sales.
2. Set conversion location, budget, schedule and audience as you normally would, then click Next.
3. At the ad level, turn on the Partnership ad toggle.
4. Click Enter ad code or post info and paste the code, post ID or post URL. This sets the first identity and pulls in the post's media.
5. Choose the Second identity, usually your brand's Instagram account or Page.
6. Choose the header: both identities, first identity only, or dynamic identity. Click Done, finish the ad and publish.

Without an ad code (you have account-level permission): turn on the toggle, go to Identities, click Edit, pick the partner identities and header option, click Save, then either boost an existing post that tags you or upload new creative. New uploads should be checked in our safe-zone checker first: Meta's own format rules for partnership ads tell you to keep text and logos inside the Stories and Reels safe zone, where the profile icon and call to action sit. Our Meta ad sizes guide has the ratios for every placement.

Every partnership ad goes through Meta's review like any other ad. One small catch: you cannot manage or delete likes and comments on a boosted post until the ad is live.

Which posts can become partnership ads

Most creator content qualifies, but music and stickers are where boosted posts get rejected. Meta's rules, checked today:

The music rule catches most first attempts. If a creator's best reel uses a trending track from the Instagram library, it cannot be boosted as it is. Brief creators before they post: original audio or Sound Collection music only, no product tags, key text away from the bottom of the frame.

Using the creator's audience

With account-level permission, you can build a custom audience of people who engaged with the creator's Instagram account and use it in the partnership ad's ad set. In the ad set's Audience section, click Create new next to Custom audiences, choose Custom audience, then Instagram account under Meta sources, and pick the creator as the source. You can also build lookalikes from it.

Two rules apply. The Instagram account chosen as the identity at ad level must match the account the audience came from, and the audience only works on ads running from that creator's handle. We use it as a warm test cell next to a broad cell, not as the only audience, because broad targeting with Advantage+ audience usually finds more new buyers at scale. Our guide to whether Meta Advantage+ is worth it covers when we keep audience expansion on.

A worked example: is a creator worth paying?

Here is how we decide, with numbers in AUD. Say a skincare brand has an average order of $90 and a 60% gross margin after shipping and payment fees, so each first order is worth $54 before ad spend. Its brand-handle ads acquire new customers at $45 each.

1. The creator charges $900 for three videos with 60 days of paid usage and account-level permission.
2. We run the same campaign with two ads per creator video: one from the brand handle, one as a partnership ad. Same budget split, same audience, 14 days, $3,000 spend.
3. Result in this example: brand-handle ads at $45 per new customer, partnership ads at $36.
4. Over the 60 days of usage, if the partnership ads carry $12,000 of spend, they buy about 333 new customers at $36 instead of about 267 at $45. That is roughly 66 extra first orders, worth about $3,560 of margin (66 x $54), against a $900 fee.

If the partnership ads had come in at $43, the same spend would buy only about 12 extra customers, worth roughly $650 of margin, which is less than the $900 fee. In that case we would put the next creator budget into new hooks from the brand handle instead. Judge it on cost per new customer, not blended ROAS, because creator audiences can skew to people who already know you. Our guide to how many ad creatives to test shows how to size the test so each ad gets enough spend to read.

Mistakes we see most

• Asking for an ad code when you need account-level access. With a code you can only run that post as posted. If you plan to cut new hooks from the footage, ask for account-level permission up front.
• Mixing up the paid partnership label and partnership ads. The label is for the creator's organic branded post, and it needs its own permission. Partnership ad permission does not cover it, and the reverse is also true.
• Agencies without access. If an agency runs your partnership ads, give it permissions on your Instagram account, Facebook Page and ad account, or the identity will not appear in Ads Manager.
• Library music. The post is rejected or cannot be selected. Brief original audio before the creator films.
• No end date. Usage rights run out but the ad keeps spending. Put the end date on the campaign or ad when you build it.

If you would rather hand the creator side and the testing to someone, this is work we run every week for Australian ecommerce brands.

Questions we get about Meta partnership ads

What is a Meta partnership ad?

A paid Facebook or Instagram ad that runs from two identities, usually a brand and a creator. Both handles can appear in the header, Meta uses signals from both accounts for ranking, and the brand pays for and reports on it in its own Ads Manager. Partnership ads were previously called branded content ads.

Do creators need an ad account to run partnership ads?

No. The brand runs the ad from its own ad account. The creator only grants permission, either by sharing a partnership ad code for one post or by accepting an account-level permission request.

What is the difference between a partnership ad code and account-level permission?

An ad code lets you boost one specific post, story or reel. Account-level permission lets you create ads from the creator's handle without an existing post, use any of their content that tags you, and use a custom audience of people who engaged with their Instagram account.

Why can't I boost a creator's reel as a partnership ad?

The most common reasons are music from the Instagram music library or other copyrighted music, product tags or tappable stickers, a reel published before 15 October 2021, or a missing or expired permission. Ask the creator to repost with original audio or Sound Collection music, or to share a fresh ad code.

Can partnership ads run on Facebook if the creator only has Instagram?

Yes. If the creator has no Facebook Page, the ad can still appear on Facebook with their Instagram name and profile picture.

Are partnership ads the same as the paid partnership label?

No. The paid partnership label marks a creator's organic branded post and needs its own permission. Partnership ads are paid ads you run in Ads Manager. Many brands use both: the creator posts with the label, then shares an ad code so the brand can put spend behind the post.

Sources

• Meta Business Help Centre: About partnership ads
• Meta Business Help Centre: How to create a partnership ad
• Meta Business Help Centre: About partnership ad permissions
• Meta Business Help Centre: Create a partnership ad code to share with partners
• Meta Business Help Centre: Eligible formats for partnership ads
• Meta Business Help Centre: Use creator audience sharing for partnership ads