How to Approve Branded Content on Facebook

Seeing the small Paid partnership with label pop up on an amazing piece of content from an influencer you’re working with is a great feeling, but only if you have control over it. Getting surprise tags from creators you haven’t vetted can cloud your brand's message. This guide will walk you through exactly how to set up and approve branded content on Facebook, giving you full control over how your brand appears in creator collaborations.

What is Facebook Branded Content, Anyway?

In simple terms, branded content is any post from a creator or publisher that features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value. This "value" could be money, free products, services, or any other kind of compensation. It's essentially word-of-mouth marketing in the digital age, where a creator promotes a brand they've partnered with.

To keep things transparent for audiences, Meta requires creators to use the Branded Content tool, which adds the “Paid partnership with [Your Brand]” label to the top of the post. This isn't just a suggestion, it's part of Meta's official policy to distinguish organic recommendations from paid promotions. It builds trust with followers by being upfront about the sponsored nature of the content and helps everyone stay compliant with regulations around advertising disclosure.

How Is This Different from Regular Facebook Ads?

It's a good question, and the distinction is important. A traditional Facebook ad is created and run directly from a brand’s ad account. The content is explicitly promotional and typically shows up in a user’s feed with a “Sponsored” tag.

Branded content, on the other hand, comes from a creator’s account. It appears as an organic post to their followers, feeling more authentic and integrated into their regular content. The business partner (you) doesn't create the post, but by approving the tag, you can later put ad spend behind it, turning an organic influencer post into a high-powered ad delivered from the trusted voice of the creator.

Why You Need an Approval Process for Branded Content

You might be tempted to let any creator tag you - after all, it's free publicity, right? Not exactly. Letting anyone tag your Page without permission can lead to a messy brand image, misaligned messaging, and even being associated with low-quality content. By setting up an approval workflow, you retain control and unlock several significant benefits.

• Maintain Brand Integrity: Your brand is one of your most valuable assets. An approval process allows you to review a post before your name is officially attached to it. This lets you confirm the visual quality, messaging accuracy, and overall tone align with your brand standards. You can reject tags on content that feels off-brand, unprofessional, or inaccurate.
• Unlock Valuable Performance Insights: Once you approve a branded content tag, the post's performance metrics become available to you in Meta Business Suite. You can see reach, engagement (likes, comments, shares), and other useful data that shows how the content is resonating with the creator's audience. Without that approval, you’re flying blind with no real data to measure the ROI of your influencer campaigns.
• Gain the Ability to "Boost" the Post: This is a massive advantage. When a creator's post is performing well organically, approving it gives you the option to create a branded content ad from it. This lets you put an ad budget behind the creator's authentic content, amplifying it to a much larger, targeted audience beyond their organic followers. It combines the power of genuine influencer marketing with the reach of paid advertising.
• Build Stronger Creator Relationships: A clear approval process sets professional boundaries and expectations from the start. Creators know they need to submit quality work that meets your guidelines, and you have a dedicated system to review and approve their collaborations promptly. This mutual respect helps build long-term, successful partnerships.

Setting Up Your Page to Approve Branded Content Tags

Before you can start approving tags, you need to enable the feature on your Facebook Page. Toggling this simple setting on is your first line of defense in managing how your brand is represented. Luckily, it only takes a minute inside Meta Business Suite.

Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Access Your Settings in Meta Business Suite

First, navigate to your Meta Business Suite dashboard. In the bottom-left corner of the sidebar navigation, look for the "Settings" gear icon. Click on it.

From the Settings menu, select "Business settings." This will open up a more comprehensive menu for managing all aspects of your business assets on Facebook and Instagram.

Step 2: Find the Branded Content Section

In the Business settings menu (on the left side of the screen), look for the option labeled "Branded Content." It's usually found nested a little further down the list. Clicking this will bring up the controls related to partnership content for your Facebook Page and connected Instagram account.

Step 3: Toggle on "Require Approvals"

This is the most important step. On the main Branded Content screen, you should see your Facebook Page listed. Next to your Page name, you will find a toggle switch labeled "Require Tag Approvals."

Make sure this switch is turned on (it will turn blue).

When this is off, any account an administrator of your Page follows can tag you in branded content without needing your permission. Leaving it off is a risk. By turning it on, you ensure that no one can associate your brand with a post unless you've manually reviewed and approved the tag a creator has sent to you. Think of it as putting a gatekeeper in place to protect your brand reputation.

Step 4 (Optional): Add Approved Creators

Under the "Require Tag Approvals" toggle, you'll see an option to manage "Partner Approvals." Here, you can proactively add creators you have an ongoing relationship with to a prescreened list. Creators on this list will be able to tag your Page without needing approval on every single post.

This is useful for long-term brand ambassadors whose content you trust implicitly. For a new partnership or a one-off campaign, it's usually best to require manual approval for each post so you can check every piece of content.

How to Approve (or Decline) a Branded Content Request

Once you’ve turned on approvals, creators will have to send you a tag request every time they want to use the "Paid partnership" label with your brand. You will then receive a notification to review and approve it. Here is what that looks like in practice.

1. Get the Notification

When a creator tags your brand in a post, you'll get a notification letting you know they are requesting approval. These notifications typically appear in a few key places:

• In your general Facebook Page notifications.
• Within the Meta Business Suite inbox under the "Branded Content" tab.
• Inside the Branded Content section of your settings.

Clicking on this notification takes you directly to the review screen for that piece of content.

2. Review the Content Carefully

This is your chance to vet everything about the post before it goes live with your name attached. Don't rush this part. Give the post a thorough look-over, checking for things like:

• Visual Quality: Are the photos or videos clear, well-lit, and professionally presented?
• Brand Messaging: Does the caption accurately reflect the partnership and your brand's core message? Are there any spelling or grammar errors?
• Product Representation: If a product is featured, is it shown correctly and in a positive light?
• Proper Tagging: Make sure your Page is tagged correctly in the post itself (with an @mention) if that was part of your agreement.
• Overall Tone: Does the content feel a bit off, or is it a perfect representation of your brand's voice?

View the post on both a desktop and a mobile device if possible, as the formatting or captions can sometimes look different.

3. Choose to Approve or Decline

After reviewing the content creative, you have two simple choices:

• Approve: If everything looks perfect, click the "Approve" button. The moment you do, the "Paid partnership with [Your Brand]" label will become visible on the creator’s post. That post's analytics will start pulling into your dashboard, and you’ll gain the option to boost it.
• Decline: If the content isn't right for any reason, click "Decline." The creator will be notified that their tag request was not approved, and they will not be able to use the branded content label with your Page on that post.

If you do decline a post, it’s a professional courtesy to follow up with the creator directly and explain why. This helps them understand your brand better for future collaborations and maintains a positive working relationship. A simple note like, "Hey, we declined the tag on that last post because the call-to-action link was incorrect. If you can fix it and republish, we'll be happy to approve it!" goes a long way.

Final Thoughts

Setting up and using Facebook’s branded content approval tools is a straightforward yet powerful way to protect your brand's image in the age of influencer marketing. By requiring approvals, you give yourself the final say, unlock access to critical data, and gain the ability to amplify content that is already working well.

We know that managing influencer campaigns and creator partnerships involves a lot of moving parts. To keep the creative process organized before new content even gets to Facebook for approval, we designed Postbase's visual content calendar to help teams plan and visualize their whole strategy in one clean view. It simplifies the chaos of collaboration so you can focus on building great partnerships and even better content.