How to Remove Paid Partnership on Instagram

Accidentally added the Paid partnership label to an Instagram post when it wasn't sponsored? Or perhaps a brand partnership has officially wrapped up, and you'd like to clean up your feed. Whatever the reason, you've found yourself needing to remove that tag. This guide will walk you through the exact steps for removing the paid partnership label from your Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories, while also covering why you might do it and what to consider before you do.

What Does the "Paid Partnership" Label Mean and Why Remove It?

First, let's quickly touch on why this label exists. The "Paid partnership" tag is Instagram's built-in tool for disclosure. It's a clear, standardized way for creators and brands to show their audience that there's a commercial relationship behind a piece of content - meaning the creator was compensated in some way, whether with money, free products, or services. This transparency is not just good practice, it's required by regulatory bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States to prevent deceptive advertising. When used correctly, it builds trust with your audience by being upfront about sponsorships.

Common Reasons for Removing the Tag

While the label is essential for active collaborations, there are several legitimate reasons why you might need to remove it after a post has gone live. It's usually about correcting a mistake or updating your content after a campaign has ended.

• A simple mistake. This is the most common reason. It's easy to accidentally toggle the feature on when you're posting, especially if you frequently work with brands. You might hit publish and then realize, "Oops, this was just a picture of my brunch, not a sponsored ad!"
• The campaign has ended. Many brand contracts stipulate that the "Paid partnership" label must be present for a specific period (e.g., 30 or 60 days). Once that contractual obligation is over, the creator or brand may decide to remove the tag to give the content a more evergreen feel on the creator's profile.
• A partnership dissolved unexpectedly. Sometimes, things don't work out. If a collaboration is terminated early or ends on less-than-ideal terms, either party might want the associated branding removed from the content. It's always best to check your contract's termination clause before acting.
• Repurposing content. You might want to reuse a high-performing photo or video in the future without the original partnership context. For instance, you could use it in a portfolio, a different marketing campaign, or just as a regular throwback post, where the partnership label would be irrelevant or confusing.

A Quick Word of Caution: Things to Check Before Removing the Tag

Before you tap that edit button, take a moment to consider the implications. While removing a tag is easy, doing so improperly can cause problems. The core principle to remember is honesty in advertising.

Your number one checkpoint should be your brand contract. Does it specify how long the disclosure must remain on the post? Many influencer agreements are very clear about this, requiring the "Paid partnership" label or other disclosures like #ad to stay visible for a set number of months, or even for the lifetime of the post. Removing it prematurely could be a breach of contract, which might have financial or legal consequences.

Secondly, if you received compensation for a post, you are legally obligated to disclose that relationship. Removing the tag from a genuinely sponsored post that is still considered an active part of a campaign could mislead your audience and put you on the wrong side of FTC guidelines. This guide is intended for fixing errors or for updating posts after a sponsored campaign has officially and contractually concluded - not as a way to hide a paid endorsement.

How to Remove the Paid Partnership Label on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

Alright, with the important checks out of the way, let's get into the step-by-step process. The method varies slightly depending on whether you're editing a feed post, Reel, or Story.

Removing the Paid Partnership Label from an Instagram Feed Post

If you've already published a photo or carousel post, you can easily go back and edit it to remove the branded content tag. Here's how:

1. Navigate to your Instagram profile and find the specific post you want to edit.
2. Tap the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the post.
3. From the pop-up menu, select "Edit."
4. At the top of the post, right below your username and above the photo, you will see the "Paid partnership with [Brand Name]" label. Tap this label.
5. This will open the "Branded Content" options screen. You will see a toggle for "Add paid partnership label." Simply tap the toggle to turn it off.
6. Optionally, if you want to keep the label but just remove a specific brand partner, you can tap on the "Brand partners" section and remove the brand from there. But to remove the label entirely, the toggle is your goal.
7. Once you've turned the toggle off, tap "Done" (on iOS) or the checkmark icon (on Android) in the top-right corner to save your changes.

That's it! The label will immediately disappear from your post.

Removing the Paid Partnership Label from an Instagram Reel

The process for removing the tag from an Instagram Reel is almost identical to editing a feed post, making it nice and simple once you know the steps.

1. Go to the Reel on your profile's Reels tab.
2. Tap the three dots (...) which are typically located in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Select "Manage" and then "Edit."
4. Just like a feed post, you'll see the "Paid partnership" label information near the top, usually above your caption. Tap on it.
5. Find the "Add paid partnership label" toggle and switch it to the off position.
6. Tap "Done" in the top-right corner to save. The label will be removed from your Reel.

What About Instagram Stories? (The Deal with Ephemeral Content)

This is where things get a bit tricky. Unlike feed posts and Reels, you cannot edit an Instagram Story once it has been published. The interactive elements, tags, text, and labels - including the "Paid partnership" tag - are locked in place as soon as you hit "Share."

So, what if you added the tag to a Story by mistake? Your only course of action is to:

1. Delete the current Story. Tap the three dots ("More") in the bottom-right corner of your live Story and select "Delete."
2. Re-upload the content. Go through the process of creating the Story again, this time making sure the "Add paid partnership label" option is turned off before you share it.

It's certainly not ideal, especially if the Story has already racked up a lot of views and engagement, but it's the only solution Instagram currently provides for ephemeral content.

For Brands: How to Manage Branded Content Approvals and Tags

If you're a business or social media manager, you also have controls over how your brand is tagged in partnership posts. This stops creators from tagging you without permission or allows you to remove your association from a post if needed.

A Creator Tagged You Without Permission. Now What?

If you get a notification that a creator has tagged your brand in a "Paid partnership" post and you have no agreement with them, you can easily remove your brand from the post. When a creator you haven't approved tags you, the post will show "Paid partnership with [Your Brand] (Not approved)" to you.

Go to the post and you will have the option to either approve the partnership for that post or remove your tag completely. This ensures that unauthorized accounts can't create false associations with your business.

Setting Up Brand Partner Approvals Proactively

To avoid this situation from happening in the first place, you can require creators to get your permission before they can tag you. This puts you in control right from the start.

To set this up, go to your professional dashboard:

1. Navigate to "Settings and privacy."
2. Select "Creator tools and controls" or "Business tools and controls."
3. Tap on "Branded content."
4. Toggle on the option for "Manually approve content."

With this setting enabled, you'll create a list of "approved partners." Only creators on this list will be able to tag you in their branded content, giving you full control over your collaborations.

Troubleshooting: "I Can't Find the Option to Remove It!"

Are you running into trouble? If you're not seeing the editing options described above, here are a few common reasons why:

• You have a personal account. Branded content tools, including the ability to add or edit the "Paid partnership" label, are only available for Creator and Business accounts on Instagram. If you're on a personal profile, you won't have access to these settings.
• Your post was boosted or turned into an ad. Once you put ad spend behind a post using Instagram's "Promote" button or Facebook Ads Manager, your ability to edit the original organic post becomes restricted. You will likely need to pause or stop the ad campaign completely before Instagram will allow you to edit the branded content settings.
• A simple app glitch. Sometimes, the app just acts up. Before you get too frustrated, try the classic IT solutions: force-close the app and reopen it, or check the App Store or Google Play Store to make sure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version. A restart can work wonders.

Final Thoughts

Whether you made a simple mistake or are managing post-campaign content, removing the paid partnership label from Instagram posts and Reels is a straightforward process through the "Edit" menu. Just remember that Stories can't be edited once live, and always be mindful of your contract and disclosure obligations before making any changes. Honesty and transparency are your best assets on social media.

Managing multiple creator campaigns, brand approvals, and scheduling sponsored content can get chaotic fast, leaving lots of room for small errors like a misplaced tag. At Postbase, we built our visual calendar to bring order to that chaos. We lay out all our sponsored and organic posts side-by-side, so we can spot gaps (or mistakes) in the schedule before they happen. Seeing your whole strategy at a glance makes it so much easier to stay organized and keep those small details from slipping through the cracks.