Ad Disclosure Guidelines

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Every Collaboration on VYBE is paid. That means every post a Creator makes for a Brand is an ad, and the people who see it have a right to know. These Guidelines explain how to disclose clearly. They apply to Creators, Brands and Ambassadors and are part of our Terms of Service.

They are based on the US Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255) and its Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (16 CFR Part 465). Some US states have their own advertising laws. If those rules or the social platform's rules are stricter, follow them too.

1. The rule in one sentence

If you have a material connection with a brand (you were paid, given something free, offered a commission, or have a business or family tie), you must disclose it clearly and conspicuously every time you post about that brand.

2. What counts as a material connection

• A Creator Fee, whether it is paid through VYBE or directly by the Brand.
• Free products or services, even if you were not paid in cash and even if you were told you can say whatever you like.
• Discounts, gift cards, trips, early access or the chance to win something.
• Commission, affiliate links or discount codes that earn you money.
• Being an Ambassador for VYBE (see section 7).
• Being an employee, owner, family member or close friend of the brand.

3. How to disclose

Use clear words. Good:

• "#ad" or "Ad"
• "#sponsored" or "Sponsored"
• "Paid partnership with [Brand]"
• "[Brand] paid me for this post" or "[Brand] gave me this product for free"
• "Ad — [Brand] paid me and sent me this for free" [DRAFT — counsel]

[DRAFT — counsel] If you got a product and a fee, "gifted", "PR" or "free product" alone is not enough: say it is paid or an ad.

Not enough on their own, because people do not understand them: "#sp", "#spon", "#collab", "#partner", "#thanks [Brand]", "#ambassador" without the brand, or only tagging the brand.

Use the platform's tool and a written disclosure. Turn on:

• Instagram: the "Paid partnership" label;
• TikTok: the content disclosure / "Paid partnership" setting;
• YouTube: "includes paid promotion".

Platform labels can be small or easy to miss, so also include your own disclosure in the caption and, for video, in the video itself.

Put it where people will see it:

• Captions: at the start, before the "more" cut. Not buried in a block of hashtags at the end.
• Reels, TikToks, Shorts and Stories: in the video itself, both on screen (in text that is large enough and stays up long enough to read) and said out loud. People often watch without reading the caption. For Stories, disclose on every frame that mentions the brand.
• Live streams: say it at the start and repeat it regularly.
• Not only in your bio or on a separate "about" page.
• In the same language as the post.

4. Honest content

• Only say what you really think. You must actually have used the product, and your post must reflect your honest opinion and experience.
• Do not make claims the brand could not make itself. If you say a product works, lasts, saves money or has health benefits, the Brand must be able to support it. Creators should stick to claims in the brief and their own genuine experience.
• Do not present yourself as an ordinary customer who happened to find the product.
• Do not post reviews of the product on review sites, stores or app stores as a customer without disclosing that you were paid or given the product.
• If your results were unusual, do not imply that everyone will get them.

5. Brands' responsibilities

Brands are advertisers and can be held responsible for their Creators' posts. On VYBE, Brands must:

• Tell Creators to disclose and never ask them to hide, shrink or remove a disclosure.
• Give Creators only claims you can substantiate.
• Check the disclosure before approving. When you approve a draft, VYBE asks you to confirm that "the caption or post will be labelled as a paid partnership where required".
• Check the live post before verifying. When you confirm publication, VYBE asks you to confirm that "it's labelled as a paid partnership or ad where required". Check it on the live post, not the draft.
• Use "Request changes" or "Flag an issue" with the reason "Paid-partnership label" if the disclosure is missing or unclear, and do not verify the post until it is fixed.
• Keep checking. If you learn later that a post is no longer disclosed, ask the Creator to fix it.
• [DRAFT — counsel] Product Campaigns: never make the product depend on a good review, and check that the disclosure says the post is paid, not just "gifted".

6. Reusing Creator Content in your own ads (Usage Rights)

When a Creator agrees to a Usage Rights request (organic social, website, email or paid ads, for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months), the Brand may reuse the Content only as agreed. When you do:

• It is still an endorsement. Do not present the Creator as an independent customer. If the Content is used as a testimonial, make the paid relationship clear, for example "Paid partner" or "[Creator] was paid by [Brand]".
• "Whitelisted" or "Spark" ads run from the Creator's handle must use the platform's paid-partnership or branded-content label.
• Only use it while it is still true. If you learn the Creator no longer holds the views in the Content, or the product has changed so the claims are no longer accurate, stop using it.
• Stay within what was agreed: the channels, the period, and no editing that changes the meaning. Do not use the Creator's name, face or voice, including through AI, beyond what they agreed.
• Stop when the period ends.

7. Ambassador posts about VYBE

When Ambassadors post about VYBE, VYBE is the advertiser. Ambassadors earn a commission on fees from the businesses they refer, so every post about VYBE is an ad.

Every Ambassador post must:

1. show a clear disclosure — "#ad" together with "VYBE Ambassador", at the start of the caption and in the video itself, plus the platform's paid-partnership label where available, for example: "#ad — I'm a VYBE Ambassador and earn a commission when businesses I refer use VYBE." (see section 7 of the Ambassador Program Terms (published when the Ambassador Program opens));
2. mention VYBE; and
3. show your referral code or QR code.

VYBE staff check every proof you submit. A post does not count toward the Activity Condition in the Ambassador Program Terms unless all three checks pass.

Ambassadors must also:

• only describe VYBE accurately: what it does, how fees work, and that [DRAFT — counsel] a business that joins through an Ambassador pays a Referral Fee (1% of the creator fee, shown as its own line before it accepts a Creator) that funds the Ambassador's commission. Never say joining through an Ambassador costs a business nothing extra;
• not make promises about how much a business or Creator will earn or how many Creators a business will get;
• not post about VYBE in a way that looks like an independent review.

8. How VYBE monitors and enforces

• At sign-up, Creators agree to these Guidelines, and we keep a record of that agreement.
• During each Collaboration, Brands confirm the disclosure before approving and again before verifying (built into VYBE).
• Spot checks. VYBE may review a sample of live Collaboration posts by hand. We check every Ambassador post.
• If a disclosure is missing, we will ask for it to be fixed, usually within 48 hours. If it is not fixed, or for repeated problems, we may remove the post from VYBE, hold payouts, suspend or close accounts, or remove an Ambassador from the program. See section 12 of the Community Guidelines.
• Report missing disclosures with the Report option on the submission or Campaign, or to safety@vybe-co.com.

VYBE is a marketplace, not your lawyer. These Guidelines are practical guidance, not legal advice. If you are unsure, disclose.

Audiences outside the US. If your audience includes people in other countries, their advertising disclosure rules may also apply. When in doubt, use the clearest disclosure.

Questions: support@vybe-co.com