What is whitelisting?

What is whitelisting? Whitelisting is when a brand runs paid ads from a creator's or partner's own social account, with their permission, instead of only from the brand's page. The ad shows the creator's name and handle. On Meta it is set up as a partnership ad and on TikTok as a Spark Ad.

How does whitelisting work?

The creator gives the brand permission to advertise through the creator's account. The brand then pays for the ads, sets the targeting and budget, and runs them from its own ad account. Motion defines it as running ads from a creator's or partner's account, with their permission. The creator does not hand over a password; each platform has its own permission system.

What is whitelisting called on Meta and TikTok?

The platforms use their own names and rules for it.

Meta TikTok
Name Partnership ads Spark Ads
How permission is given Content-level (one post) or account-level permissions, or a partnership ad code An authorization code generated for a post, or account-level authorization
What the ad shows Both the creator's and the advertiser's accounts in the header The creator's post, with engagement credited to the organic post
Can the creator revoke it? Yes, at any time Only for videos not currently running as paid ads

Meta's Partnership Ads API overview describes these as ads run from a creator or other partner's handle. TikTok's Spark Ads page says advertisers can use posts from other creators with their authorization. TikTok's Content Suite page says video-level authorization lasts 365 days, while account-level authorization runs until the creator turns it off.

What should a creator agree before whitelisting?

Whitelisting gives a brand more than the right to use a video, because the ad runs under the creator's name. Agree these points in writing first:

  • Duration. How many days the permission lasts, and what happens at the end.
  • Which posts. One post, several, or the whole account.
  • Edits and copy. Whether the brand can change the caption, the call to action or the video.
  • Claims. The ad says things in the creator's name, so the claims must be ones the brand can legally make.
  • Price. Paid usage and whitelisting are usually priced separately from the video itself; see usage rights.

Does whitelisting apply to AI ads?

It can, but it is not always needed. Whitelisting matters when the value comes from a creator's account and audience. When an AI ad runs from the brand's own page, the creator's job is the video, not the handle, so the question is usage rights, not whitelisting.

If an AI creator does run ads from their own account, the same permissions apply, and so do platform AI disclosure rules; see AI ad labels on Meta and TikTok. The UGC usage rights guide covers licensing, paid usage and whitelisting together.

Sources

Checked: 12 Oct 2026