Instagram pushes more influencers to adopt its new format for sponsored posts

Instagram is moving forward with the rollout of its branded content tool, which allows celebrities and other popular users to identify posts that are paid for by advertisers.

The company first introduced the tool in June, then made it available to more accounts in August while also establishing a policy requiring that all branded content be published using the tool.

Instagram is using the tool to create a standardized format where posts are identified at the top as a “paid partnership with” an advertiser, and also to provide the advertiser with data about a post’s performance.

Today, Instagram says it’s making the tool available to all accounts that have access to its Insights data. (Instagram isn’t disclosing how many accounts are involved.)

In addition, the company says it will start notifying accounts when it detects that they’ve posted branded content without using this tool. Once notified, they “will have the option to tag a business.”

“These notifications are intended to make it easier to use the ‘Paid Partnership with’ tag and educate the community on … Instagram’s branded content,” the company says. (This could also be a prelude to stricter enforcement.)

The expansion comes as Instagram-owner Facebook faces pressure around ad transparency. While these sorts of campaigns seem pretty far from the political ads bought by the Russian government, the FTC has shown concern about influencer marketing, too.

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