Correction, 2026-10-02: we re-checked this page against TikTok's and Meta's own help pages and the FTC's rules. Meta's help pages now describe managing partnership ad permissions in Creator Marketing Hub, not the "Partnership Ads Hub" with three tabs that we described. We said that when a Spark code expires the brand's ad stops automatically; TikTok's pages say Ads Manager reports the authorization as expired and tells the brand to ask the creator to extend it. Our note that the brand cannot edit a whitelisted ad holds for the caption of a TikTok Spark Ad, but not on Meta, where advertisers can edit content for a partnership ad and the original post stays unchanged. We said partnership ads carry a mandatory paid-partnership label; Meta's pages say a partnership ad shows the creator's and/or the brand's account in its header, while the "Paid partnership with" label belongs to branded content posts, which creators must tag when there is an exchange of value. We referred to Meta's "Made with AI" labels; Meta's ad label is now "AI info". We also claimed, without data, that whitelisted, Spark and partnership ads consistently outperform standard ads on click-through and cost per result; those claims are gone. We said to run 9:16 on both platforms; Spark Ads use the organic post as it is, and Meta recommends 4:5 for Facebook feed video. Every platform rule is now quoted from its source with a link and a date, and the page has a Sources section.
Whitelisting is the mechanism that lets a brand run paid ads from a creator's own account, keeping the creator's name and profile on the ad instead of only the brand's. On TikTok that is Spark Ads; on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) it is partnership ads, which Meta used to call branded content ads. This guide covers how authorization works on each platform, from their own help pages as we read them on 2026-10-02, where AI-generated UGC fits and where it does not, and the disclosure rules that apply. By the end you'll know which content to run from your own account and which needs a real creator's handle.
This is general information, not legal advice. Platform rules and laws change, and how they apply depends on your ad and where it runs. Check the current text of each source (all linked below) and ask a lawyer about your campaign.
What you'll end up with
A working understanding of two paid-media setups and a clear rule for routing content into them:
- Spark Ads on TikTok, running an organic post as an ad, with the engagement credited to the original post.
- Partnership ads on Meta, running ads with a creator's account, and optionally the brand's, in the ad's header.
- A routing rule for where AI-generated UGC belongs: your own brand account, yes; a creator's handle, only with real consent and honest framing.
Whitelisting has no per-clip production cost of its own; it's a permissions layer on top of creative you already made. The spend is media plus whatever you pay the creator. Meta notes that "Creators who make content that is used for partnership ads are paid off the platform." For creator prices published by three marketplaces, see AI UGC vs real creators, and for the wider budget, the UGC cost breakdown.
What whitelisting is
Whitelisting (also called creator licensing) is a creator granting a brand permission to run paid ads from the creator's social account. The ad carries the creator's handle and profile, so the viewer sees a person they may already follow, not only a brand. Meta says partnership ads "leverage signals from both accounts for improved ranking and incremental performance." That is Meta's claim, not our measurement: compare them with your standard ads in your own account before you scale.
The mechanics differ by platform. TikTok uses a video code that the creator generates for one post (often called a Spark code). Meta uses partnership ad permissions, either for one piece of content (with an ad code) or for the whole account.
TikTok Spark Ads
TikTok describes Spark Ads as "a native ad format that allows you to leverage organic TikTok posts and their features in your advertising", so that "all views, comments, shares, likes, and follows gained from boosting the video during the promotion are attributed to your organic posts." A brand can run Spark Ads from its own account's posts, or from "organic posts made by other creators (with their authorization)".
For a creator's post, the permission runs through a video code (the Spark code). TikTok's help center lists these steps:
- The creator allows ad authorization and generates the code from the specific post. In the TikTok app: open the post, tap the three dots, tap Ad Settings, agree to the advertising content terms, turn on the Ad authorization toggle and generate a video code.
- The creator picks a duration. TikTok's options are "7, 30, 60, or 365 days". If the brand requests authorization through TikTok's Content Suite instead, TikTok says requests default to 365 days.
- The creator copies the code and sends it to the brand.
- The brand enters the code in TikTok Ads Manager, either while creating the ad or in the Creative library (Spark ads posts, then Apply for Authorization). TikTok supports "a batch authorization of video codes of up to 20 at a time", and a Duet or Stitch needs codes from both creators.
Three rules from the same pages matter for planning:
- "You cannot edit a post's caption after it's been authorized as an ad." TikTok's specs add that the ad's display name and text reflect the organic post, so the brief and the post have to be right before the code is generated.
- "A private video will become public once it is used in a campaign."
- When the code runs out, TikTok Ads Manager shows the error "Authorization expired. Contact the creator to extend the authorization.", and it also warns when "Authorization ends before the ad's end time." Pick a duration that covers the whole flight.
Meta partnership ads
Meta's help center says "Branded content ads are now called partnership ads." Partnership ads "allow advertisers to run ads with partners: creators, brands and other businesses", and "The partner and/or advertiser accounts are featured in the ad's header."
The permission comes from the creator: "To run partnership ads, advertisers need permission from the partner whose handle the ad will include. Creators and other partners can revoke these permissions at any time." Meta has two kinds:
- Content-level permission covers one post, story or reel. The creator either turns on "Get partnership ad code" and shares the code, or adds the paid partnership label, tags the brand and turns on "Allow brand partner to boost". Meta says "Ad codes can be used by up to 2 advertisers at a time." If the creator turns the code toggle off, no new ads can use it, but "Any active ads using the code will continue running." The Meta pages we read do not give these codes a fixed duration.
- Account-level permission covers the creator's account. The brand sends a request from Creator Marketing Hub (in Meta Business Suite, click Creator marketing on the left navigation bar), and the creator accepts it in the Instagram or Facebook app. The brand can then "Create partnership ads from a partner's handle without pre-existing content" and from the partner's posts that tag the brand.
Meta describes Creator Marketing Hub as a tool in Meta Business Suite or Ads Manager "that helps brands discover and evaluate creators to partner with on branded content and partnership ads and find creator content to boost into partnership ads", and notes that it "may not be available to you yet".
Two differences from TikTok. With content-level permission, Meta lists that the advertiser can "Edit your content for ads and your original post will stay the same." And when you build the ad in Ads Manager, you turn on the partnership ad toggle, paste the ad code, post ID or URL, and choose which identities appear in the header: both, the first only, or "dynamic identity", which Meta turns on by default.
Eligibility: Meta says partnership ads are available for public content on "Facebook Pages or profiles in professional mode" and "Instagram professional accounts", and that creators need "an authentic, established presence", which "also includes maintaining a sufficient follower base."
Where AI-generated UGC fits
This is the part brands get wrong, so be precise. AI-generated UGC and whitelisting intersect in two very different ways.
Own-account posting (clean fit)
Running AI-generated UGC-style creative from your own brand account is straightforward: you made the creative, you own it, you run it. On TikTok you can also Spark your own organic posts ("Publish ads using your own TikTok account's posts"). This is where the bulk of AI UGC belongs: your account, your creative, labeled as AI where the rules require it.
Creator handles (consent and honesty required)
Whitelisting runs an ad from a real person's account, with that person's permission. An AI-generated "creator" has no real person behind it to give consent, hold an opinion or use the product. Two rules follow:
- A real creator can authorize a real post that happens to include AI-assisted b-roll or effects, as long as the creator genuinely stands behind the product and the AI use doesn't misrepresent them or what the product does. The FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) say "Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser."
- Do not invent an AI persona and run it as if it were an independent creator's endorsement. The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) makes it unlawful for a business to create a testimonial that materially misrepresents "That the reviewer or testimonialist exists" or that they "used or otherwise had experience with the product". An AI label tells viewers about the medium; it does not make an invented experience true.
The safer way to use an AI avatar is as an obvious presenter, spokesperson or character delivering brand claims that are true and substantiated. The Endorsement Guides give two examples that are not endorsements: an "obviously fictional dramatization," and a spokesperson who "does not purport to speak from personal experience." Run that kind of creative from your own account.
The clean mental model: AI UGC on your own account is a creative decision; putting creative on a human's handle is a consent-and-honesty decision. Keep them separate.
Disclosure crossover
Whitelisting disclosure and AI disclosure stack; one does not replace the other.
- The paid relationship. The Endorsement Guides say a connection between endorser and seller that "might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement" and is "not reasonably expected by the audience" must be "disclosed clearly and conspicuously", and that material connections can include "monetary payment or the provision of free or discounted products". The platforms have their own rules:
- TikTok's Branded Content Policy (effective August 31, 2026): "When posting Branded Content, you must enable the commercial content disclosure toggle." TikTok then labels the post as branded content.
- Meta: "Our policies require anyone on a professional (creator or business) or personal account to tag business partners in their branded content when there's an exchange of value." Such posts carry a "Paid partnership with" label, and "If the post is boosted or is an unpublished ad, an Ad label appears." Meta also notes that partnership ad permissions and permission to tag a brand in organic branded content are granted separately.
- AI content. These rules apply to the creative itself, whoever's account runs it:
- TikTok ads (policy last updated April 2026): "Significantly edited media and AIGC content is allowed if the following requirements are met: Apply the AIGC label, or by adding a clear disclaimer, caption, watermark, or sticker of your own." Its examples include "Content that contains images, video, or audio that are completely AI-generated", and "If we identify AI-generated content that has not been disclosed, your ad will be rejected or restricted."
- TikTok organic posts (Community Guidelines effective September 24, 2026): "You must label content that uses AI or includes significant edits to show realistic-looking people or scenes."
- Meta ads: Meta applies "AI info" labels to "ads created or significantly edited with our generative AI creative tools", and in a June 1, 2026 update said it "will also begin automatically detecting ads created or edited using third-party AI tools". For organic posts, Meta requires its AI disclosure tool for "a photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered".
- Synthetic performers: New York has required ads to disclose AI-generated "synthetic performers" since June 9, 2026, and California's SB 1050 does so from January 1, 2027. Our disclosure guide covers who must disclose and the exceptions.
- The FTC rules sit above both: an endorsement must reflect a real endorser's honest opinion or experience, so AI creative can present true brand claims on your account, but it should never pose as a real creator's genuine endorsement.
When in doubt, run AI UGC from your own account with the required AI label, and reserve whitelisting for real creators producing real (even AI-assisted) posts they genuinely stand behind.
Platform notes
- TikTok Spark code durations: 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, chosen by the creator; 365 is the default for Content Suite requests. A post's caption can't be edited after authorization; an expired authorization shows as an error in Ads Manager, and the creator can extend it.
- TikTok specs: for Spark Ads from organic videos, TikTok lists "no restrictions on video ratio, video resolution, file type, video duration, bitrate, and file size", with "a 10 minute maximum on videos that can be sparked". Non-Spark in-feed ads have a recommended 9:16 at 540 x 960 pixels or more, up to 500 MB and up to 10 minutes; see TikTok ad video specs.
- Meta permissions: content-level (an ad code, usable by up to 2 advertisers at a time) or account-level (requested from Creator Marketing Hub); the creator can revoke either at any time.
- Meta specs: Meta's English ads guide recommends 9:16 at 1080 x 1920 for Instagram feed video, 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 for Instagram Reels, and 4:5 at 1440 x 1800 for Facebook feed video. Details in Instagram feed and Stories specs, Instagram Reels ad specs and Facebook video ad specs; for the case for vertical, see vertical-first strategy.
- Own-account Spark: you can Spark your own brand's organic TikTok posts, a clean home for AI UGC.
FAQ
Can I whitelist AI-generated UGC?
Not as a fake creator. Whitelisting runs a paid ad from a real person's account with their permission, and an AI-generated persona has no real person behind it to consent or to have used the product. Presenting it as an independent creator's endorsement runs into the FTC's rules on endorsements and fake testimonials. You can run AI-generated UGC-style creative from your own brand account (including as Spark Ads on your own TikTok posts), labeled as AI where required, and a real creator can authorize a real post that uses AI-assisted b-roll. The dividing line is whether a real person genuinely stands behind the product.
How does a TikTok Spark code work?
The creator opens the post in the TikTok app, taps the three dots, taps Ad Settings, turns on Ad authorization, generates a video code and chooses a duration of 7, 30, 60 or 365 days. They send the code to the brand, who enters it in TikTok Ads Manager to run the post as an ad. The caption can't be edited once the post is authorized, and engagement from the ad is credited to the original post.
What happens when a Spark code expires?
TikTok Ads Manager shows "Authorization expired. Contact the creator to extend the authorization." It also warns you if the authorization ends before the ad's end time, so match the duration to your flight, or ask the creator to extend it.
Does a Meta partnership ad code expire?
The Meta help pages we read on 2026-10-02 do not give one. The creator can turn the code toggle off, which stops new ads from using it while active ads keep running, or revoke the advertiser's permissions at any time.
What's the difference between Spark Ads and Meta partnership ads?
Spark Ads is TikTok's system for promoting an organic post, authorized per post with a video code that lasts 7 to 365 days, with engagement credited to the original post. Meta partnership ads (formerly branded content ads) put a creator's account, the brand's, or both in the ad's header, authorized per post with an ad code or for the whole account, and the advertiser can edit the content for the ad without changing the original post. Both need the creator's permission, and both sit alongside each platform's branded content and AI labeling rules.
Is this page legal advice?
No. It is general information about platform rules and US law as their own pages stated them on 2026-10-02. Check the current sources below and ask a lawyer about your campaign and the countries it runs in.
Sources
- TikTok Business Help Center, "About Spark Ads" (last updated June 2026): definition, own and creator posts, specifications for organic videos, 10-minute maximum: ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Business Help Center, "How to create Spark Ads for Smart+ Campaigns in TikTok Ads Manager" (last updated October 2025): creator steps, durations of 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, batches of up to 20 codes, Duets and Stitches, caption and privacy rules: ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Business Help Center, "How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns in TikTok Ads Manager" (last updated June 2026): ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Business Help Center, Spark Ads code error notifications (last updated July 2025): "Authorization expired": ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Business Help Center, Content Suite Spark Ads (last updated December 2025): 365-day default for authorization requests: ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Business Help Center, "TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads" (last updated June 2026): Spark and non-Spark specs, 540 x 960 or more: ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Branded Content Policy (published August 4, 2026, effective August 31, 2026): tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok advertising policy, "Misleading and false content" (last updated April 2026): ads.tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- TikTok Community Guidelines, "Integrity and Authenticity" (effective September 24, 2026): tiktok.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "About partnership ads": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "About partnership ad permissions": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "Manage content-level permissions for partnership ads": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "Manage account-level permissions for partnership ads in Creator Marketing Hub": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "How to create a partnership ad": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "Eligibility requirements for partnership ads and branded content on Instagram, Facebook and Threads": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Business Help Center, "About branded content on Facebook, Instagram and Threads": facebook.com; "About labels on paid partnership posts": facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Instagram Help Center, "Creator Marketing Hub": help.instagram.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta, "Expanding GenAI Transparency for Meta's Ads Products" (updated June 1, 2026): about.fb.com; "How Meta Is Preparing for the 2026 US Midterm Elections" (organic AI disclosure): about.fb.com, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Facebook Ads Guide, English: Instagram feed video (9:16, 1080 x 1920): facebook.com; Instagram Reels video (9:16, 1440 x 2560): facebook.com; Facebook feed video (4:5, 1440 x 1800): facebook.com, checked 2026-10-02
- FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255: eCFR, checked 2026-10-02
- FTC Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465: eCFR, checked 2026-10-02
- New York synthetic performer disclosure law, Governor's announcement of June 9, 2026: governor.ny.gov; California SB 1050 (chapter 246 of 2026, approved September 16, 2026): bill history; effective date under California Constitution, Article IV, Section 8: leginfo, checked 2026-10-02
Whitelisting is a distribution layer on top of creative you still have to make. Build your UGC on 8frame first, run AI-generated variants from your own account, and reserve whitelisting for the real creators producing your validated hero concepts.
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