This post is part of a series about whitelisting and partnership ads on Meta and TikTok. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out How to Set up Partnership Ads on Meta, which can be read alongside this post.

Whitelisting ads are a paid social strategy where a brand runs ads through a creator’s account (typically on Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok), so they appear as if the content comes directly from the creator’s handle while the brand maintains full control. On Meta, the brand gets the creator’s permission to access their account, not just a single post, to run paid campaigns, edit or swap out creative, target ideal and lookalike audiences, add CTAs and tracking links, set budgets, and access all performance data. 

Meta’s setup also allows for dark posting, where ads run from the creator’s account but don’t appear on their organic feed, allowing the brand to test multiple variations, such as CTAs, hooks, and creative edits, without overwhelming the influencer’s organic feed and followers. Because the brand can use the creator’s handle while leveraging precise targeting across both the creator’s audience and broader audience segments, whitelisting offers a highly flexible and optimized way to benefit from the creator’s network and authenticity. 

Whitelisting ads have been a long-standing tactic for brands, offering a powerful way to tap into the trust that creators and influencers naturally engender with their audiences. 

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What is the Difference Between Whitelisting and Partnership Ads?

Creators and influencers who allow their handles to be whitelisted can benefit from lucrative, ongoing sponsorship deals. 

Please note: Because whitelisting access allows a brand to run ads and content through an influencer’s handle, it’s important that creators protect themselves with clear guidelines in their contracts. Influencers may want to require approval rights or specify that any ads run from their handle align with their typical content style, tone, and overall brand voice.

While very effective, whitelisting can be a bit complex to set up, so let’s break down the steps required on Meta for both the creator and the brand. 

Account-Level Permissions for Whitelisting Access on Meta

For a brand to access the creator’s account, the creator must grant the brand account-level permissions.

Account-level permissions requests for whitelisting access are managed in a brand’s Partnership Ads Hub on Ads Manager. The brand can request access from the creator, and once granted, can run ads from the account without requiring additional or ongoing permissions. 

When brands request account-level access, they can see if the creator has linked their Instagram and Facebook accounts. If the accounts are linked, they will receive notifications on both Instagram and Facebook. When the creator accepts the permission request, it will give advertisers account-level permissions for both the creator’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.

First, both creators and brands must have a public, professional account on Instagram and meet Instagram’s eligibility requirements for Instagram partnership ads and branded content, as well as Facebook’s partnership ads requirements. They also need to enable brand content tools on their accounts.

Here, you can find the steps to set up or change a personal account to a professional account on Instagram.

Step 1 (Brand): Request account-level permissions in Meta’s Partnership Ads Hub

1. In Ads Manager, click All tools in the bottom left corner.
2. Below Advertise, click Partnership Ads Hub.
3. Click Add partnership in the top right corner.
4. Search for the partner’s username, then select their account.
5. Click Next.
6. Select the account you want to use to partner with the creator, then click Done.
7. Click Next, then click Send request.

The creator will be notified and can accept the request in Partnership Ads Hub, the Instagram app, or the Facebook app.

Creators who have not accepted the request will appear with a “Request sent” status in the Partners tab. 

Once the creator accepts the brand’s request, account-level permissions will be established, and the brand can create ads with this partner without additional permission requests. 

If the creator has an Instagram account, the brand can click Get request link to share a link that takes the creator directly to the screen where they can view and accept the request in the Instagram app, simplifying the process for the creator. Brands can also click Notify again to resend the permission request notification to the creator. 

Step 2 (Creator): Approves the brand request for account access

1. ​​In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
2. Tap Menu at the top right.
3. Tap Creator or Business, depending on your professional account type. Note: Some accounts may see creator tools and controls or business tools and controls instead.
4. Tap Partnership ads
5. Tap Ad partners
6. Tap Pending requests, then tap Approve or Decline.

Step 2 (Brand): Create a whitelisted ad in Meta’s Ads Manager

1. Go to the brand’s Ads Manager account and click + Create.
2. Select the ad objective.
3. Complete the rest of the details of your ad, including conversion location, budget, schedule and audience. Then click Next.
4. At the ad level, toggle on Partnership ad.
5. Go to Identity, then click Edit.
6. Select the Second identity you would like to appear in your ad’s header. The first identity will automatically be filled with your account. Note: You can switch the order of identities. Once at least one identity has been selected, you’ll be able to select the content you want to boost.
7. Choose which identities to display in your ad: both identities, the first identity only in the header, or the dynamic identity. If you choose the dynamic identity, the option predicted to perform best will be automatically selected.
8. Click Save.

The next steps depend on whether the brand plans to boost an existing post or upload new creative for dark posting on the creator account.

If using an existing creator post:

1. In the ad setup section, click the dropdown menu and choose Use existing post. 
2. In the ad creative section, choose Select post to select the content you’d like to boost into a partnership ad. Note: If you can’t find the content you’re looking for, you can add a second identity in the identity section or use the “select identity filter” to find your partner’s content.
3. Click Done.

If uploading a new creative for a whitelisting ad:

1. In the ad setup section, click the dropdown menu and choose Create Ad.
2. Under Format, choose the ad format you’d like to use for your creative.
3. Complete the ad creative section, including creative setup, text, media, crop, and more.
4. When you’re finished setting up your creative, click Done.

Although requesting and granting account-level permissions and whitelisting may require a more complex setup, this approach remains a highly effective paid social strategy, especially because it allows brands to create and test ad variations without them all appearing on the creator’s organic feed. With multiple creators whitelisted, brands can run ads from a variety of real-person handles, adding a level of authenticity and trust that can be hard to achieve from an official brand account. 

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WRITTEN BY

Amanda Perry

Amanda is the Influencer Marketing Specialist at Reshift Media, where she strategizes and manages influencer marketing campaigns for various brands. She has worked in the influencer industry for the last 5 years, planning and executing influencer campaigns across many industries and brands.