Sponsorship not declared as paid promotion
YouTube may expect a label or a disclosure on the video.
Last verified
What triggers it
Sponsorship, product placement, endorsement, free products, affiliate deal or any brand influence in exchange for something of value, without ticking 'paid promotion' in Studio.
What YouTube says
“If your video contains branded content, you must let us know using the paid promotion declaration in Studio.”
We last checked this against YouTube's page on .
How to fix it
Turn on 'paid promotion' in Studio and also say it clearly in the video (spoken and on screen); the creator is responsible for a clear, prominent disclosure.
Good to know
Look for 'sponsored by', 'thanks to X for', promo or discount codes, affiliate links, 'link in description to get', and prominent product logos held to camera. A product you bought yourself and mention without any deal is not branded content.
Can FYProof spot it?
A full check of your video looks for it in what's shown, what's said, the words on screen and the caption. What a check finds is an estimate, not a guarantee.
- Video: looked at for this rule
- Speech: looked at for this rule
- On-screen text: looked at for this rule
- Caption: looked at for this rule
- Hashtags: not for this rule
The free caption check below looks for wording linked to this rule in a caption and hashtags.
Free caption check
Is my caption at risk?
Paste the caption and hashtags you plan to post. We check the words against each platform's published rules in a second. Nothing you type is saved.
Related YouTube rules
Platforms change their rules often. This page sums up what YouTube publishes; it isn't legal advice.