Whitelisting and partnership ads
Run your ads from a creator's own handle
People scroll past brand ads. They stop for a person they follow. Whitelisting puts your ad under the creator's name on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and you keep the budget, the targeting and the results in your own ads account.
What the platforms report
19%
lower cost per acquisition when partnership ads are added to business as usual campaigns, across 15 advertiser tests.
Meta, partnership ads13%
higher click through rate on average when partnership ads join business as usual campaigns.
Meta for Business, Dec 2025$10B
revenue run rate for Meta's partnership ads in Q1 2026, more than double the year before.
Meta Q1 2026 earnings call59%
higher engagement rate on TikTok ads posted to a creator's account than on ads that are not.
TikTok for Business, Nov 2025Three ways the post can run
You pick one when you build the campaign.
The creator posts it
The post goes up on their profile labelled "Paid partnership" with your brand, and you run that same post as an ad.
You post it
The creator delivers the video file. You post it on your profile with the partnership label naming the creator, and run it from there.
Ad only
Nobody posts it. The file becomes a partnership ad carrying both names, and it only shows up as an ad.
Base pay plus commission
The creator gets a base amount when they deliver, which can be zero, plus a commission on what the ads do. You choose the goal the commission pays on:
Sell
A share of attributed sales, or a set amount per sale.
Get leads
A set amount per lead. Meta campaigns only.
Send clicks
A set amount per link click. Meta campaigns only.
Get seen
A set amount per 1,000 views.
Every commission has a cap, over the whole deal or per month, so the most you can owe is set up front. Statements go out weekly, every two weeks or monthly, your call. The commission runs for as long as you run ads under the licence. All of it is on the listing before a single creator applies.
What it costs
Free to post the campaign. Socialync takes 1.5% of attributed sales when the commission pays on sales, or 1.25% of ad spend when it pays on leads, clicks or views. One rate per campaign, billed to you monthly. Creators keep 100% of what you agree to pay them. The full breakdown is on the brand pricing page.
New to the terms? Read the partnership ads, whitelisting and Spark Ads glossary entries.
Questions brands ask about whitelisting
What is influencer whitelisting?
Running a paid ad from a creator's own handle, with their permission. The ad shows their name and face, and you control the budget and targeting in your own ads account.
Partnership ads or whitelisting: what is the difference?
They describe the same deal. Whitelisting is the older industry word. Partnership ads is Meta's name for the format on Instagram and Facebook, and Spark Ads is TikTok's.
Do I need the creator’s login?
No. The creator grants ad permission through the platform itself. You never hold a password, and the creator can revoke permission at any time.
How does it work on TikTok?
TikTok runs it as a Spark Ad on the creator's published post. The creator gives you a Spark Ads code and you paste it into TikTok Ads Manager once. Socialync handles the rest of the deal.
Who sets the ad budget?
You do, inside your own Meta or TikTok ads account. Your spend never passes through Socialync.
When does the commission stop?
When you stop running ads under the licence, when the licence ends, or when the creator revokes permission. You can end the licence any time, and the ad pauses with it.
Do I need a pixel?
Yes. Every ads campaign needs one so results attribute back to the right creator and the right ad.
Keep the creators whose ads sell
When a creator's ads work, offer them a monthly retainer with the commission built in. Founding brands are live the moment the board opens, November 1 at 12:01 PM ET.