X introduces paid partnership labels for creators

On Monday, social media platform X announced the introduction of a new “Paid Partnership” label that creators can apply to their posts to indicate they are advertisements. The feature could help improve creators’ authenticity, allowing followers to distinguish between original sentiment and paid sponsorships. By toggling on a new “content disclose” setting, creators can apply the label directly below their post’s content, either during creation or after the fact. This built-in tool allows creators to move away from using hashtags like #paidpartnership or #ad, which have become increasingly passé.

The update brings X in line with industry standards that have existed for years on competitor platforms like Instagram. In 2017, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission—the US government agency responsible for consumer protection—warned influencers that they must clearly and conspicuously disclose when a post is sponsored or supported by an advertiser. While other platforms, including Instagram and its X competitor Threads, have established disclosure features, creators on X previously lacked an integrated tool, forcing them to rely on manual hashtags to comply with these guidelines.

According to Nikitia Bier, X’s head of product, the new feature is designed to help creators remain transparent with their followers while complying with federal regulations. Bier emphasized the importance of clear disclosures for the platform’s overall integrity. “While we want to encourage people to build their businesses on X, undisclosed promotions hurt the integrity of the product and lead people to distrust the content they read on X,” Bier wrote in a post announcing the feature.

This update is part of a broader effort by X to improve content authenticity and address spam. Last week, the platform announced changes to its API that restrict programmatic replies. Under the new rules, the API cannot be used for automated responses unless the original author has quoted or mentioned the replying user. This restriction is intended to reduce the impact of automated spam, particularly AI-generated replies that “shady brands” could use to reply to advertisements and sponsored content to mimic legitimate customer feedback.

Why it matters

This update helps creators meet U.S. federal disclosure requirements while moving away from clunky hashtags, signaling X’s ongoing attempt to professionalize its creator ecosystem.