Influencers shouldn’t be afraid to label posts as ‘sponsored’, says Instagram

thedrum–Instagram fashion and beauty partnerships manager Kristie Dash is urging influencers to not be afraid to label posts as ‘sponsored’ as more attention comes on the disclosures made by users when partnering with brands.

Dash in an interview around how influencers have been under scrutiny by regulators in Australia over the level of disclosure, with The Age and Sydney Morning Herald said that the platform had clear tools and guidelines to guide creators on what information to give their followers about sponsored deals.

She further emphasized on how Instagram has no data to prove that sponsored posts don’t perform as well as regular posts and that if an influencer felt concerns about being authentic and was reluctant to be clear in partnership posts, they should rethink their agreements with brands.

She said: “Nobody wants their feeds to feel like one big ad and so, I get why there is a hesitancy [about being transparent with posts]. At the end of the day, if you’re not being transparent with your followers, you’ll lose trust over time.”

In July, Instagram announced their test of hiding “likes” on posts. Instagram says the reason for the new feature is to have users concentrate on their posts and interacting with the app, rather than likes