What is branded content?
When you publish content on TikTok, the platform may identify your post as "branded" when it shows clear marketing intent. There are three requirements for marketing intent — all three elements must be present:
- Financial incentive: Your content includes URLs, promo codes, hashtags, collaboration mentions, QR codes, or overlay ads, which signals that you may be receiving money or benefits for promoting a product or service.
- Brand mention: You've used a branded hashtag (#brand), an official handle (@brand), or a brand logo in your video.
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Product recommendation: You're featuring or talking about a product or service in your content (e.g. demos, tutorials, or calls to action like "Buy now" or "Shop today" in your post).
Warning: If branded content is posted without using an Invite Link, it will be considered a violation of TikTok's Community Guidelines and your video may not be eligible for distribution in the For You feed - which will impact your organic performance. You can retroactively apply your Invite Link to your published campaign content to ensure your post is not flagged.
How do I appeal and branded content flag?
If your content has been flagged for not disclosing a brand collaboration after August 2025, you can either retroactively apply a Campaign Invite Link to your post within 24 hours of receiving the notification, or appeal the flag using the steps below:
- Click on the notification in your TikTok app
- Click Appeal
- Fill out the provided form to indicate whether you are promoting a product or service, and whether you received any payment or incentive to create content
- Click Submit
- Your appeal will be reviewed and resolved within 24 hours of submission.
- If your appeal is successful, your post will resume eligibility for distribution in the For You feed.
Note: Only the original publisher of a flagged post can appeal a content moderation decision. Your partnering brand or agency cannot manage this appeal on your behalf.