Should I mention that my post isn't an ad in the caption?

If you are posting as a creator on social media, then you probably talk about brands and their products. You have your normal, fun un-sponsored posts, and your paid sponsorship posts. However, if it’s an unpaid post that is still product-focused, you may be wondering: “Should I say that this post is not sponsored? That it isn’t an ad?”

You do have to disclose when something is a sponsored post.

However, you definitely should not say when a post is not an ad, and here is why.

What does it mean to disclose that a post is not sponsored?

Imagine that you are talking about how much you love Old Navy in a post. But you don’t want your audience or the algorithm to think it’s an ad. So you think to yourself “I will just say that it isn’t an ad!”. An example of that could be: “Wow I just love this dress! It’s flowy, beautiful, I feel amazing in it! Also don’t worry, this post is not sponsored.”

By saying your glowing words about this brand or product, followed by it’s “not an ad” or that “this isn’t a sponsorship”, you’ve set yourself up for mistrust.

Whether your post is sponsored or not, you should always be giving your honest opinion.

I understand the intention behind why you would want to say that it isn’t sponsored. Probably so that the algorithm doesn’t ruin your chances of the content being seen.

But whether it’s sponsored or not, you should always be giving your honest opinion.

How saying the “post is not sponsored” creates distrust

When you say a post isn’t sponsored after giving a glowing review, you’re almost saying that “this recommendation is better BECAUSE no one paid me to say this.”

This gives the idea that when you say nice things, it must mean that someone paid you to say that. It comes off like those previous things you said in the past for sponsored posts were not actually your honest opinion. Because now moving forward for a sponsored post, it’s going to sound like you are only saying that because you were paid to do so. Or that your opinion isn’t as strong as the opinion you give when you aren’t paid.

Talk about the brands and products that you love, even if it is not sponsored and no one paid you to do so.

Your words should be the truth. Whether you were paid or not to talk about a brand. You need to build trust with your audience and talk about the things that you love. Even if no one paid you.

And if you are gearing up for a paid collaboration, make sure it’s with a brand you actually do love!

Breaking an outdated mindset

Why is there a mindset that we can only talk about brands if we are paid? Maybe we think it will take us out of the running for getting paid if we already gave them content for free.

Break free of this mindset and talk about brands willingly, openly, and regularly! This will not only build trust with your audience, but also when they do see a sponsorship from you, it won’t look like you are just shouting “AD” into their face. It won’t feel irregular to your feed. The best sponsorships are the ones that are organic to your feed. If you constantly talk about products on your page, then seeing a sponsorship won’t seem any different to your audience.

Talking about brands while unpaid can still help you open the door to a paid partnership with them.

Be open with your audience when you have a paid partnership that you need to disclose. But also be honest in your everyday life about the brands and products that you just love on the regular! Your audience will love hearing your thoughts and will trust you more for it.