Keep a post reference, a dated publication capture where permitted, creator-authorized performance evidence, and an approval record tied to the exact content version. You do not need a creator's inbox export to assemble those records. Agree on a campaign-only submission route before publication, and keep unrelated messages, audience identities and personal details out of the evidence folder.
This Instagram campaign evidence checklist is a recommended working method. It distinguishes what your team needs to prove from Instagram's rules and any privacy obligations that apply to your organization.
Give each record one job
An approved draft proves a decision about a version. A live-post capture records what someone observed at a particular time. An insights capture records reported performance. Keep these separate, then connect them with a deliverable ID.
Modash's guide to influencer tracking also distinguishes checking published content from measuring its results. For an evidence folder, add a separate approval record so that a good result cannot hide an unapproved change.
Use this test before saving anything:
- Which campaign question does this file answer?
- Can we answer it with a smaller record?
- Who supplied it, and are we permitted to retain it for this purpose?
- Who needs access, and when will we review whether to keep it?
A screenshot of an entire phone screen often fails the second question. It may include notifications or another conversation while still omitting the post URL.
Where UK GDPR applies, the ICO's data-minimisation guidance requires personal data to be adequate, relevant and limited to the stated purpose. The ICO flags that guidance as under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act. The folder design below is an operational recommendation, not a complete privacy compliance assessment.
Build the folder around deliverables
Use a campaign ID and one stable ID for each promised post or Story sequence. Keep the creator's campaign-facing handle where needed to identify the publisher. Avoid putting personal email addresses or phone numbers in filenames.
| Folder or file | Retain | Leave out |
|---|---|---|
00-index | Deliverable ID, owner, status and links to evidence | Inbox contents |
01-approved | Approved asset version, caption, reviewer, decision and timestamp | Unrelated draft discussion |
02-published | Post reference, observed timestamp and permitted publication capture | Unrelated profile content or audience comments |
03-results | Agreed metric evidence, source, reporting period and capture time | Viewer lists and private replies |
04-exceptions | Missing evidence, corrections and follow-up owner | Speculation about the creator's personal circumstances |
05-retention | Access owner, retention reason and review date | A default instruction to keep everything forever |
The index should connect each published item to its approved version and results file. If several Story frames make up one deliverable, give each frame a sub-reference so a reviewer can identify a missing frame.
An index entry needs these fields:
- Campaign and deliverable IDs.
- Creator handle and agreed format.
- Approved version and approval record location.
- Publication URL or creator-supplied content reference.
- Publication time if known, with its source; observation time and timezone separately.
- Capture location and the basis for retaining a copy.
- Results location, reporting period and reporting source.
- Current status, missing evidence, owner and next review date.
Do not silently substitute an observation time for a publication time. A check at noon proves what the reviewer saw at noon.
Capture publication without opening an inbox
Ask creators to submit campaign links and files through a designated form or campaign folder. Agree in advance which copies the team may retain and who may view them. Public visibility alone should not be your permission record for downloading, redistributing or reusing an asset.
For each deliverable:
- Save its direct reference and the creator handle.
- Record when a reviewer opened it, including timezone.
- Compare the published asset and caption with the approved version.
- Where copying is permitted, capture enough context to identify the item and show the relevant caption, label or frame.
- Exclude unrelated comments, notifications and message previews.
- Record any mismatch as an exception, with an owner to resolve it.
For branded-content evidence, preserve the visible label and partner tag where relevant. Meta's branded-content guidance requires business-partner tagging when branded content involves an exchange of value. It also states that affiliate-link content needs the paid partnership label without necessarily tagging a business partner. Apply the rule that fits the arrangement rather than treating every untagged affiliate post as missing evidence.
A captured label records what appeared. It does not establish that every policy or advertising-law requirement has been met.
If a URL later stops opening, keep the earlier observation and mark the current status separately. A creator-supplied original file can help identify the intended creative, but it cannot by itself prove that the file appeared on Instagram. For time-sensitive items, use the Story results request guide to plan what to request from the creator.
Ask for bounded results evidence
As read on September 30, 2026, Instagram's insights guidance says public accounts can view insights for their own content. That does not give a brand access to another account's private analytics.
Ask the creator to supply only the agreed content-level results, or use an authorized reporting connection within its granted scope. Do not request a password, inbox access or a full account export for campaign reporting.
A useful results capture retains the content identity, metric labels, values, reporting period where shown, and capture date. Ask the creator to exclude message previews and audience-member lists before submitting it.
Preserve the labels displayed in the source. Meta distinguishes Views, which can include repeated plays or displays, from Viewers, which counts unique accounts. Its documentation also notes rollout differences. Record an unavailable metric as unavailable; do not replace it with zero or rename another metric to fill the cell.
Choose the measurement window before requesting files. The guide to setting a reporting window helps make successive submissions comparable.
Move approvals into a campaign record
Use a form or approval tool that stores the deliverable ID, asset version, caption version, decision, reviewer and timestamp. Define what the decision covers. Approval to publish a draft should not be recorded as approval for every later edit or reuse.
If the conversation began in a DM, ask the reviewer to confirm the decision in the campaign record. Keep the new confirmation's real date. Do not backdate it or present a later confirmation as proof that approval existed before publication.
For a hypothetical Reel, the approval record could read:
| Field | Hypothetical entry |
|---|---|
| Deliverable | Autumn launch, Reel A |
| Asset and caption | Video v3, caption v2 |
| Decision | Approved for the agreed organic publication |
| Reviewer | Named campaign reviewer |
| Confirmation timing | Received after publication; prior approval evidence unavailable |
| Follow-up | Campaign owner to resolve the approval gap |
This record makes the gap visible without importing the private conversation. Assign one accountable reviewer before the next deliverable so creators know where to obtain a recorded decision.
Close the folder with an exceptions check
Before sharing the campaign report, open each evidence link and check its access settings. Remove accidental personal data from report copies, while keeping the content identity, timing and any relevant limitation clear. Record that a copy was cropped or redacted.
Have the records owner set a retention reason and review date under your organization's applicable obligations. There is no campaign-wide retention duration established by this checklist. The ICO recommends periodic review and deletion of information no longer needed; specific record-preservation obligations need separate review.
Start with the next unpublished deliverable. Create its index entry, name its approver, and send the creator the exact publication and results evidence request before they post.
