When a video includes paid promotion, declare it in YouTube Studio and make the brand relationship clear within the video. For a typical spoken product demonstration, plan both spoken and visible disclosure. YouTube's label and the disclosure required by your applicable regulator need separate checks before publication.
This reference uses YouTube documentation and US Federal Trade Commission guidance read on September 27, 2026. The FTC says US law can apply to posts made abroad when effects on US consumers are reasonably foreseeable. Other countries' requirements may also apply. This is an operational checklist, not legal advice.
Decide what relationship viewers need to know
Start with what the creator received or expects to receive. YouTube's branded content policy covers content influenced by a brand partner in exchange for value, including payment, free products and sponsorships. It applies to Shorts and live streams as well as longer videos.
For US-facing endorsements, the FTC's disclosure guidance also covers material personal, family and employment relationships. An unpaid opinion can still need a disclosure when such a connection exists.
Use these questions before recording:
- Did a brand pay for this segment or the whole video?
- Did it provide the product, a discount, travel or another benefit?
- Does the creator earn commission when viewers buy?
- Is there an employment, ownership or family connection viewers may not expect?
- Which brands and products does each connection concern?
Write down the relevant relationship in ordinary words. If the brand supplied a product and paid for the review, a statement about the free product alone leaves out the payment. The FTC's endorsement FAQ addresses this distinction.
A product bought independently, with no brand relationship, does not require a declaration that no relationship exists under the FTC's guidance. Keep that case separate from a creator receiving benefits while retaining editorial freedom. For the latter, use the review-unit independence guide to discuss what the brand may request.
Declare paid promotion in Studio
YouTube's current desktop instructions describe this route for an existing video:
- Open YouTube Studio and select Content.
- Select the video.
- Open Show More at the bottom of the details page.
- Select the paid-promotion checkbox covering product placement, sponsorship or endorsement.
- Save the change.
For a new upload, the disclosure-label Help page directs creators through Upload videos, Select files and Show more, then the Paid Promotion selection. Its wording refers to branded content. The Help pages use different wording for the selection, so look for Paid Promotion rather than relying on an old screenshot.
Selecting it adds a disclosure at the beginning of the video. YouTube still makes the creator responsible for clear, prominent disclosure and applicable legal requirements. Treat a saved checkbox as confirmation of the platform declaration, then review what the viewer sees and hears.
This route is documented by YouTube. It is not a report of a test on your channel.
Put disclosure beside the endorsement
The FTC's current FAQ says a visual endorsement needs at least visual disclosure, an audible endorsement needs at least audible disclosure, and an endorsement using both needs both. For a creator speaking while demonstrating a product, use a spoken sentence and readable on-screen text.
The same FTC FAQ says description-only disclosure is insufficient for YouTube videos. It also warns that a platform tool does not guarantee adequate disclosure. A general label may leave viewers uncertain about which product is sponsored when a video features several brands.
Use this placement checklist. The placement principles below come from FTC guidance; the playback tests are editorial recommendations.
| Placement | What to check | Source read |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated sponsored review | Disclose at the beginning, before viewers evaluate the recommendation | FTC FAQ, 2026-09-27 |
| Sponsored segment within a longer video | Disclose immediately before or at the segment's start | FTC FAQ, 2026-09-27 |
| Spoken product demonstration | Include audible and visible disclosure that identifies the relationship | FTC FAQ, 2026-09-27 |
| Description | Add supporting disclosure; do not rely on it alone | FTC FAQ, 2026-09-27 |
| Affiliate recommendation | Disclose commission in the video and near the description links | FTC FAQ, 2026-09-27 |
| Live stream | Repeat disclosure periodically for viewers arriving later | FTC Disclosures 101, 2026-09-27 |
| Studio setting | Declare paid promotion and save | YouTube Help, 2026-09-27 |
These are source access dates. The FTC brochure displays November 2019; the FAQ refers to the Endorsement Guides revised in 2023.
Use the endorsement's language for the disclosure. Avoid an unexplained brand tag, a vague thank-you or shorthand such as "collab." State who paid or provided the benefit. Modash's disclosure guide also discusses verbal mentions and built-in tools, but use the regulator's guidance to assess whether the wording and placement work.
A hypothetical mid-video integration
Suppose a fictional cookware brand, Alder Pan, pays for a demonstration in a cooking video. The segment starts at 04:20, and the creator also receives commission through a description link. These details are hypothetical.
A proposed spoken disclosure at the segment's start is:
Alder Pan paid for this cooking segment. I also earn a commission if you buy through my link below.
Use matching readable text during that disclosure. In the description, identify the paid segment and put the commission explanation beside the relevant link. Select the Studio paid-promotion declaration as well.
For the editorial review, start playback directly at 04:20. Can someone who skipped the introduction still understand the relationship? Watch once with sound off, then listen without watching. Check that captions, graphics and player controls do not hide the disclosure.
Do not turn this example into a universal seconds rule. Give viewers enough time to read the actual wording in its actual layout. Put the agreed placement into the YouTube integration brief, then use the description-link test for the separate click-through check.
Check whether the promotion is allowed
Disclosure does not establish that the underlying promotion is permitted. YouTube requires branded content to follow its Community Guidelines and Google Ads policies, with specified exceptions. The Google Ads policy center separates prohibited content from categories that have restrictions.
For a regulated product, pause publication until the relevant category and country requirements have been checked. YouTube's policy identifies alcohol, financial services, healthcare, gambling and political content among categories needing additional review. Its Help documentation also describes age and geographic controls. A disclosure checklist cannot determine the appropriate restrictions for a specific product or market.
Before publishing, assign one person to save the Studio declaration evidence and another to review the final video and description. Record the video version, disclosure timestamps, source URLs and review date. Recheck after edits or when cutting a separate Short. Start by adding the relationship sentence to the next video's script, where the endorsement begins.
