Spark and Partnership ad codes

On some campaigns the brand wants to put paid spend behind your post — running it as an ad from your handle rather than reposting it from theirs. That needs your permission, and the permission takes the form of an ad code.

What actually happens

The brand pays to show your existing post to more people. Nothing is edited, nothing is added, and no new post appears on your profile. It runs exactly as you posted it.

You are not handing over your account. An ad code is scoped to one post and expires.

When you will be asked

Two moments:

• On some campaigns the brief requires it, and the code is mandatory when you submit your post URL — you cannot complete submission without it.
• Later, as a boost request. The brand may ask after the fact on a post that has done well. That one you can simply not action if you would rather not.

If a campaign requires a code, it is stated in the brief before you accept.

TikTok

In the TikTok app, on the post itself:

Open the post → ⋯ → Ad settings → turn on Ad authorization → Generate a code.

You will be asked to pick how long the code lasts: 7, 30, 60 or 365 days.

Pick a duration that covers the usage period in the brief, and read that before you choose. Most campaigns carry Social Native's standing guideline that you agree to share ad codes for up to 90 days of usage. None of TikTok's options is 90 — so 7, 30 and 60 all run out before a 90-day term is up, and 365 is the only choice that covers it.

If the code expires while the brand is still entitled to run the post, the boost stops working and you will be asked to generate another. Check what the brief actually asks for: if it sets a shorter usage period, match that instead.

Paste the code in when you submit your post URL, and set the same duration there so we know when it lapses.

Instagram

Instagram has an extra step, and it is the one people miss.

First, tag the brand with the paid partnership label. When posting, or by editing the post: Advanced settings → Paid partnership label → add brand partner, and select the brand's Instagram account.

Then generate the code: open the post → ⋯ → Manage partnership ads → generate a partnership ad code. It looks like adcode-….

The order matters. Meta will not let a brand advertise a post that does not tag them, so a partnership ad code on an untagged post buys nothing — the brand gets a code that cannot be used, and you get asked to do it again. Tag first, generate second.

When the code runs out

Codes expire on the duration you picked. When one lapses, the brand can no longer run the post as an ad — it stays up as a normal post on your profile. If they want to keep running it, they have to ask you for a fresh code.

If you would rather not

On a campaign where the brief requires an ad code, it is part of the deliverable — decline the invite if you are not comfortable with it, ideally before accepting. A standalone boost request on an existing post is optional.

If you are unsure what a brand intends to do with a code, email creator.marketing@socialnative.com before generating one.