Whitelisting (Partnership Ads) — What You Need to Know

Sometimes a brand loves your content so much that they want to run ads using your post or directly from your Instagram handle. This is called whitelisting, or more officially, Instagram Partnership Ads — and yes, it’s allowed through Hummingbirds with your permission and as long as the brand reaches out through the Hummingbirds team (this helps us ensure you get paid!).

According to Instagram,

“Partnership ads allow advertisers to run ads with partners: creators, brands and other businesses.”
(Instagram Help Center)

In other words, a brand can boost your content or run ads that appear to come from your handle — but only if you grant permission.

There are two main ways this can happen:

1. Content-Level Permission

The brand promotes one of your existing posts.
Instagram explains that:

“With content-level permissions, creators can give advertisers permission to promote an individual post, story or reel as a partnership ad.”
(Instagram Help Center)

This can be done by turning on the “Allow brand partner to boost” toggle on that post or by sharing a Partnership Ad Code.

2. Account-Level Permission

The brand runs ads from your handle and can create multiple variations.
Instagram notes that:

“Creators can manage account-level permissions for partnership ads directly in the Instagram app.”
(Instagram Help Center)

This access allows the brand to build ads from your handle within Meta Ads Manager — so it’s important this request comes through Hummingbirds first.

To make sure both you and the brand have a great experience, all whitelisting requests go through the Hummingbirds HQ team.

Here’s what that looks like:

1. The brand tells us what they’re looking for.
   Before we contact you, the brand confirms:

   • Whether they want content-level or account-level access

   • How long they plan to run the ads (30, 60, or 90 days)

   • Their target timing for ad launch

2. We reach out to you.
   You’ll hear from our team if a brand is interested in whitelisting your content. We’ll share details, ask for your approval, and collect your rate - we can suggest a rate if you’re unsure.

3. You’re paid upfront.
   Once approved, you’ll receive payment through your Whistle card before any ads go live.

4. You grant permission safely.
   Our team will send step-by-step instructions. You never need to share passwords or give direct access outside of Instagram’s tools.

If a brand messages you about boosting your post or running ads from your handle:

1. Please don’t grant access yet.

2. Reach out to Hummingbirds HQ at help@hummingbirds.com right away.

We’ll connect with the brand, confirm the request, and make sure you’re paid fairly and protected. 

• Ensures clear permissions, rates, and usage windows

• Protects your content and your handle

• Guarantees secure payment through Whistle

• Keeps communication organized for both sides

Hummingbirds HQ does not take any sort of a percentage or extra payment for these arrangements, this is simply to help protect yours & the brand’s experience.

If you’d like to dive deeper, here are official Instagram resources that explain Partnership Ads in more detail:

• About Partnership Ads (Instagram Help)

• Manage content-level permissions for partnership ads (Instagram Help)

Will these ads appear on my feed?
Not necessarily. Most Partnership Ads run “behind the scenes” from your handle but don’t appear on your profile grid. You’ll still be tagged as the creator.

Can I say no to whitelisting?
Yes. You may decline any whitelisting request for any reason. Once you have agreed to whitelist & have been paid, you do need to allow the brand to whitelist for the agreed upon usage window.

How long can a brand use my content?
That depends on the usage window (usually 30, 60, or 90 days). This is set upfront by the brand and confirmed with you before any payment or access is granted.

Can I revoke access later?
Yes — after the agreed-upon usage window has ended. If the brand wants to continue running ads beyond that, we will reach out to request an extension (including additional payment for you) and you can decide to agree to or decline that extension.  

Will I get paid for whitelisting?
Absolutely. You’ll always be paid upfront through your Whistle card before the ads go live.