Influseek primarily operates in India and follows the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines for influencer advertising. For creators and brands operating in other regions, additional regulations may apply including FTC (USA), ASA (UK), and EU consumer protection laws. Failure to disclose sponsored content can result in penalties for both creators and brands.
ASCI Guidelines for India
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has established clear guidelines for influencer advertising. All sponsored content must be clearly disclosed to protect consumers from misleading advertisements.
Disclosures must be in English or the language of the advertisement
Labels should be prominent and easily noticeable
Disclosure must appear upfront, not hidden or buried in content
Platform-specific disclosure features should be used when available
What Requires Disclosure?
You must disclose when you have a "material connection" with a brand. This includes:
Paid sponsorships or partnerships
Free products or services received (gifted items)
Affiliate links that earn you commission
Discount codes that benefit you financially
Barter collaborations or contra deals
Brand ambassador agreements
Family or personal relationships with brand representatives
How to Disclose Properly
General Principles
Clear: Use simple language your audience understands
Conspicuous: Place disclosure where it's easily noticed (first 3 lines for captions)
Upfront: Disclose at the beginning, not buried at the end
Every Time: Disclose on every piece of sponsored content
Platform-Specific Guidelines
Instagram
Use the built-in "Paid Partnership" tag
Include disclosure labels in first 3 lines of caption
For Stories & Reels: Add visible text overlay on each slide
Verbal disclosure in video content
YouTube
Check the "includes paid promotion" box in video settings
State sponsorship verbally at the beginning of the video
Include disclosure in video description (first 2 lines)
For Shorts: Visible text overlay required
TikTok / Josh / Moj
Use the "Branded Content" toggle where available
Include disclosure in visible caption text
Verbal disclosure in the video content
Text overlay at the start of the video
Twitter/X
Include disclosure label in the tweet
For threads: Disclose in the first tweet
Acceptable Disclosure Labels
Clear & Acceptable
#Ad / #विज्ञापन
#Sponsored / #प्रायोजित
#PaidPartnership
#PaidPromotion
"Advertisement" / "विज्ञापन"
"Sponsored by [Brand]"
"Paid partnership with [Brand]"
Unclear & Non-Compliant
#sp (ambiguous)
#partner (too vague)
#collab (doesn't indicate payment)
#gifted (for paid promotions)
"Thanks [Brand]" (no commercial indication)
Disclosure hidden in hashtag pile
Disclosure only at end of content
Affiliate Links
When sharing affiliate links, clearly indicate that you may earn a commission:
"I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link"
"This is an affiliate link" (next to or before the link)
#Affiliate or #AffiliateLink
Add disclosures to your bio/about section for recurring affiliate content
Regulations by Region
While Influseek primarily operates in India, creators should be aware of disclosure regulations in their target regions:
🇮🇳 India
ASCI Guidelines, Consumer Protection Act 2019, IT Rules 2021