Whitelisting & Spark Codes

Meta — Branded Content / whitelisting

Meta calls amplifying a creator's post under your brand "Branded Content" or, in some flows, "whitelisting". The creator must explicitly authorize your brand to use their content as an ad.

Steps (creator side)

1. Open Instagram → Profile → ☰ → Settings → Creator → Branded Content.
2. Enable Branded Content tools.
3. Tap Brand approvals → search for your brand → Approve.
4. Optionally allow your brand to "promote your tagged posts" (full amplification rights).

Steps (you / Layers)

1. In Meta Business Manager → Brand Safety → Branded Content → request the creator's approval (if not already granted).
2. Once approved, the creator's posts can be promoted as Branded Content via your Meta ad account.

TikTok — Spark Ads

TikTok calls it "Spark Ads". The creator enables Ads authorization on a post (or account-wide) so your TikTok ad account can promote the post as an ad from the creator's handle.

Steps (creator side)

1. Open the post in TikTok app.
2. Tap Settings → Permissions → Allow ads authorization → toggle on.
3. A Spark code is generated and shared with your brand.

Steps (you / Layers)

Layers' TikTok Ads Manager supports Spark identity connection — see the TikTok Ads onboarding in your project for the required identity linking. Spark codes are consumed by your TikTok ad account when creating Spark Ads.

SideShift handles this for you

If you're on the SideShift managed program, Layers ops handles the whitelisting / Spark code flow with each creator as part of the brief acceptance. You don't have to coordinate directly.

Per-post vs per-account

• Spark codes are per-post by default; can be account-wide if the creator chooses.
• Branded Content approvals are typically per-creator (one approval covers all that creator's posts featuring your brand).

Revocation

Creators can revoke at any time on the platform side. Already-running ads continue until the platform's own cache invalidates or the ad fails to serve.

Common failure modes

• Spark code expired — creator deactivated permissions; ask for a new one.
• Branded Content not enabled — creator must enable it in Instagram settings; otherwise approvals don't take effect.
• Wrong brand approved — creator approved a similarly-named brand; re-coordinate.