Plenty of followers doubt that creators are honest about brand deals. If sponsored content helps pay your bills, that doubt is your problem too.
Morning Consult surveyed about 2,000 U.S. adults for Business Insider. Sixty-nine percent said it’s important for creators to disclose paid partnerships and sponsored content. Only 25% believe creators do it consistently.
Mind the gaps
Age shapes the answer. More than half of baby boomers (53%) say creators rarely or never disclose paid deals clearly. Among Gen Z, that number falls to 21%.
Younger viewers are also looser about the rules. About 23% of Gen Z say creators shouldn’t have to disclose sponsorships at all, compared with 12% of boomers.
Audience doubts aren’t the whole story, though. The skeptics have a point.
A separate survey conducted by SheSpeaks asked 365 creators about disclosure. Fourteen percent admitted they don’t always disclose brand ties. Another 18% said a brand had asked them not to disclose a paid partnership within the past year.
Those numbers should worry anyone in the business. Disclosure isn’t optional. The FTC requires creators to clearly disclose material connections with brands, including paid deals and certain free products or perks. Breaking those rules can bring hefty fines for creators and brands alike.
Creators get stuck in the middle. They want to keep sponsors happy. They also owe their audience honesty. Brands that ask for secrecy undercut the very trust that makes influencer marketing work. Both sides have to follow the rules.
Can creators build trust and still do sponsored content?
Here’s the catch. Audiences want brand partnerships to be disclosed, yet the label doesn’t make them trust the pitch. Knowing a post is paid can make viewers even more skeptical.
Trust starts with strong content outside of brand deals. Followers give recommendations more weight when they already like a creator’s regular videos. Explain why you picked a sponsor. Show the product in real use. Then give your honest take, flaws included.
Video creators can go a step further. Say the partnership out loud in the video, not only in the caption. Mention it before the pitch starts. Turn on the platform’s paid partnership label too. A viewer who never opens the description should still know the segment is sponsored.
Creators who stay upfront and picky about partners can keep earning from brands without burning their audience.