Instagram unveils new "Transparent" advertising option to boost authenticity

New Delhi: Instagram has rolled out a new advertising feature dubbed the “transparent” advertising option, aimed at enhancing clarity and trust between brands, influencers, and users. 

The feature allows creators and brands to mark their promotional content—specifically testimonials and reviews—as sponsored, directly within the comments section of posts, Reels, or Stories, making it easier for users to distinguish authentic feedback from paid endorsements.

The new option builds on Instagram’s ongoing efforts to refine its advertising ecosystem, responding to long-standing calls from users and regulators for greater transparency in influencer marketing and social commerce. Unlike traditional sponsored posts, which appear as standalone content in feeds, this feature integrates paid testimonials into the comments under a brand’s promotional material. Influencers and creators can now label their reviews as sponsored with a simple tag, ensuring viewers know when a comment is part of a paid partnership.

“40% of Instagram users rely on advice from bloggers and influencers when making purchasing decisions,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “By introducing this transparent advertising option, we’re helping users trust the recommendations they see while giving creators and brands a seamless way to collaborate authentically.”

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms over undisclosed advertising. In recent years, influencers have faced criticism—and in some cases, legal action—for failing to clearly disclose paid partnerships, blurring the line between genuine opinions and marketing. 

The new feature aims to address this by embedding transparency directly into the platform’s interface. For example, a positive comment about a skincare product under a brand’s Reel might now include a “Sponsored” label, visible to all viewers, signalling that the reviewer was compensated.

Instagram’s latest innovation arrives as the platform continues to evolve its role in e-commerce. With features like Instagram Shopping and in-app checkout, the line between content and commerce has increasingly blurred, making transparency a pressing concern. The “transparent” advertising option complements existing tools, such as the “Paid Partnership” tag for posts, but takes it a step further by focusing on user-generated interactions like comments—spaces previously harder to regulate.