Another day, another sneaky social media platform update that changes the way we do things. You probably haven’t seen a lot of articles about Meta’s Branded Content tool lately, but it’s important to be aware of how this tool is changing — and how it might affect your sponsored content strategies.

Here’s the skinny on the changes!

Brands are currently using creator content in a variety of ways, including:

· Sharing creator content on a brand channel · Sharing branded content: when the creator produces sponsored content and tags the brand via the branded content tool · Allow-listing/advertising access: when brands gain access to a creator’s channel to run an ad using their content · Branded content ads: brands amplifying the branded content to reach more consumers

Previously, brands had the option to configure the branded content tool in such a way that any content posted by the creator that featured the brand would be tagged. Creators were able to grant advertising access through either the Meta Business Manager or a third-party tool.

The process now involves a change to the way permissions are granted to the branded content tool. Brands must now log their Instagram account and grant access to their account (often through a third-party service like CreatorIQ).

Once the Instagram account is connected, permission can be given to each individual creator the brand is working with so that they can tag the brand with the branded content tool.

Why does all of this matter? It’s a major potential challenge to some agencies and even certain brands, since it requires working directly with someone with access to the brand’s Instagram account. Not only that, some brands may have security concerns around granting access to their Instagram account (concerns that could be amplified if they need to grant access to multiple partners helping with their influencer marketing).

The tl;dr on this whole thing? Every day there are new platform intricacies and changes that affect the influencer marketing industry, and it’s nearly impossible to stay current with it all –success on today’s platforms. Buckle up, brands. More turbulence ahead.