How to Add an Ad Partner on Instagram (and What It Allows)
To add a brand as an ad partner on Instagram, accept its partnership ad request: go to Professional dashboard, then Partnership ads, Ad partners and Pending requests, and tap Approve. That gives the brand account-level permission to run ads under your name. It's broader than most people realise, so here is exactly what it allows, when to send an ad code instead, and how to remove it.
Key takeaways
- The brand sends the request from Meta Business Suite. You approve it in the Instagram or Facebook app.
- Approval lets the brand create ads from your handle without an existing post.
- Linked Instagram and Facebook accounts: one approval covers both.
- There's no end date. It lasts until you remove the brand.
- For a fixed set of posts, an ad code is the narrower choice.
Approve a brand's request
- In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
- Tap Menu (the 3 lines) in the top right.
- Tap Professional dashboard.
- Tap Partnership ads.
- Tap Ad partners.
- Tap Pending requests, then Approve or Decline.
You need an Instagram professional account, and your content must be eligible for partnership ads. Meta says these requests can be managed in the Instagram app and Meta Business Suite; Instagram on the web isn't supported.
Steps checked against Meta's Help Center on October 18, 2026. Meta renames menus from time to time, so a label in your app may differ slightly.
What the brand can do once you approve
| The brand can | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| Create ads from your handle without an existing post | Ads can run under your name with content you never posted, such as an edit of footage you supplied |
| Turn your posts that tag it into ads | Any post with the paid partnership label, an @mention, a people tag, a product tag or a Collab, including archived posts |
| Use your audience in targeting | Include or exclude your custom audience in its campaigns |
| Hide comments on the ads | You can unhide them, and hide or delete comments yourself |
| Cover Facebook too | If your Instagram and Facebook accounts are linked, approval applies to both |
Approve, or send an ad code?
Meta calls account-level permission "broader access" suited to ongoing partnerships, and content-level permission (an ad code) more restrictive, for specific promotions. A simple rule:
- Send an ad code when the deal names the posts the brand can run.
- Approve as an ad partner when you have an ongoing, signed partnership, the brand needs to run many ads, and the contract has an end date and an extension rate.
Remove an ad partner
- In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Professional dashboard.
- Tap Partnership ads.
- Below Manage ad permissions, tap Ad partners.
- In the Approved tab, select the brand.
- Tap Remove next to it.
Meta says the brand can no longer create partnership ads from your handle and any ads currently running are paused. It does not stop the brand running your content from its own account if it downloaded it, so check the Ad Library after the end date. More in how to remove a brand's partnership ad access.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add an ad partner on Instagram?
The brand sends you a request from Meta Business Suite. In the Instagram app go to Professional dashboard, Partnership ads, Ad partners, Pending requests, and tap Approve. You can't add a brand yourself from that screen; it starts with the brand's request.
Where do I find a partnership ad request?
In the Instagram app: your profile, Menu, Professional dashboard, Partnership ads, Ad partners, Pending requests. If your Instagram and Facebook are linked, the notification also appears on Facebook. Instagram on the web doesn't support it yet.
What can a brand do once I approve it as an ad partner?
It can create partnership ads from your handle without an existing post, turn your posts that tag it into ads (including archived ones), and include or exclude your audience in its targeting. It can also hide comments on those ads.
Is approving an ad partner safe?
It doesn't give the brand your password or let it post on your account. It does let the brand create ads under your name without asking you each time, so only approve brands you have a signed deal with, and remove them when the deal ends.
Should I approve an ad partner or send an ad code?
Send an ad code if the deal covers specific posts. Approve an ad partner only for an ongoing partnership where the brand needs to run several ads, and make sure the contract says when it ends.
How do I remove an ad partner?
Professional dashboard, Partnership ads, Ad partners, select the brand in the Approved tab and tap Remove. Meta says ads currently running are paused.
Set the end date before you tap Approve
Approval has no expiry, so the end date lives in your contract and your calendar. Add the deal to Usage Hawk and it will check for ads every day once the deal ends. For the full picture, see how to whitelist on Instagram.