Branded Content API

The Branded Content API is Meta's endpoint set for sponsored-content workflows on Instagram. It lets a brand run paid promotions on a creator's organic post, attach the "Paid partnership with [Brand]" label at publish time, and access view, reach, and conversion metrics on the partnership without scraping the UI.

In its 2026 form, the API folds two capabilities together. First, Paid Partnership tagging at publish — third-party schedulers can call POST /{ig-user-id}/media with a collaborators or partner_id field, so the disclosure label appears the moment the post goes live (previously creators had to post first, then open the IG app to add the label by hand). Second, Partnership Ads — the brand can boost the creator's organic post as a paid ad through their own Facebook Ad account, with attribution flowing back to the creator's handle.

What it unlocks

For pay-per-view brand deals, the API is the only legitimate way to verify view counts after the fact — scraping the IG app is policy-prohibited and the in-app analytics screen is not a system of record. Meta exposes aggregated counts for views, likes, comments, reposts, saves, and shares across both Instagram and crossposted Facebook distribution, so a creator and a brand can settle a CPM-priced invoice off the same number.

Gotchas

• Access requires the creator to enable Branded Content tools on their account and explicitly approve the brand as a partner in Settings before any API call resolves.
• Posts with the tag are excluded from affiliate commission flows in some networks — verify with the affiliate platform before stacking incentives.
• The API surfaces only the post-level metrics the creator has explicitly shared with the brand; private follower-demographic data does not flow through.

For the broader deal-structure context, see Instagram Branded Content API explained.