UK compliance pre-flight checklist
Twelve checks to run before a post goes live in the UK, across the ASA, the CMA, the ICO and the sector rules — the ones that carry criminal liability.
Fills in 17 live specifications on download · newest verified 2 October 2026
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# UK compliance pre-flight
Run this before anything goes out. It takes four minutes and it is considerably
shorter than an ASA ruling with your brand name on it.
## Is it an ad?
- [ ] Did anyone receive money, product, a loan, travel, hospitality or commission?
- [ ] Do we have, or did we reserve, any editorial control? The brand must have editorial control over the content — which includes merely reserving the right to check or approve it before posting, specifying key messages, or dictating a posting schedule. (verified 22 Sept 2026)
- [ ] If both are true, it is an ad and needs a label.
## Is the label right?
- [ ] The label is one of: "Ad", "Advert", "Advertising", "Advertisement", "Advertisement Feature" — with or without a hashtag. (verified 22 Sept 2026)
- [ ] It is **not** one of: "Sponsorship", "Sponsored", "Gifted", "Supported by", "Funded by", "In association with", "Thanks to [brand]", @-mentioning the brand alone, and the abbreviations "aff", "affiliate", "spon" and "sp". (verified 22 Sept 2026)
- [ ] Placement: Upfront and prominent — noticeable without clicking or expanding, visible before the consumer engages. Not behind a "See more" link, not buried in a block of hashtags, not only in the bio. (verified 2 Oct 2026)
- [ ] Checked on a phone, in the feed, without tapping "more"
- [ ] Any affiliate link or code is disclosed: Any content referring to a product for which there is also an affiliate link or code counts as advertising. If everything in the post is affiliate-linked, the whole post is an ad. (verified 22 Sept 2026)Shortened for the page. The download is the complete file with every specification filled in and dated.
