Influencer and partnership ads are one of the most powerful tools available on Meta, and many businesses still aren’t using them properly. In this post (with an embedded video tutorial), we’ll walk you through exactly how to run partnership ads on Meta, when to use them, and some key watch-outs that can make or break your campaign.
Watch the video below, or read on for the full guide.
What are Partnership Ads?
Partnership ads (previously known as branded content ads) allow your business to run paid social campaigns in collaboration with an influencer or partner. These ads can be shown from both your account and the influencer’s, creating a powerful blend of trust, reach, and credibility.
You’ll typically see the format appear as either:
Your brand WITH Influencer brand
Or…
Influencer brand WITH your brand
The best-performing option depends on a range of factors – like how well known the influencer is, how established your brand is, and how receptive their audience is to being sold to. As always, test both formats to find out what works best for you.
Choosing the Right Influencer
One of the most common mistakes we see is businesses partnering with influencers who simply don’t match their audience. Just because someone is famous – or even uses your product – doesn’t mean they’re the right fit for your brand.
A good influencer partnership is all about audience alignment.
For example, we ran a campaign with Out’n’About, a pushchair brand for active parents. They partnered with Savannah Fit Pregnancy, a fitness influencer who became pregnant. Her followers? Primarily young women interested in staying active during and after pregnancy – a perfect match.
In contrast, we’ve also seen brands approach influencers from reality TV with massive followings – only to find those followers had zero relevance to the product being sold.
Relevance beats reach every time.
Budget & Contracts: What to Watch Out For
Once you’ve found the right influencer, you’ll need to agree on a fee for their involvement, and just as importantly, define the usage rights for any content they create.
Here’s a crucial tip:
👉 Make sure your contract gives you the rights to reuse the content.
Even if that means paying more upfront, it’s usually worth it. Without this clause, you might only be able to use the influencer’s content once, which severely limits its value. With full rights, you can repurpose the content across:
- Your website
- Social media
- Paid ads
- Email campaigns
- Case studies and testimonials
It’s a small detail, but one that can make a huge difference to ROI.
Setting Up Partnership Ads in Meta Ads Manager
Now let’s get into the practical setup.
Step 1: Find the Partnership Ads Hub
Depending on your account, the location may vary slightly (thanks Facebook 😅), but you can typically find it by going to:
- All Tools > Partnership Ads Hub
If it’s not there, use the search function or go into the ad creation flow, toggle Partnership Ads to “on”, and click Manage Partners.
Step 2: Send a Partner Request
Search for your influencer (e.g., Savannah Taylor), and send the request to connect. Select your business asset, review the request, and hit Send.
Important: Influencers often don’t know where to accept the request. Direct them to their own Partnership Ads Hub, where they’ll find your request under Received Requests. They can then accept or decline from there.
Step 3: Set Up the Ad
Once the request is accepted:
- Choose your ad identity: influencer-first or brand-first.
- Complete your creative and targeting as you would for any other campaign.
And that’s it – your partnership ad is ready to go live.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here are the two biggest pitfalls we see:
- Poor influencer fit – Always prioritise audience alignment over popularity.
- Weak contracts – Don’t overlook content rights; negotiate long-term usage upfront.
Final Thoughts
When done right, partnership ads are incredibly effective. They combine the reach and trust of influencers with the scalability of paid media. Use them to get authentic content, engage new audiences, and generate serious results – just be sure to follow the steps above.
📹 Don’t forget to watch the full video at the top for a screen-by-screen walkthrough.
Want help setting up a high-performing partnership campaign? Get in touch and we’ll show you how we do it for our clients across multiple industries.