What does Facebook's Branded Content Policy mean for public media Facebook pages and productions? This deck walks you through the policy and how it will be enforced, starting September 1, 2016.

1. Facebook Branded Content Policy
What does it mean for public media?
(As of September 1, 2016)

2. What is Facebook’s Branded Content Policy?
In April, Facebook announced a requirement for Facebook Pages to
use a new tool called the Branded Content Tool (it’s the symbol that
looks like a “Handshake”) on all posts that acknowledge a sponsor.

3. The definition of “Branded Content”
Facebook defines branded content as “content that features third
party products, brands, or sponsors that are different from the
Page owner.” Facebook has confirmed that this means corporate
sponsors only, not funders or non-profit entities.

4. What’s allowed with the Handshake tool
When you use the Handshake tool, it allows you to include the
following in your Facebook posts:
• Promotions: sweepstakes, giveaways or contents that feature a third party
product, brand or sponsor.
• Product placements: images or video that promote a brand, product or service.
• Ads for third party products, brands or sponsors
• Videos that contain full screen interstitials, such as title cards or end cards, that
feature a third-party brand, product or sponsor (as long as they are not included
in the video's first three seconds, or for five consecutive seconds anywhere in the
video)
• Images or video that include the sponsor's logos
• Disclosed content: Content that clearly indicates it was created in collaboration
with a third-party product, brand or sponsor. (Phrases like “sponsored by
[sponsor name]” or “brought to you by [sponsor name]” in your post)

5. What’s never allowed
Even if you use the Handshake tool, the following are NEVER
allowed:
• Videos that include video ads that play before, during or after
your video (pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads)
• Photos and videos that contain banner ads (meaning, laid on top
of the original content) promoting a third party brand, product or
sponsor
• Cover photos or profile photos that feature third-party products,
brands or sponsors

6. How will it affect my
success in the newsfeed?
Facebook has indicated that use of the Branded Content Tool will
not play any factor in algorithm ranking.

7. What changed today, September 1?
Starting today, Facebook has introduced a system to enforce the
Branded Content Policy.
You will need to tag corporate sponsors in the following
Facebook posts:
• Image posts that includes a sponsor logo
• Video posts that have a sponsor verbally mentioned or whose
logo is in an end card
• Live video where a sponsor is verbally mentioned or included
visually
• Thank you’s/acknowledgment of a sponsor in the text of a
post

8. Shares & link posts are not included
This applies to native content only, meaning you must tag a
sponsor if a logo or verbal mention is in a social image asset or
video asset that lives on Facebook as a native upload. It also
applies to text mentions in your posts.
You do not have to tag content that you are sharing from another
page, or a link post to your website.

9. Other important details
• Sponsors need to be tagged; funders are OK. This applies to
corporate sponsors only; content featuring a nonprofit entity
(funders) are except from enforcement.
• Tagging multiple sponsors. At this time, you can only tag ONE
sponsor at a time. Facebook is working on creating a tool that
can tag multiple sponsors, but it is not yet released.
• No retroactive enforcement. This policy enforcement does not
apply to posts in the past - meaning, you do not have to
retroactively go back and tag sponsors in your Facebook posts.

10. How to use the handshake tool

11. How to use the handshake tool

12. How to use the handshake tool

13. What sponsors will see
When sponsors are tagged in posts:
• They will be notified in Facebook
• They will have access to high-level post metrics
• They will be able to see total spend and CPM (if you boosted
the post)
• They will be able to share the post to their own page and
boost it themselves

14. Enforcement
If Facebook finds a possible violation of the policy, they will flag it
and the entire post will automatically be hidden from your
timeline until use of the tool. Pages will have up to three strikes
for Branded Content violations; on the third strike, the post that
was flagged will be hidden from the timeline.
Facebook has said that it might take awhile to train the
enforcement system. If you do receive a note that Facebook has
taken down a post that you feel is unfair, you can contest the
takedown by clicking on the link provided in the email from
Facebook.

15. Moving Forward
• Work with your Sponsorship contact on what this means for
your production
• Be careful about the visibility that you promise to a sponsor on
Facebook
• Special sponsor initiatives like a Facebook-only series are
encouraged but would include the use of Branded Content
Tags
• Create separate deliverables for sponsors that include their
logos that they can share on their own Facebook Page(s)