In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
Label every paid or gifted post clearly and early, as ASAS's social media guidelines require. Build a simple website with a media kit page that shows real, dated analytics, use an email on your own domain for brand deals, and agree in writing who owns the content and how long a brand can use it.
Disclosure rules for sponsored content in Singapore
The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore's Guidelines for Interactive Marketing Communication and Social Media apply to marketers, which they define to include endorsers and blog owners. The foremost principle is that marketing must be identified as such and kept distinct from personal opinion.
- If you have a connection with a brand that could affect how people weigh your content, it must be fully disclosed. ASAS lists commercial relationships, complimentary samples, friendly favours and special invitations as examples.
- Genuine enthusiasm is fine, but if there is a commercial relationship, the content should say so.
- Don't imply an endorsement by an organisation or person that hasn't given one.
- Don't present marketing as if it came from an impartial source.
ASAS defines sponsored content as posts paid for in cash or in kind, where the sponsor has a role in guiding the content. Gifted products count. This is general information, not legal advice.
How to disclose: placement and wording
Section 3.5 of the ASAS guidelines is specific about how disclosures should look. A label buried in a long hashtag block at the end of a caption doesn't meet it.
Meets the guidelines
- "Paid partnership with [brand]" or "Sponsored by [brand]" at the start of the caption
- The platform's paid partnership label, plus a clear caption label
- Spoken disclosure at the start of a video or podcast segment
- On-screen text in a contrasting colour, readable on a phone
- "Gifted by [brand]" for free products, even without payment
Falls short
- #sp or #collab hidden among 20 hashtags
- Disclosure only in a link or on a separate page
- A disclosure that appears after "more" or long scrolling
- Pale text that blends into the background
- No disclosure because "they only sent free stuff"
ASAS says disclosures should be displayed as early as reasonably possible, contrast with the background, be readable on different devices, and not depend on a hyperlink. Audio-only content should use audio disclosures, and written content written ones.
A media kit page with real numbers
Brands compare creators using your media kit. A kit on your own website, kept current, looks more professional than a PDF sent on request and lets you link it in every pitch.
Media kit page checklist
Own-domain email and protecting your name
Brand managers receive many pitches from free email addresses. An address like hello@yourname.com looks established, keeps working if you change platforms, and helps brands tell you apart from impersonators.
Register your name as a domain
Your creator name as a .com or .sg, plus common misspellings if they are cheap.
Set up business email on it
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Our business email setup guide walks through it.
Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC
So others can't easily send email that pretends to be you, and your replies land in brands' inboxes.
Turn on MFA everywhere
On email and every social account. Creator accounts are a common takeover target because of their audience.
Publish your official contact on your website
Brands can then check that an approach really came from you.
Scammers impersonate creators to approach brands, and impersonate brands to approach creators. Our guide to fake ads impersonating your business covers reporting and takedowns.
Contracts and usage rights
The biggest money mistakes in brand deals are about rights, not fees. A brand that can reuse your video in paid ads for two years is getting far more than one post.
| Term to agree | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Deliverables and deadlines | Number of posts, formats, review rounds and posting dates |
| Disclosure wording | Agree that posts will be labelled; the brand shouldn't ask you to hide it |
| Ownership of the content | Who owns the photos and videos after the campaign |
| Usage licence | Where the brand may reuse it (organic, paid ads, website, print) and for how long |
| Exclusivity | Whether you can work with competitors, for how long, in which category |
| Payment terms | Amount, deposit, due date, and what happens if the brand cancels |
Singapore's Copyright Act 2021 changed the default for commissioned work. The Ministry of Law's factsheet says creators of photographs, portraits, engravings, sound recordings and films are by default the first owner of copyright even when commissioned, unless a contract says otherwise. Read the contract carefully: many brand agreements transfer ownership or grant broad licences. See IPOS's copyright pages for more.
Using AI tools in creator work
AI tools can help with captions, scripts and editing, but disclosure and accuracy rules still apply. A sponsored post written with AI still needs the sponsorship label, and AI-generated images of a product must not misrepresent what the product does. Our AI social media content guide covers safe uses and the platforms' own AI labelling rules.
Do it yourself or get help?
Disclosure habits and contract terms are yours to manage. The website, media kit page and email set-up are one-off jobs that make every pitch easier.
Our Landing Page (S$690) builds a one-page site with your media kit and an enquiry form on your own domain. Business Email Setup (S$249) sets up your domain email with SPF, DKIM and DMARC so brand replies land in the inbox.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. ASAS's social media guidelines say a connection that may affect the credibility of an endorsement must be fully disclosed, and list complimentary samples, friendly favours and special invitations as examples. Label gifted posts clearly, for example "Gifted by" followed by the brand, near the start of the caption or video.
Only if it is clear and prominent. ASAS says disclosures should appear as early as reasonably possible, be easy to read on any device, and clearly show the content has been paid for. A short tag buried among many hashtags at the end of a caption is unlikely to meet that. Use plain words at the start.
A short bio, platforms with dated follower counts, engagement and reach figures from platform analytics with the period covered, audience demographics, collaboration types, past brand work you have permission to mention, and how to contact you. Use real analytics only, and update the figures regularly.
Under Singapore's Copyright Act 2021, creators of commissioned photographs, portraits, sound recordings and films are by default the first copyright owner, unless a contract says otherwise. Many brand contracts change this or grant wide usage rights, so check ownership, where the brand can reuse content and for how long before signing.
An address on your own domain looks professional to brands, keeps working if a platform bans or changes your account, and helps brands verify that an approach really comes from you. With SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up, it is also harder for scammers to send email pretending to be you.