Terminology: Branded Content vs Partnership Ads vs Whitelisting

Branded content (Instagram term): Organic creator/publisher content that features or is influenced by a business partner in exchange for value (payment, free product, etc.). When tagged correctly, it shows “Paid partnership with” on the post.
Paid partnership label (on the post): The on-post disclosure label creators use when tagging the brand partner for branded content.
Whitelisting (industry term): The creator gives the brand (or agency) permission to run ads using the creator’s handle and content. On Meta, this is typically implemented via partnership ads permissions.
Partnership ads (Meta Ads Manager term): The ad format (formerly “branded content ads”) where the advertiser boosts or uses eligible branded content and the ad can show both the creator and brand in the header.