YouTube Paid Promotion and ASCI Disclosure Helper for Indian creators
Get the paid promotion setting, the ASCI label and its time on screen, and ready lines in three languages.
- Free to use
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
Want an expert to check this result?
Send it to us in one click. We read it and reply within one business day with what we would fix first.
Embed this tool on your websiteFree. Paste one code; it runs in your visitors' browsers.
Copy this code into a page of your site. The tool sets no cookies and sends nothing your visitors type to us. Change height="760" if it needs more room.
About the YouTube Paid Promotion and ASCI Disclosure Helper
Tell the tool what the brand gave you: money, a free product, a discount, an affiliate link, or whether it is your own business. Add the video type, its length and your language. You get whether to tick YouTube's paid promotion box, the label to use under the ASCI influencer guidelines and the Department of Consumer Affairs' Endorsements Know-hows, where it goes and how long it stays on screen, a line to say at the start and a line for the description in English, Hinglish or Hindi, and a checklist. It runs in your browser. It is a guide, not legal advice.
How it works
-
Step 1
Tick what the brand gave you, and add the brand and the product.
-
Step 2
Choose video, Short or live stream, the length and your language, or click "Try an example".
-
Step 3
Tick YouTube's paid promotion box, keep the label on screen for the time shown, say the start line and paste the description line.
YouTube's paid promotion setting
YouTube's branded content policy covers content made in return for something of value, including free products, whether you get it now or later, in videos, Shorts, live streams, descriptions and comments. You must declare it with the paid promotion setting in YouTube Studio, and YouTube then shows viewers a disclosure such as "Includes paid promotion". If you do not, YouTube may add a label itself or remove the content. YouTube says you and the brands you work with are responsible for local disclosure laws.
India: ASCI and the Department of Consumer Affairs
ASCI's guidelines ask for a label whenever there is a material connection with the brand, such as money, free products, discounts, gifts, trips, or a family or work link, even when your review is honest. The label must be upfront and hard to miss, not lost in a group of hashtags. In a video it goes on screen: at least 3 seconds for a video of 15 seconds or less, a third of the length for one under 2 minutes, and the whole brand section for longer videos. The Department of Consumer Affairs asks for disclosure in both audio and video, and says not to endorse anything you have not used or experienced.
What this tool cannot do
It is a guide to the published rules, not legal advice, and it cannot see your video or your agreement with the brand. It does not check the brand's claims, and it does not cover special sectors in detail, such as health and finance advice, where ASCI asks influencers to state their qualifications. Check the latest guidelines on the ASCI and Department of Consumer Affairs websites before a big campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to tick paid promotion on YouTube for a free product?
Yes. YouTube's branded content policy covers content influenced by a brand in return for something of value, including free products, whether you receive the benefit now or later. Tick the paid promotion setting in YouTube Studio, and follow India's rules too: ASCI counts free products, even ones you did not ask for, as a material connection.
Which ad labels can I use in India?
ASCI lists Advertisement, Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration, Partnership, Employee and Free gift, and its 2025 guidelines also list Affiliate and platform tools such as YouTube's paid promotion label. The Department of Consumer Affairs names advertisement, ad, sponsored, collaboration and partnership. Short forms such as "collab" are on neither list. Our suggestion: "Ad" is on both lists and can be read at a glance.
How long must the ad label stay on screen in a YouTube video?
Under ASCI's guidelines: at least 3 seconds for a video of 15 seconds or less, at least a third of the length for a video longer than 15 seconds and under 2 minutes, and the whole section where the brand or its features are mentioned in a video of 2 minutes or more. In a live stream, announce it at the start and the end. The Department of Consumer Affairs also asks for disclosure in both audio and video.
Do I need a label for affiliate links?
Yes, under ASCI's guidelines: a link or code that pays you for clicks or sales is a material connection, and Affiliate is one of the labels ASCI lists. Say so in the video and at the start of the description, not only at the end. For YouTube Shopping affiliate content, YouTube's tips say to tick the paid promotion box when the content features a paid endorsement, and to follow your country's disclosure guidance.
What are the penalties for misleading endorsements in India?
Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Central Consumer Protection Authority can fine the endorser of a misleading advertisement up to ₹10 lakh, and up to ₹50 lakh for later ones, and can stop an endorser from endorsing for up to 1 year, or up to 3 years for later ones. ASCI can also act on influencer posts that break its guidelines, and it notifies both the brand and the influencer.
Sources and checks
Rules last checked
The YouTube Paid Promotion and ASCI Disclosure Helper follows these official pages:
- Paid product placements, sponsorships and endorsements (support.google.com)
- Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media (ascionline.in)
- Influencer guidelines FAQs (ascionline.in)
- Endorsements Know-hows! For celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers (consumeraffairs.gov.in)
Scores, limits and suggestions marked "our checklist", "our measure" or "our suggestion" are ours, not Google's or the platform's. How our tools work
Related reading
Want help with your channel?
Tell us about your channel and what it should do for the business. We reply within one business day.
Talk to usMore YouTube tools
All YouTube tools- YouTube Made for Kids and AI Disclosure Helper Work out the made for kids setting, and whether a video needs YouTube's AI disclosure, from YouTube's rules.
- YouTube Copyright and Strike Helper Understand a claim, strike or warning, see your options in order with their risks, and when it expires.
- YouTube Monetisation Policy Checklist Tick through YouTube's monetisation policies, and see what they say about the content you make.
- YouTube Video SEO Checker Check a video's title, description, tags, hashtags and chapters against YouTube's limits and rules.
Want us to fix what the tool found?
Tell us about your business and what you want to grow. We reply within one business day with next steps, not a sales script.
- A reply within one business day
- A quick look at your site and search visibility before we talk
- Your details are only used to answer your enquiry