TikTok, Meta, and LinkedIn each let you turn a real person's post into a paid ad. TikTok calls it Spark Ads. Meta calls it partnership ads. LinkedIn calls it Thought Leader Ads. All 3 run your ad through a person's handle rather than your brand page, which is why they tend to feel more native than standard ads.
For B2B brands running creator or UGC programmes, these formats are how the best organic videos become your best-performing ads. This guide explains how each one works, how you get permission, and when to use which.
Quick comparison
| TikTok Spark Ads | Meta partnership ads | LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose post | Your TikTok account or an authorised creator's | A creator's, a brand's, or a business partner's | Employees, creators, and other LinkedIn members |
| How you get permission | Authorisation code or Business Center | Ad code or account-level permission in Creator Marketing Hub | Request approval in Campaign Manager |
| Where engagement goes | The original organic post | Both accounts shown in the header | The member's post |
| Best B2B use | Product-led SaaS, AI tools, Canvas UGC | Broad B2B and SMB audiences | Decision-makers and buying committees |
TikTok Spark Ads
Spark Ads are TikTok's native ad format for boosting organic posts. You can promote posts from your own TikTok account, or posts made by other creators with their authorisation.
The detail that matters: every view, like, comment, share, and follow the ad earns goes to the original organic post. Your paid spend builds the organic account at the same time, which makes Spark Ads the natural partner for Canvas UGC, where creators post to accounts your brand owns.
How permission works: the creator generates an authorisation code in TikTok and sends it to you, or you link the account through TikTok Business Center. TikTok lets you set how long the authorisation lasts.
Use it when: your product has a broad user base, you are running creator content on TikTok already, and you want organic growth and paid performance from the same spend.
Meta partnership ads
Partnership ads let advertisers run ads with creators, brands, and other businesses on Facebook and Instagram. Meta renamed them from branded content ads. Both the partner's account and the advertiser's account can appear in the ad's header, and Meta uses signals from both accounts to rank the ad.
How permission works: a partner can share an ad code for a single post, or grant account-level permission through Meta's Creator Marketing Hub so you can boost their eligible content without asking each time. The Instagram Help Center walks through both routes.
Use it when: you are running creator or UGC content on Instagram and Facebook and want it to reach new audiences through the creator's identity. It suits B2B brands selling to SMBs, founders, and individual users.
What happened to whitelisting?
"Whitelisting" is the older industry term for running ads through a creator's handle, often by getting access to their ad account. Partnership ads and Spark Ads are the platform-approved versions of the same idea, with built-in permission controls. If an agency or creator talks about whitelisted ads, this is usually what they mean.
LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads
Thought Leader Ads let you promote public posts from your employees, creators, and other LinkedIn members. Since March 2024, brands can sponsor posts from any member, not only employees, as long as the member approves.
LinkedIn supports text, single image, video, article, and newsletter posts. Celebrations, documents, polls, multi-image posts, and reposts aren't eligible. Available objectives are brand awareness, engagement, and video views. There is no lead gen form, so Thought Leader Ads build trust and familiarity rather than capturing leads directly.
How permission works: in Campaign Manager, find the post by member name or URL and click Request approval. The member gets an email and approves or declines. They can revoke permission at any time, and the ad stops.
LinkedIn is building around this format. Its Creator Marketplace, launched in alpha on 10 June 2026, lets brands find creators and request permission to amplify their posts as Thought Leader Ads.
Use it when: you sell to decision-makers, your sales cycle is long, and you want your founders, experts, customers, or industry creators in front of a buying committee. It pairs well with founder-led marketing and account-based marketing.
Which should you use?
- Product-led SaaS or AI tool with a broad market: start with Spark Ads and partnership ads, fed by high-volume creator content.
- Sales-led B2B with named target accounts: start with LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads, fed by founder, employee, and industry creator posts.
- Both motions: run all 3, and match the message to the platform. Short, demo-led video on TikTok and Instagram. Expertise and proof on LinkedIn.
How to get the most from creator ads
- Only boost posts that already work organically. Organic performance is your cheapest creative test.
- Agree permissions and usage terms upfront. Put authorisation length and paid usage rights in the creator contract.
- Refresh often. Creator ads fatigue. Keep a pipeline of new posts coming through organic social or a creator programme.
- Measure beyond clicks. Track trials, demos, and pipeline, especially on LinkedIn, where the objectives stop at engagement.
We saw what happens when proven creator creative gets budget behind it with Finden: the best-performing creative reached a 17.20% click-through rate at £0.57 per landing page view on a lean Meta budget.
How Regen helps
Regen runs creator ads across TikTok, Meta, and LinkedIn through our paid social and creator partnerships services. We source the creators, manage permissions, and put budget behind the posts that prove they convert.
Want creator ads that drive pipeline? Book a strategy call.
Creator ads FAQ
Are Spark Ads the same as partnership ads?
They do the same job on different platforms. Spark Ads boost organic TikTok posts. Partnership ads run creator or partner content on Facebook and Instagram.
Can I run LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads with people who don't work for my company?
Yes. Since March 2024, you can sponsor public posts from any LinkedIn member who approves your request.
Do creators get paid for Spark Ads or partnership ads?
The platforms don't pay creators for these formats. You agree payment and usage rights with the creator directly.
Which creator ad format is best for B2B?
LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads for reaching decision-makers. Spark Ads and partnership ads for reaching broad user bases at lower cost.
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