There’s been a lot of talk lately about “brand safety” or brands looking to work with influencers who are considered “brand safe”... so, what is it?

“Brand safety” refers to the idea of protecting an image that a brand wants to maintain - this can mean ensuring that ads don’t appear on any websites with content that doesn’t align with their values, or avoiding being associated with influencers whose content does not follow their specific guidelines.

Am I brand safe?

It depends. Each brand has their own set of brand safety standards. That said, if you post content of a sexual nature, use excessive profanity, reference cannabis or other drug use, then most mainstream brands would not considered your account as “brand safe”.  Of course, there are also brands what look for content of that nature. For example, a cannabis brand would definitely want an influencer who posts about cannabis. Additionally, some brands choose not to work with influencers who have posts in which they appear in a state of undress, that reference drinking alcohol, or discuss politics or religion.  

Here’s a helpful checklist to determine whether your social media would be considered “brand safe” for mainstream brands: