Do influencers have to say a health video is a paid ad?

Yes. FTC rule 16 CFR 255.5 says any paid connection between the creator and the brand must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. In the reads we analyzed, the safe ones label the ad early and out loud, and the riskiest one, Mochi Health, never discloses the paid code at all.

What has to be included when an influencer names a prescription drug?

Under FDA rule 21 U.S.C. 352(n), a prescription-drug ad has to carry the risks too, results may vary, prescription required, and a pointer to the safety information. Leaving the risks out can be treated as misbranding.

Are compounded GLP-1 weight-loss ads risky right now?

Very. In September 2025 the FDA and HHS sent warning letters to more than 50 companies selling compounded GLP-1 drugs, and on February 20, 2026 the FDA sent letters to 30 more telehealth companies over compounded GLP-1 marketing. A read that never says compounded, or calls it the same as the approved drug, sits squarely in that enforcement crosshair.

How much can a bad health influencer ad cost?

The FTC can seek civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation under its Notice of Penalty Offenses on endorsements, and a single post can cause many violations. On the medicine side, the FDA can treat a prescription-drug ad that leaves out the risks as misbranding.

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health influencer marketing · telehealth

Health Influencer Sponsorship Read Examples That Stay Compliant

Real sponsored videos for health and telehealth brands, broken down line by line, what is compliant, what is not, and the exact wording to fix each one.

By Dennis Ksendzov, Founder, Influencer AdvisoryJuly 8, 20269 min read

Key takeaways

FTC penalties can reach $53,088 per violation, and one bad post can count as many violations.
Three golden rules for health reads: say it is paid, only claim what you can prove, and hand the medical part to the doctors.
The Hims & Hers and Kim Gravel reads are the model, a real story, named drugs, and the full safety tail.
The Mochi Health compounded GLP-1 read breaks the most rules, no disclosure, a hard lose 60 lbs claim, and no risk balance.
On February 20, 2026 the FDA sent warning letters to 30 telehealth companies over compounded GLP-1 marketing.

Regulated markets · Health sponsorship reads

These are rules to keep in mind if you sell a health or telehealth product and you are using influencers to advertise.

We put together this document by analyzing real sponsored videos for health brands. We break down what is compliant and what is not, line by line.

This will help you stay compliant and avoid fines from governments and platforms when you promote a regulated health product with influencers.

Before we dive in, here are three golden rules for health and telehealth ads:

Tell people it is paid. If a brand gives you money or free product, you have to say so in a way nobody can miss, inside the video, out loud.
Only say what you can prove. "It helped me" is a personal story and is fine. "It improves your health" or "lose 60 lbs" is a medical claim, and that needs real science behind it.
Hand the medical part to the doctors. These are prescription products. Say "results vary," say "prescription required," point to the safety info, and if the drug is compounded, say so. Do not promise health results yourself.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can seek civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation under its Notice of Penalty Offenses on endorsements, and a single bad post can cause many violations. On the medicine side, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can treat a prescription-drug ad that leaves out the risks as "misbranding." In 2025 and 2026 the FDA sent warning letters to dozens of telehealth companies over weight-loss drug ads, so this is being enforced right now.

Example of a Poor Integration: Transcend

United States · 270,000 views · Telehealth (hormones, weight loss, recovery)

▶ Watch the read on YouTube (jumps to 1:07, where the sponsor part starts)

What they said: "A word from this video sponsor, Transcend. Transcend is a medical company that's assisting myself and other veterans in their specific medical needs. ... they focus on metabolic and weight loss medications, hormone optimization, sexual health and performance, pain recovery, and inflammation. ... use my link below or use my code, Richard Hy, for 10% off of your first order."

The rule, word for word (FTC, 16 CFR 255.5):

"Such connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously."

The rule, word for word (FDA, 21 U.S.C. 352(n)):

Here the disclosure is actually fine, which makes the rest easy to miss. He says "this video sponsor, Transcend" up front and uses his own code. The problem is the wall of medical claims with no balance at all.

What's wrong here:

It stacks medical claims. "Metabolic and weight loss medications, hormone optimization, sexual health and performance, pain recovery, and inflammation" is five claim areas in one breath. Naming prescription treatment for them triggers the 352(n) duty to talk about the risks. There is none.
No balance. No "results may vary," no "prescription required," no "talk to a doctor," and no safety pointer.
"Pain recovery" and "inflammation" are the same kind of treatment claims the FDA has acted on before.

How to make it safe:

Keep the early disclosure and the code.
Trade the claim list for the service. Lift this: "Transcend is a telehealth service for veterans. You book a call, and their licensed doctors talk you through what they can and cannot help with."
Add a floor. Lift this: "This is not medical advice. A real doctor reviews your case first."

What we'd do: Re-record the middle. The disclosure is good; the claim stack is the liability.

The one I would never post: Mochi Health

United States · 40,000 views · Compounded GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) weight loss (tirzepatide)

▶ Watch the read on YouTube (jumps to 0:00, where the read starts)

What they said: "Y'all already know I'm taking tirzepatide. I got it through Mochi Health. If y'all having a problem with food noise like I was ... I have a code in my description that's going to save you $40 ... to lose these 60 lbs."

The rule, word for word (FTC, 16 CFR 255.5):

"Such connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously."

The rule, word for word (FTC, 16 CFR 255.2(a)):

The rule, word for word (FDA, on compounded drugs):

"FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed. ... Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved."

This is a short clip, but it breaks more rules than any other read here, and it does it while sounding like a friendly personal tip. That is what makes it dangerous.

What's wrong here:

It hides that it is paid. "I got it through Mochi Health" sounds like a personal pick, but there is a paid discount code behind it. 255.5 says that tie has to be disclosed "clearly and conspicuously." It is not disclosed at all.
It makes a hard result claim with no proof and no balance. "To lose these 60 lbs" tied to tirzepatide is a before-and-after drug claim. 255.2 needs real evidence for it, and the medicine rules need the risks said out loud. Neither is here: no "results may vary," no "prescription required," no mention of side effects like nausea.
It is a compounded GLP-1, which is the exact product the FDA is acting on right now, and the read never says "compounded" or warns that it is not the FDA-approved drug.

This is not hypothetical:

September 2025: the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened a broad crackdown on telehealth drug ads and sent warning letters to more than 50 companies that compound or sell GLP-1 semaglutide and tirzepatide.
February 20, 2026: the FDA sent warning letters to 30 telehealth companies over their compounded GLP-1 marketing. It called claims that these compounded shots are "generic versions" or the "same active ingredient" as the approved drugs false or misleading. A read like this sits squarely in that crosshair.

How to make it safe - wording you can lift:

Disclose first. "This video is sponsored by Mochi Health."
Kill the hard number, or make it personal. Instead of "to lose these 60 lbs," say "this is my own result, and results are different for everyone."
Hand the medicine to the doctors. "You need a prescription, and a licensed provider decides if it is right for you."
Add the risk line. "It can have side effects like nausea. Read the safety info on their site."
Say what it is. If the product is compounded, say so, and never call it the same as the FDA-approved version.

What we'd do: We would not run this. We would ask for a re-record with a clear ad label, the hard claim cut, and the medical part handed to Mochi's clinicians. Given the FDA's 2025-2026 GLP-1 sweep, this is the highest-risk read in the set.

The cheat sheet

United States - prescription and telehealth

Say it is a paid ad early, in plain words, out loud. (FTC 16 CFR 255.5)
Keep claims personal and soft, like "it helped me." Avoid hard promises like "lose 60 lbs" or "improves your health." (FTC 255.2)
If you name a prescription drug, the risks have to come too: "results may vary," "prescription required," and a pointer to the safety info. (FDA 21 U.S.C. 352(n))
Let the brand's licensed doctors own the medical claims. You own the story.
If the drug is compounded, say so, and never call it the same as the FDA-approved version. (FDA compounding rules; 2025-2026 GLP-1 warning letters)
Say where it is not available, since telehealth is state by state. ("Not available in all 50 states.")

Sources

FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255 (255.1, 255.2, 255.5): law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/255
FTC Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers + Notice of Penalty Offenses: ftc.gov
FDA prescription-drug advertising, 21 U.S.C. 352(n) and 21 CFR 202.1: law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/352
FDA Human Drug Compounding (compounded drugs are not FDA-approved): fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding
FDA / HHS warning letters to telehealth firms over compounded GLP-1 marketing (50+ firms Sept 2025; 30 telehealth companies Feb 20, 2026): fda.gov

Video links open the public YouTube videos and jump to the moment the sponsor read begins. Google Docs cannot play video inside the page, so the link is a click-through, not an inline player.

An influencer program run by people who already know these rules keeps every health read on the right side of the FTC and FDA before it ships.

Talk with us about your program

Frequently asked

Do influencers have to say a health video is a paid ad?
Yes. FTC rule 16 CFR 255.5 says any paid connection between the creator and the brand must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. In the reads we analyzed, the safe ones label the ad early and out loud, and the riskiest one, Mochi Health, never discloses the paid code at all.
What has to be included when an influencer names a prescription drug?
Under FDA rule 21 U.S.C. 352(n), a prescription-drug ad has to carry the risks too, results may vary, prescription required, and a pointer to the safety information. Leaving the risks out can be treated as misbranding.
Are compounded GLP-1 weight-loss ads risky right now?
Very. In September 2025 the FDA and HHS sent warning letters to more than 50 companies selling compounded GLP-1 drugs, and on February 20, 2026 the FDA sent letters to 30 more telehealth companies over compounded GLP-1 marketing. A read that never says compounded, or calls it the same as the approved drug, sits squarely in that enforcement crosshair.
How much can a bad health influencer ad cost?
The FTC can seek civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation under its Notice of Penalty Offenses on endorsements, and a single post can cause many violations. On the medicine side, the FDA can treat a prescription-drug ad that leaves out the risks as misbranding.