Skip to content
affilo
Join the list
Sign inJoin the list
Help and answers
Claims playbook · free

What you can and can’t say about fitness products on Instagram

Fitness ads get pulled for weight-loss numbers, edited before and afters and claims about pain.

Download the PDF

A first pass, not legal advice. See the source rules

A script, checkedExample
  • Change before it runs

    “I lost 10kg in six weeks with this.”

    Flagged by the claims check

    Talk about the routine, not the result: “It’s part of how I eat now.”

    CAP 13
  • Fine to say

    “I train three times a week and this is part of it.”

  • Change before it runs

    “Boosts your metabolism.”

    Flagged by the claims check

    Talk about your routine, not what it does: “It’s part of my morning now.”

    GB register
  • Fine to say

    “#ad What I take before every session”

Verdicts from Affilo’s claims check and this playbook’s rulebook.

CAP 2Influencer guidance

Say it’s an ad, up front

Paid or on commission, the post is an ad, and people have to know that before they tap or read on.

Don’t say

  • Change before it runs

    “Leg day fuel #sp”

    Flagged by the #ad check · CAP 2

  • Change before it runs

    “New gym bag essential, thanks guys”

    Flagged by the #ad check · CAP 2

Say instead

  • Fine to say

    “#ad What I take before every session”

  • Fine to say

    “#advert My training kit for this block”

Put #ad at the start of the caption and turn on Instagram’s paid partnership label too. In Stories, label every frame the product is in.

CAP 13

Weight loss: no numbers, no promises

An ad can’t promise a set amount of weight lost or a rate of loss, and slimming ads can’t be aimed at under-18s.

Don’t say

  • Change before it runs

    “I lost 10kg in six weeks with this.”

    Flagged by the claims check · CAP 13

    Try: Talk about the routine, not the result: “It’s part of how I eat now.”

  • Change before it runs

    “Burns fat while you sleep.”

    Flagged by this rulebook · CAP 13

Say instead

  • Fine to say

    “I train three times a week and this is part of it.”

GB registerCAP 15

Shakes and creatine follow the food rules

Protein, creatine and pre-workouts are food. Health claims for them come from the GB register.

Don’t say

  • Change before it runs

    “Boosts your metabolism.”

    Flagged by the claims check · GB register

    Try: Talk about your routine, not what it does: “It’s part of my morning now.”

  • Change before it runs

    “Increases your energy for the whole session.”

    Flagged by the claims check · GB register

    Try: Talk about your routine, not what it does: “It’s part of my morning now.”

Say instead

  • Fine to say

    “Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise.”

  • Fine to say

    “Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.”

Creatine’s claim needs 3 g a day. The register lists more nutrients than are shown here.

CAP 12

Kit can’t fix pain or injuries

Saying a product fixes pain or an injury is a medical claim, and needs the evidence a medical device has.

Don’t say

  • Change before it runs

    “It fixed my back pain.”

    Flagged by this rulebook · CAP 12

  • Change before it runs

    “Cures shin splints.”

    Flagged by this rulebook · CAP 12

Say instead

  • Fine to say

    “It’s what I use for every session.”

CAP 3CAP 13

Before and after, done honestly

Before and after shots must be real, unedited and of the same person, in the same light and pose.

Watch for

  • Check the evidence

    An edited after shot

    For your reviewer · CAP 3, CAP 13

  • Check the evidence

    Photos taken years apart with no dates

    For your reviewer · CAP 3, CAP 13

Instead

  • Fine to say

    Same light, same pose, dated

CAP 3

No promises about results

Guaranteed, instant or for everyone is likely to mislead. Say what it was like for you.

Don’t say

  • Check the evidence

    “Guaranteed results in 30 days.”

    Flagged by the claims check · CAP 3

    Try: Say what it’s like for you, not for everyone.

  • Check the evidence

    “Clinically proven to build muscle.”

    Flagged by the claims check · CAP 3

    Try: Say why you chose it instead: “I wanted one that’s third-party tested.”

Say instead

  • Fine to say

    “Here’s week one and week eight, same light.”

CAP 3

Made with AI? Say so

AI-made people, results and testimonials need a label wherever a viewer would take them as real.

Watch for

  • Check the evidence

    An AI-made person giving a testimonial, with nothing to say so

    For your reviewer · CAP 3

  • Check the evidence

    A result the product can’t give, made with AI

    For your reviewer · CAP 3

Instead

  • Fine to say

    Add a short on-screen line: “Made with AI”.

GB register

Authorised wording you can use

Word for word from the register. A line can be used only when the product has the nutrient at a significant amount: at least 15% of the reference intake in a daily dose, or 3 g a day for creatine.

Creatine
  • “increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise”
Magnesium
  • “contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue”
  • “contributes to normal muscle function”
  • “contributes to normal psychological function”
  • “contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism”
Vitamin D
  • “contributes to the normal function of the immune system”
  • “contributes to the maintenance of normal bones”
  • “contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function”
Vitamin B12
  • “contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue”
  • “contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism”
  • “contributes to the normal function of the immune system”
  • “contributes to normal psychological function”
Your rulebook

Start with this rulebook.

Sign up as a brand and these lines go on every product you add, ready to edit. Creators see them with the brief, and every script is read against them when it comes in for review.

Download the PDF

Free. Every line stays yours to edit or remove.

RulebookFrom the fitness playbook

Lines creators may not say

  • Not allowedBurns fat
  • Not allowedWeight loss or lose weight
  • Not allowedFixes pain
  • Not allowedCures, treats or heals

Lines creators may say

  • AllowedPart of my training
Disclosure#ad

A first pass, not legal advice

This playbook sets out the main rules for ads seen in the UK, as we read them on 7 November 2026. It is a starting point for briefing creators, not legal advice. Check your claims with your compliance lead or a lawyer before an ad runs.

The source rules

As read on 7 November 2026.