Creator Guidelines

What Gratis Is (and Isn't)

Gratis is a platform where food and lifestyle creators in Philadelphia get complimentary dining experiences in exchange for authentic content. There are no scripts, no brand guidelines, and no approval process for what you say.

Gratis is not a paid sponsorship platform. Creators are not compensated in cash — the compensation is the experience itself. If a meal is disappointing, you are free to say so.

Applying to an offer is not a guarantee of approval. Businesses select creators based on niche fit, content style, and audience. A rejection is not personal — it reflects what the business is looking for at that moment.

"Honest content is the whole point."

Eligibility

Gratis is open to creators at every level — micro (1K–10K), mid-tier (10K–100K), and beyond. Follower count alone does not determine eligibility. Engagement, content quality, and niche relevance matter more.

To be eligible you must:

• Have at least one public, active social account (Instagram or TikTok)
• Create content related to food, lifestyle, travel, or a relevant adjacent niche
• Be based in or regularly active in the Philadelphia area during the launch phase
• Be 18 years of age or older

Accounts that are private, recently created with no posting history, or primarily focused on non-food content may not be approved during the launch cohort phase.

Applying to Offers

Each offer posted by a business specifies what they are looking for — the type of content (reel, post, TikTok), the visit window, and any specific requests (e.g. focus on the brunch menu). Read the offer fully before applying.

• You may only submit one application per offer
• Do not apply to offers you do not intend to follow through on
• Repeated applications to offers with no follow-through will result in account review

Once a business approves your application, a collab is created and the visit window begins. At that point you are committed. Do not accept a collab unless you can realistically complete it.

The Visit

Treat the visit as you would any professional engagement. The business is investing real product and time into this collab.

• Arrive on time. If you need to reschedule, contact the business directly through Gratis
• Identify yourself as a Gratis creator when you arrive — do not claim a free meal without disclosing the arrangement to staff
• Do not bring additional guests beyond what the offer specifies without prior approval
• Be respectful of staff, other customers, and the space

You are not obligated to give a positive review. If the experience falls short, you may post honestly. You are also allowed to not post at all and close the collab — but habitual no-posts will affect your standing on the platform.

Content Requirements

The content you create must meet the following minimum requirements for a collab to be marked complete:

• Post must be live on the platform specified in the offer (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) and set to public
• Post must tag the business's account
• Post must include an FTC-compliant disclosure (see Section 6)
• Post must go live within the timeframe specified in the offer (typically 7 days)
• Post must remain live for a minimum of 30 days after submission

Recycled or pre-existing content not related to the actual visit is not permitted. Content must be original and specific to the collab experience.

FTC Disclosure

Because the meal or experience was provided at no cost in exchange for content, United States FTC guidelines require that you clearly disclose this material connection to your audience.

Acceptable disclosures include:

• #gifted or #ad prominently placed in the caption — not buried at the end among other hashtags
• A verbal or on-screen disclosure in video content (e.g. "this meal was gifted by [Business]")
• Instagram's built-in "Paid partnership" label

Disclosures must be clear and conspicuous — visible without expanding the caption, not hidden in a wall of hashtags, and not ambiguous.

Gratis reserves the right to flag submissions that lack a visible disclosure. Repeated violations may result in account suspension.

"This is not optional — it is a legal requirement."

What You Cannot Do

The following actions are prohibited and may result in immediate account suspension:

• Accepting a collab and failing to visit without notifying the business
• Submitting a fake, recycled, or unrelated post as proof of content
• Removing or archiving content before the 30-day minimum window has passed
• Creating multiple Gratis accounts to apply to the same offer more than once
• Harassing, threatening, or publicly disparaging a business outside of honest review
• Selling, transferring, or sharing account access with another person
• Misrepresenting your follower count, engagement rate, or account ownership during onboarding

Disputes

If a business disputes a collab — claiming a visit did not occur or content was not posted as agreed — Gratis will review the submission and may contact both parties. We ask that you retain receipts, screenshots, or any evidence of the visit and post until the collab is marked complete.

If you believe a business acted in bad faith (e.g. refused to honor an approved collab), contact us at help@gratis.live. We take these seriously and will investigate.

Account Standing

Gratis tracks creator reliability. Patterns that negatively affect your standing include:

• Consistently applying to collabs and not completing them
• Submitting content that does not meet the requirements above
• Receiving multiple business disputes
• Violating FTC disclosure requirements after being warned

Accounts flagged for low reliability may have their applications deprioritized in business review queues. Accounts in serious violation may be suspended or permanently removed.

If you believe your account was suspended in error, email help@gratis.live with your account details and a brief explanation.

Updates

These guidelines may be updated as Gratis grows. We will notify creators of material changes via email. Continued use of the platform after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated guidelines. The current version is always available at this URL.