Social Media Assistant
Journal

The ASA and the CAP Code for small-business social posts, in plain English

You do not need a lawyer to post about your own business. You do need to know the handful of rules that apply to it. This is the short version, with links to the official pages.

General information, not legal advice. Checked against the official pages on 4 November 2026.

Who does what

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is an independent body that makes sure UK ads follow the advertising rules. Its sister body, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), writes those rules. The advertising industry pays for the system, not the taxpayer.1

The rules for anything that is not TV or radio are in the CAP Code. It has sections on recognising ads, misleading claims, prices, promotions, the environment, health, food, alcohol and more.2 Most small businesses only ever touch a few of them.

What counts on your own page

The CAP Code covers claims, offers and promotions on your own social media and website, not only paid ads.3 The test is whether a post is directly connected to selling your goods or services. The ASA warns that almost anything that relates to what you sell may pass that test.4

Customer posts can count too. A customer's own post that you have not touched is usually outside the rules. But if you share it, comment on it or like it, you may have adopted it as your own marketing. Then the claims in it are yours to stand behind. Reasonable moderation is fine. Deleting the bad comments so only the glowing ones remain is likely to count as adopting the rest.4

Do my posts need an "Ad" label?

Usually not on your own account. When your business name is clearly shown as the poster, people can tell it is marketing. If the account name does not make the link obvious, you need to make it clear another way.5

It changes when someone else posts for you. If you pay an influencer, give them free products, or have a say in what they post, their post is likely to be an ad. The ASA recommends a clear label such as "Ad" at the start, visible before anyone taps "see more". Words like "gifted" or "sponsored" on their own are unlikely to be clear enough.6

The core rules, in one line each

  • Do not mislead. That includes leaving out something a customer needs to know, such as a compulsory fee.7
  • Hold the proof first. If people would read a claim as fact, you need the evidence before you post it, not after a complaint.8
  • Show real prices. Include VAT for consumers. A "from" price must be available. A "was" price must be the usual price.9
  • Keep testimonials genuine. Real people, their real words, their permission, and evidence on file.10

The book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook argues that most of your posts should give value and only some should ask for the sale. The rules above apply most to the asks, so that is where to slow down and check.

Giveaways and prize draws

"Like, share and tag a friend to win" is a promotion, and promotions have their own section of the Code. Put every condition that matters in the post itself, not only in terms people will not open: how to enter, the closing date, how winners are picked and told, and how they claim the prize.

A Facebook giveaway by a lettings agent shows why. Winners had to get in touch within a set time to claim, but neither the post nor the terms said so. The ASA upheld the complaint and found the promotion likely to mislead and not run fairly.11

What happens if a post breaks the rules

When a complaint is upheld, the ad must not run again in the same form, as in the giveaway case above.11 If a business will not comply, the ASA can name it on its website, work with platforms to remove content, run its own ads warning people, and refer the business to Trading Standards.12 For a local firm, a public ruling can cost more in trust than any fine.

Free help

The ASA's small business hub is the best place to start.3 CAP's copy advice team will look at a draft non-broadcast ad for free. The standard service takes a few working days, and the advice is not binding.13 Past rulings are searchable, and reading two or three in your trade teaches more than any summary.14

Social Media Assistant, which Keepwright is building, asks each person in the approval chain to sign the exact version they saw, and a changed word needs signing again. It is being tested on Keepwright's own social media first and is not open to other businesses yet.

Sources

  1. ASA, About the ASA and CAP: asa.org.uk
  2. ASA, The CAP Code (non-broadcast code): asa.org.uk
  3. ASA, Small business hub: asa.org.uk/sme
  4. ASA, Remit: Social media: asa.org.uk
  5. ASA, Recognising ads: Brand-owned and paid social media: asa.org.uk
  6. ASA, Recognising ads: Social media and influencer marketing: asa.org.uk
  7. ASA, Misleading advertising: asa.org.uk
  8. ASA, Substantiation: asa.org.uk
  9. ASA, Prices overview: asa.org.uk
  10. ASA, Testimonials and endorsements: asa.org.uk
  11. ASA ruling on Blenheim Sales & Lettings Ltd: asa.org.uk
  12. ASA, Sanctions: asa.org.uk
  13. ASA, Bespoke copy advice: asa.org.uk
  14. ASA, Rulings: asa.org.uk
  15. Method: Gary Vaynerchuk, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (book).