Brands, celebrity influencers and publishers can now monetise their shared content on Facebook through a change to the social network’s policies.

Up until now, publishers using branded content were acting against the Facebook rules, unless it had been directly approved by the social media. The update aims to make it easier to tag sponsors behind the content.

Verified Facebook Pages with a blue tick will now be able to share branded content on Facebook, including text, photos, videos, instant articles, links, 360 videos and live footage.

“Branded content was one of the first forms of television marketing, when soap operas were created and sponsored by brands in the 1930s,” states a Facebook blog post.

“It evolved to product placement and sponsorships across TV and radio, and now includes digital editorial content that highlights a marketer’s product or service.”

However, sponsored profile and cover photos, pre-roll adverts and “persistent watermarks” will still not be acceptable under the branded content policy updates.