The Institute for Responsible Influence (IRI) is an initiative launched by the Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR) to promote trust, transparency, and responsibility in the creator economy by providing education, certification, tools, and ongoing support to creators, brands, and agencies. 

The first initiative of the Institute is the Responsible Influence Certification Program that provides education to creators on best practices for responsible content creation. 

Certification is available to human creators, influencers, and digital content professionals who are 18 years or older and interested in demonstrating adherence to responsible advertising and transparency standards.

At this time, certification is limited to individual human creators. AI-generated or fully autonomous AI influencers are not eligible for certification.

Certification consists of training modules on the FTC Endorsement Guides, other relevant regulatory requirements, and best practices, including intellectual property use and responsible AI.

Each module includes ungraded knowledge checks. The program concludes with a 25-question final assessment, which creators may retake as needed to achieve a passing score of 80%. 

Creators that pass the assessment and agree to follow Best Practices will earn a certification seal that they can then display to brands indicating they have been trained in responsible influence.

Certified creators signal to brands and audiences that they are committed to responsible practices, increasing credibility and trust. Brands may also use certification as a vetting tool for partnerships to ensure they are working with creators who have been trained in responsible best practices for influencer marketing.

• For individual creators:  On the “For Creators” webpage, complete the form at the bottom of the page to get added to the waitlist. View the Learner User Guide. 
•  For brands and agencies:  Brands and agencies can purchase seats in bulk that they can then assign to creators they work with. Go to the “For Brands & Agencies” webpage and fill out the form under the section titled “Collaborate with us.” Once the IRI team receive your form we will contact you about purchasing seats. View the Brand Manager User Guide.  

Yes. IRI monitors the public profiles of certified creators on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to ensure their content complies with the best practices they agreed to as part of the certification program.

Yes, the price is $100 per creator and payment is due before starting the training program.

You can email support@industryselfregulation.org with a request to change information on your profile such as changes to name, email address, social handles, website, etc.

The training program was developed specifically for individual creators. However, brand marketers who are interested in better understanding the applicable rules and best practices are welcome to complete the program.

Certification reflects completion of training and assessment along with a creator’s voluntary, good-faith commitment to use their best efforts to follow best practices to create responsible content. Certification does not constitute a guarantee of compliance, approval of any specific content, or endorsement by IRI.

For questions about the Institute or to join advisory efforts, see the contact details on ResponsibleInfluence.org or email the team directly at programs@industryselfregulation.org .