An affiliate disclosure tells your audience that you may receive money or another benefit from a product recommendation or link. The statement should clearly explain the relationship and appear where people will notice it before acting on the endorsement.
Key Takeaways
- Disclose commissions and other material connections that your audience would not reasonably expect.
- Place the disclosure close to the recommendation or affiliate link, not only in a footer, profile, or policy page.
- Use plain language that explains what you receive instead of relying on vague abbreviations.
- Match the disclosure to the format, including written, visual, and spoken disclosures when appropriate.
- Check the affiliate program's terms for required wording in addition to following FTC guidance.
- Treat a free template as a starting point, not a guarantee that every post complies.
What Is an Affiliate Disclosure?
An affiliate disclosure is a statement explaining that you have a financial or other material connection to a business whose products or services you endorse. A common example is a blogger who earns a commission when a reader buys something through a tracked link.
The disclosure allows consumers to evaluate your recommendation with knowledge of that relationship. Under the Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guidance, a material connection can include more than a cash commission. Free or discounted products, employment, and personal or family relationships may also require disclosure when the connection could affect the weight or credibility consumers give the endorsement.
The rule is not limited to professional influencers or large websites. It can apply to creators, employees, brand ambassadors, reviewers, online businesses, and anyone else making an endorsement with an undisclosed material connection. The amount earned does not determine whether the relationship matters.
You should disclose even when you give a mixed or negative review if the content includes a link through which you may earn a benefit. You must also describe your experience honestly. Do not claim that you used a product if you did not, and do not make claims that the advertiser could not substantiate.
The word affiliate can have different meanings in contracts and business law. For additional context, review the legal definition of affiliate. In marketing, the essential disclosure question is straightforward: Do you have a relationship that your audience might not expect and that could influence how it evaluates your recommendation?
Affiliate Disclosure Examples You Can Adapt
The FTC does not prescribe one universal sentence for every endorsement. Your wording must communicate the nature of the relationship in language your audience can understand. These affiliate disclosure examples provide useful starting points:
- Short blog disclosure: "This post contains paid links. I may earn a commission if you buy through them."
- Detailed blog disclosure: "Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a commission."
- Product review: "I received this product for free from [Brand]. The opinions in this review are my own."
- Social media post: "Ad: [Brand] pays me a commission when you purchase through my link."
- Video statement: "This video includes products from companies that pay me a commission when you use my links."
- Newsletter: "This email contains paid links. I may earn a commission from purchases made through them."
- Personal relationship: "My sister owns this business, and I am recommending one of its products."
You can say that using the link costs the buyer nothing extra only if that statement is accurate under the program's pricing structure. Do not add assurances about your independence or experience unless they are true.
Avoid disclosures such as "partner," "ambassador," "collab," or "affiliate link" without further explanation. Some consumers may not understand that those words mean you receive money or another benefit. A direct sentence about the commission is usually clearer. On space-limited social posts, a conspicuous term such as #ad may communicate the relationship more effectively than abbreviations such as #sp or #spon.
Amazon's program has required the statement, "As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases." Program terms can change, so confirm required language in the applicable program's official agreement rather than relying on an old sample.
Where Should an Affiliate Disclosure Appear?
A disclosure should be clear and conspicuous. The FTC evaluates factors such as placement, prominence, wording, and whether the disclosure appears in the same format as the endorsement. Consumers should not have to search for it.
Place the disclosure close to the claim, recommendation, or link it explains. On a blog, an early disclosure before affiliate links is generally more noticeable than a statement at the bottom. If an article is long or includes separate groups of recommendations, repetition may help readers see the relationship at the relevant point.
A general affiliate policy can provide additional detail, but it does not necessarily cure missing disclosures in individual content. A footer, terms page, navigation link, or creator profile can be overlooked. The same concern applies when a social platform hides the statement behind a "more" control. Put the disclosure before that control when the endorsement appears in the visible portion of the post.
Visibility also depends on presentation. Use readable text, sufficient contrast, and wording that does not blend into unrelated hashtags or links. A disclosure should remain visible long enough to read when it appears in a temporary image or video.
The FTC's endorsement guidance provides current answers about affiliate and influencer relationships. Creators can also consult the FTC's social media disclosure guidance. Platform tools can support a disclosure, but you should not assume that a tool alone communicates the relationship clearly in every context.
Affiliate Disclosure Placement by Platform
Your audience may consume the same campaign through text, audio, images, or video. Match the disclosure to how the endorsement is delivered instead of copying one website disclaimer into every channel.
| Format | Disclosure Format | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Blog or website | Plain written statement explaining the commission or benefit | Near the recommendation and before or close to affiliate links; repeat when length or layout could separate the statement from later links |
| Social post | Direct text such as "Ad" or a sentence explaining payment | At the beginning or early in the caption, before a "more" control and not buried among hashtags |
| Recorded video | Spoken disclosure plus readable on-screen text | In the video near the endorsement; also disclose near affiliate links in the description |
| Live stream | Spoken and on-screen disclosure | At the start and periodically so viewers who join later can encounter it |
| Podcast | Spoken disclosure in clear language | Before or with the endorsement; repeat if later segments contain separate affiliate promotions |
| Email newsletter | Written statement in the email | Near the recommendation or paid links, not only on the sender's website |
| Image or story | Readable text over the image | On the promotional image itself, displayed with enough size, contrast, and time to be noticed |
A video description alone may not be enough because viewers can watch an embedded video without seeing the description. Similarly, a disclosure in the story after an endorsement arrives too late for viewers who act on the first story.
For Pinterest and similar image-based services, disclose in the pin description when the pin goes directly to an affiliate product. If it instead leads to an article, that article should contain its own appropriately placed disclosure. Review each platform's current advertising rules as well because platform requirements may add to, but do not replace, legal disclosure obligations.
Free Affiliate Disclosure Template and Common Mistakes
You can use this free affiliate disclosure template as a starting point: "This [post, email, or video] contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may receive a commission. [Add any other material benefit or relationship that applies.]"
Customize the bracketed language for the actual relationship and medium. If a brand gave you a product, say so. If you are an employee, owner, relative, or paid spokesperson, identify that connection instead of describing every relationship as an affiliate commission.
No template automatically ensures compliance. Context matters, including screen size, placement, surrounding claims, audience, and the way a platform truncates content. Review these common mistakes:
- Using only a sitewide policy: Readers may never see a footer or separate disclosure page before clicking a paid link.
- Placing the statement too late: A disclosure after the recommendation or purchase link may not inform the consumer in time.
- Using vague wording: "Thanks to our partners" does not necessarily explain that you receive a commission.
- Burying the disclosure: A statement mixed into a long group of hashtags, tags, or links can be easy to miss.
- Ignoring the content format: Tiny on-screen text does not adequately inform people listening to a video, while an audio-only disclosure does not serve viewers watching without sound.
- Assuming automation solves placement: A plugin or default template may fail on mobile devices, older posts, embedded content, or new page layouts.
Test disclosures on the devices your audience uses. Review existing content when you change templates, migrate platforms, or add affiliate links to an older page.
Affiliate Disclosure vs. Affiliate Agreement
An affiliate disclosure informs consumers about the creator's relationship with a business. An affiliate agreement is a contract between the business and the affiliate that establishes the rules of that relationship. One does not replace the other.
An affiliate agreement may address commission calculations, payment timing, attribution, approved marketing methods, intellectual property, prohibited claims, disclosure duties, account suspension, termination, and treatment of unpaid commissions. The agreement should also assign responsibility for monitoring content and correcting noncompliant promotions.
If you join an existing program, read its current terms before publishing links. A program may require exact disclosure wording or impose marketing restrictions beyond general FTC guidance. Violating those terms can result in contractual consequences, including termination, depending on the agreement.
A business creating its own program should coordinate the contract with its actual campaign practices. For example, the agreement can require affiliates to use truthful claims, disclose free products, follow written brand instructions, and remove outdated promotions. It should not encourage endorsers to make claims the business could not make directly.
Your business structure is a separate consideration. Forming an entity does not eliminate advertising or disclosure duties, but it may affect contracts, taxes, and liability management. Creators deciding how to organize their work can review whether they need an LLC for a blog and the general process for forming an LLC.
If you are launching an affiliate program, negotiating program terms, managing disclosures across several channels, or responding to a complaint, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. An attorney can review campaign practices, draft or revise the affiliate agreement, compare disclosures with current rules and program terms, and recommend corrections. Responses typically arrive within a day.
How to Build an Affiliate Disclosure Compliance Process
A repeatable process reduces the chance that disclosures disappear when content is republished or adapted. Begin by listing each commission, free product, discount, employment relationship, and personal connection associated with your campaigns. Then identify every place where the related endorsement appears.
Create a small disclosure library for blog posts, captions, newsletters, videos, podcasts, live streams, and image-only content. Each version should explain the actual benefit in plain language. Give employees and affiliates examples, but require them to adapt the wording when the relationship or format changes.
Before publishing, check the disclosure's proximity, prominence, and presentation. Confirm that it appears before hidden or truncated content, remains readable on mobile screens, and accompanies the endorsement when content is embedded elsewhere. Test videos with and without sound.
Businesses should also monitor affiliate content and correct problems promptly. Keep current copies of program terms, approved claims, training materials, and disclosure instructions. Recheck older campaigns after changing compensation, providing free products, or introducing a new platform.
Failure to disclose a material connection can make an endorsement deceptive under the FTC Act. Depending on the facts and applicable authority, the FTC may investigate and pursue enforcement. Advertisers, endorsers, and intermediaries may face different responsibilities, while an affiliate program may apply separate contractual remedies. Clear disclosures also protect audience trust by allowing consumers to judge recommendations with the relevant relationship in view.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Start Affiliate Marketing?
Start affiliate marketing by choosing products relevant to your audience and applying to reputable programs. Read each program's compensation, content, trademark, and disclosure terms before promoting anything. Create useful content based on genuine experience, track which links are paid, and establish a review process so edited or republished promotions retain the correct disclosure.
What Is an Affiliate Agreement?
An affiliate agreement is a contract governing how a business and marketer work together. It commonly defines qualifying referrals, commission calculations, payment procedures, permitted promotional methods, brand usage, compliance duties, and termination rights. Before signing, examine provisions allowing the company to change rates, reject transactions, withhold payments, or use content created by the affiliate.
Is It Illegal Not to Disclose an Ad on Instagram?
Failing to disclose an Instagram ad can violate federal law when the omission makes an endorsement deceptive. The analysis depends on the relationship, content, and what viewers would reasonably understand. Instagram's paid partnership label may help, but creators and advertisers should confirm that the full presentation clearly communicates the material connection.
What Are the Three Main Types of Affiliates?
A common marketing framework describes affiliates as unattached, related, or involved, but these are not formal legal categories. Unattached affiliates have little connection to the product, related affiliates operate in a relevant niche, and involved affiliates promote products they have used. The category does not change the need to disclose a material connection.
Do I Need a Commission Disclosure on Every Page?
You need a disclosure wherever an endorsement and material connection require consumers to receive that information. A page with no paid recommendation may not need one. For pages containing paid links, evaluate whether a consumer will see and understand the statement before acting rather than applying a banner mechanically across the entire website.
Can I Copy a Free Affiliate Disclosure Sample?
You can copy a sample as a drafting aid, but you must tailor it to the actual benefit, platform, and audience. Remove inaccurate statements, identify noncash benefits, and check mandatory program language. Also confirm that your website or platform displays the statement prominently on desktop and mobile devices instead of relying only on the sample's wording.
