Affiliate Disclosures
The FTC has set out Guidelines for Endorsements and Affiliate Disclosures. And this article will help to answer any questions you may have.
It’s a complex document and you should definitely read it and understand the rules before you embark on your affiliate marketing venture.
“Although there are no fines for violations of the FTC Act, law enforcement actions can result in orders requiring the defendants in the case to give up money they received from their violations.”
Your affiliate disclosure doesn’t have to be a long, complicated legal document. Just a few simple words can get the message across e.g. “This page may contain ads and affiliate links.”
You can even use the word “Ad” or “#ad” in a tweet to let people know that it’s an advertisement.
You can even make your disclosure into a positive message for your readers.
CLAIM YOUR DISCOUNT: As the owner of this website I’ve tracked down special deals and discounts for some of the products and services mentioned herein. When you use the links on this page to make a purchase I may get a small commission and you may get a great bargain. It’s a win-win all around. Full disclosure.
Affiliate Disclosure Placement
Because over 60% of internet browsing is done using a mobile device a disclosure in the sidebar may not be enough. The disclosure should be before or close to the actual affiliate link. Sidebars appear below the main text on mobile devices so any affiliate links in the main body will appear before the sidebar disclosure.
Be Transparent
The important thing is to be transparent in all your marketing. If you receive compensation of any sort for endorsing a product or service then you’ll want to disclose that. “The company gave me this product to try but this is my unbiased opinion.”
Your reputation is on the line. So don’t endorse or recommend any product or service that you don’t want to have associated with your name or website. Having said that, it’s OK to have an affiliate link for a product you don’t recommend. You can mention a product without giving it your endorsement. Some people will buy it nevertheless so you may as well get a commission for the sale.
Are you using affiliate disclosures on your website? What wording have you used?
Please scroll down for comments.
Thanks for this Marion. I’m going to try the WordPress plugin you found and feedback. Thanks again.
Thanks, Marion. This is a clear explanation of what is needed. Glad you mentioned mobile. It’s sometimes forgotten that sites appear different than on a computer.
Barbara
Hi Marion, thanks very much for sharing this. I have just started affiliate marketing and have a disclosure statement on my site, but didn’t realise it needed to also be close to any affiliate links within actual posts. Definitely food for thought, and I’m going back to relook at the structure of my website. Cheers, Karen
Thanks very much for this post Marion. It’s always important to follow the rules and operate a bubsiness that is above board. I appreciate the information. I going straight away and ensure that all of my pages have affiliate disclosure. Do you know of any plugins or tools that can make this easy, wiothout having to go to each page to add the affiliate disclosure. I know there are plugins for everything so I’ll check it out.
Thanks again.
Cheers
Kevon
Sorry Kevon, I haven’t checked out plugins to automate adding the affiliate disclosure. But I found this one that might suit https://wordpress.org/plugins/fmtc-affiliate-disclosure/ Please let me know if it does the job for you.
This plugin works well, although it blankets all posts. It’s not possible to choose specific posts to display the disclaimer on. It certainly meets my requirements for now.
Thanks Marion