FTC Regulations for Affiliate Marketers

Someone I am connected with asked a very interesting question about FTC requirements for affiliates. I will cover that shortly.

First, I would like to say that my connection received the information from our own Leomery. If you go to this link for Affiliate and Earnings Disclosure, you will find a well thought out disclosure that Leo will not mind if you use.

Below, is the information directly from the FTC:

“What do I need to disclose? Clearly disclose your relationship with the retailer."

Where should I disclose this information? In a conspicuous place on your site. Your customers should not have to hunt for it. According to the FTC, they want you to "place the disclosure where a customer can see both the review and disclosure at the same time." They suggest that you place a link to the disclosure with the words to include something such as this: "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post."

"Is “affiliate link” by itself a sufficient disclosure?" According to the FTC “Consumers might not understand that “affiliate link” means that the person placing the link is getting paid for purchases through the link.”

"What about a “buy now” button? Would that be sufficient for informing consumers?" Again, according to the FTC, this is not adequate.

What if I link to product marketers or retailers solely for the convenience of my readers but I don’t get paid for it? Well, then you have nothing to disclose.

Does the guidance about affiliate links apply to links in my reviews on someone else’s website and to my tweets and other social networking?

Yes, the same guidance applies when and wherever you endorse a product or service and get paid through affiliate links.

If it is clear that what’s on my website is a paid advertisement, do I still have to disclose that I get a commission if people click through my website to buy the product?

If it’s clear that what’s on your site is a paid advertisement, you don’t have to make additional disclosures. Just remember that what’s clear to you may not be clear to everyone visiting your site, and the FTC evaluates ads from the perspective of reasonable consumers.”

And there you have it, the answers in black and white. With this in mind, and in my opinion, the statement that you earn a commission with a link to the disclosure should be placed at the bottom of the review itself and the actual disclosure page put in the footer.