Affiliate Disclosures, FTC Guidelines, What to Write, and Where to Put It

Today we’re going to talk about Affiliate Disclosures and FTC Guidelines.

If you want to get paid by the companies that you’re associated with as an affiliate then you’ll want to be in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

Ignorance is no excuse.

If you’re an associate of Amazon, then make sure you watch this video all the way through as Amazon has their own set of rules which we’ll talk about near the end.

Earlier this month I received some emails from companies that I’m an affiliate for regarding compliance with the FTC guidelines. The crux was that if their affiliates don’t comply, then they won’t pay them any affiliate commissions.

Heck, yeah! We want to get paid!

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of what is required by the FTC. It’s a long article so we’ll cut to the chase. The bit you’re interested in is "WHAT ABOUT AFFILIATE OR NETWORK MARKETING?”

FTCs Endorsement Guides - What People are Asking

Don’t take my interpretation of the guidelines as definitive, read it for yourself. I am not a lawyer.

But, in short, if you’re recommending a product or service for which you may receive compensation (affiliate commission) then your audience should be aware of this relationship so they can determine how much weight to give to your recommendation.

What to Write

It doesn’t have to have negative connotations. Make your readers want to click the links on your site.

This is one of the disclosures I use on my site:

The link at the end of the paragraph is to my affiliate disclosure page.

Here's another simple disclosure using a Paragraph block with a coloured background:

Feel free to change the words to suit your own style and circumstances.

Where to Put Your Affiliate Disclosure

So where do you put this disclosure? In a separate page on your site? No. In the footer? No. In the sidebar? No.

The guiding principle is that it has to be clear and conspicuous. The closer it is to your recommendation, the better.

So my suggestion is to put your disclosure just above, next to, or just below your first affiliate link.

But do it! Do it on every page that has affiliate links.

If you don’t then you may not get paid.

Amazon Affiliates

If you’re an affiliate for Amazon then use the exact words that they require in their Associates Program Operating Agreement. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Or any statement previously allowed under their operating agreement.

Amazon Associates Program Operating Agreement

Do not omit, change, or embellish Amazon’s exact wording (“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”) or you won’t get paid.

And getting paid is what we’re here for.

The Amazon associates requirements are in addition to the more generic disclosure you’ll use on your Affiliate Disclosure page.

Please note that Amazon requires a clear disclosure to be "near any associate link or product review". So please do what they require for every single link.

I received this email a few days ago:

More info about Amazon rules by DianeScorpio

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