Affiliate disclosures and FTC rules — a practical guide (with templates)
Disclosing your affiliate relationships isn’t just good manners — it’s the law, and ignoring it is one of the fastest ways to lose an affiliate network account or attract a regulator’s attention. The good news: compliant disclosure is simple once you understand the principle behind the rules. This guide covers what’s required, where it goes, and gives you templates to adapt.
Not legal advice. This is a practical summary to help you get the basics right. For anything high-stakes, consult a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.
The one principle behind every rule
Regulators care about a single thing: a reader should know you may be paid before they act on your recommendation. Every specific rule below is just that principle applied. If your disclosure is clear, upfront, and unavoidable, you’re almost always fine.
What the FTC (US) requires
The US Federal Trade Commission’s Endorsement Guides require disclosures that are clear and conspicuous:
- Up front and unavoidable — near the recommendation, not buried in a footer or hidden behind a “more” link.
- In plain language — “I earn a commission if you buy through this link” beats vague jargon. The FTC has explicitly said ambiguous tags like “#sp,” “#ambassador,” or a bare “#aff” are not sufficient on their own.
- In the same medium — say it out loud in a video, put it on screen in a short, write it in the text of an article.
- Not relying on the reader to hunt for it — a disclosure only on a separate page isn’t enough for an individual recommendation.
What the UK requires (ASA / CMA)
If you’re in or targeting the UK: the ASA (advertising standards) and CMA (consumer protection) expect clearly labelled advertising. The standard, recognised label is “#ad”, placed prominently and before engagement. The CMA’s 2023–2024 work on hidden ads made clear that affiliate links and incentivised content must be obviously identifiable. The EU’s similar consumer-protection regime points the same way.
Where to put your disclosure
Use layers:
- A site-wide statement on a dedicated page (e.g. our affiliate disclosure) and in the footer — establishes the general relationship.
- A per-page / per-section disclosure near the top of any article that contains affiliate links — this is the one regulators care most about.
- Inline cues next to specific links where helpful.
The site-wide page alone is not enough. The per-page, above-the-content disclosure is the workhorse.
Copy-paste templates
Top-of-article (most important):
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we’d genuinely use.
Short / inline:
(affiliate link — we may earn a commission)
Footer / site-wide:
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you sign up or purchase through them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This never affects which products we recommend.
Video (spoken + on-screen):
“Quick heads up — some of the links below are affiliate links, so I may earn a commission if you use them. Doesn’t cost you anything extra.”
Social / short-form: put #ad (UK) or a clear “Paid/affiliate link” near the start of the caption, not buried under hashtags.
A 6-point compliance checklist
- Dedicated disclosure page, linked in the footer site-wide. ✅
- A plain-language disclosure above the content on every page with affiliate links. ✅
- Disclosure visible without clicking “more” or scrolling past the recommendation. ✅
- The right format per medium (text / on-screen / spoken). ✅
- Clear labels on social (#ad in the UK). ✅
- A privacy policy that explains affiliate cookies and any tracking scripts (e.g. an aggregator’s JavaScript) — see how tracking links work. ✅
Why this protects your business, not just your readers
Affiliate networks and aggregators audit publisher sites and can suspend accounts for missing or deceptive disclosures — so a sloppy disclosure can cut off your income overnight. Beyond compliance, transparency converts: readers who trust that you’re being straight with them are the ones who actually click and buy. Honesty is both the rule and the strategy.
Get the disclosure right once, template it, and apply it to every piece. Then focus your energy on the part that actually earns: genuinely useful content.