Affiliate and Influencer Disclosure Cheat Sheet – Tricia Meyer
Tricia Meyer
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Affiliate and Influencer Disclosure Cheat Sheet
July 10, 2023
by Tricia
My posts may include paid links for which I earn a commission.
New FTC Disclosure Guidelines
Now that we’ve had some time with the newly revised FTC Disclosure Guidelines, we’re focusing on practical application. A common question is about what exactly the FTC permits or prohibits in disclosure.
The guidelines don’t provide specific examples but outline general rules. For detailed insights, refer to resources like:
- "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising"
- "FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking"
- "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers"
These documents offer numerous examples of "natural language" disclosures for various mediums, including videos and long-form content.
Approved Hashtags
The FTC has approved these three hashtags:
- #ad
- #Brand_Ambassador
- #Brand_Partner
They prefer #ad over the others as they are more easily understandable.
Disapproved Hashtags
Here are some hashtags the FTC does not consider clear enough:
- #Brandad
- #Endorsement
- #Client
- #Advisor
- #Consultant
- #Ambassador
- #Partner
- #FreeProduct
- #Comped
- #Hosted
- #Spon
Alternative Disclosures
While the FTC was limited with hashtags, they provided many other acceptable words and phrases. Separating some words can improve readability and clarity:
- Ad: Paid Ad, Advertising: Sponsored by Brand, Promotion by Brand, etc.
- BrandPartner or Brand Ambassador
- Paid Post by Brand, Advertisement
- Gifted by Brand
- Paid Link
- Thanks Brand for Free Product
Additional Disapproved Phrases
The FTC has disapproved specific phrases due to lack of clarity:
- Gifted
- Affiliate Link
- Buy Now
- Commissionable Link
Context-Dependent Disclosures
Some disclosures depend on context:
- Sponsored: The FTC considers it acceptable in some cases but context is crucial.
- #PaidforByBrand
- Promotion, Thank You Brand, and similar phrases may be gray areas; best to avoid them.
Remember, all disclosures must adhere to the full set of guidelines, including being clear and conspicuous and unavoidable.
