✧ Key takeaways
If you earn a commission from a link, readers deserve to know before they click. Here's the FTC way — clear, conspicuous, in the right place.
If you earn a commission from a link, your readers deserve to know — before they click it. That is the whole idea behind affiliate disclosure, and in the United States it is not just good manners. The Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255), revised in 2023, say that any "material connection" between you and a brand — including an affiliate commission — must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. This guide explains what that standard actually means in practice, which words work and which do not, and gives you copy-paste templates you can use today.
Why the FTC cares about a small link
The FTC's reasoning is plain common sense. A recommendation carries more weight when the reader believes it is independent. If the person recommending a product gets paid when you buy it, that changes how much weight the recommendation deserves — and the reader cannot judge that without knowing about the payment. The Guides call this a material connection: a relationship that might affect the weight or credibility of an endorsement.
The legal basis is Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive advertising. The Guides themselves do not have the force of law, but ignoring them can lead to enforcement for violating Section 5 — and the FTC has sent warning letters to creators and brands over missing disclosures. An affiliate commission is a material connection every time the link runs. The link itself is not a disclosure: a bare URL tells the reader nothing about who gets paid.
The standard: clear and conspicuous
The 2023 revision defined "clear and conspicuous": a disclosure must be difficult to miss and easily understandable by ordinary consumers. The FTC looks at four things — prominence, presentation, placement, and proximity — the four Ps.
- Prominence: big enough, with enough contrast, that a reasonable reader notices it. Small grey text on a white background fails.
- Presentation: plain language, in the same language as the endorsement. No jargon, no abbreviations a normal reader would not understand.
- Placement: where readers will actually see it, before they engage with the recommendation — not after.
- Proximity: close to the link or claim it covers. A disclosure on your About page is not close to a link in a blog post.
The test is simple: can an ordinary reader find the disclosure without clicking, expanding, or scrolling to hunt for it? If not, it is not clear and conspicuous, no matter how honest the wording is.
Where the disclosure goes
Placement is where most people get it wrong, and the rule is blunt: the disclosure goes before the first affiliate link, not after it. The FTC's own FAQ puts it this way — a single disclosure on your home page will not be sufficient, and disclosures are likely to be missed if they appear only on an About page, at the end of a post, or anywhere that requires a click on "more".
- Blog posts: at the top of the post, before any product mention or affiliate link. A short sentence is enough.
- Every post, separately. A reader may land on one post from search and never see your homepage — each piece of content with affiliate links needs its own disclosure.
- Video: say it out loud and show it on screen in the first 30 seconds — not only in the description. Some viewers watch without sound; others never open it.
- Social media: in the first line of the caption, before any "more" cutoff. Never mixed into a block of hashtags at the end.
- Live streams: repeat the disclosure periodically, since viewers join mid-stream.
- Email newsletters: near the top, before the first link — the same rule as a blog post.
Words that work — and words that don't
The FTC does not mandate exact wording, and that freedom trips people up: they pick words that sound safe and mean nothing to a normal reader. The FTC's own FAQ gives an example that works: "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post." Short, plain, impossible to misunderstand.
What else works: "Paid link" right next to an affiliate link — the FTC's FAQ says that should be adequate. "#ad" and "#sponsored" are clear when they appear where readers will see them, not buried in a hashtag block. Amazon Associates requires its own sentence: "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."
What does not work: "(affiliate link)" on its own — the FTC warns many consumers do not understand that "affiliate link" means the person placing the link is paid. "Commissionable link" is probably not clear either. "#ambassador", "partner", and "collab" are ambiguous and confusing. Vague thanks ("thanks to Brand X") without saying what the brand gave you also fails — the reader still does not know money changed hands.
Copy-paste disclosure templates
Use these as they are, or adapt the wording to your voice. Keep the meaning intact: who pays you, and when.
Template 1 — Top of a blog post (recommended default):
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Template 2 — Short version, before the first link:
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Template 3 — Next to a single link:
Try [Product Name] (paid link — I earn a commission if you buy through this link).
Template 4 — Video or social post:
This video is sponsored by [Brand]. I earn a commission if you buy through the links below — it does not change the price you pay.
Template 5 — Email newsletter:
Quick note before we start: some links in this email are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I would use myself.
Disclosure for each format
The rule is the same everywhere — before the link, in plain language — but the mechanics change with the format. In comparison tables, put a short disclosure above the table, not below it, and mark paid links in the table itself. On product roundups, one disclosure at the top covers the post only if every link is covered by the same wording; if some links are affiliate and some are not, say so. On YouTube, use the paid-promotion checkbox as well as your own spoken and on-screen disclosure — the checkbox alone does not replace it. On Instagram and TikTok, put the disclosure in the first line of the caption and on screen in the first few seconds. In a podcast, say it at the start of the episode, not in the show notes alone.
Mistakes that get people in trouble
- Footer-only disclosure. Almost nobody reads the footer. If the disclosure lives there, it effectively does not exist.
- Disclosure after the links. A reader who clicked already made their decision without the information.
- Vague wording. "Affiliate link", "partner", "collab" — if a normal reader cannot tell you get paid, it is not a disclosure.
- Assuming followers already know. The FTC is explicit: each new endorsement without a disclosure can be deceptive, because viewers may not have seen earlier posts.
- Relying on a platform toggle alone. A "paid partnership" label helps, but the FTC says platform tools are not enough on their own — add your own words.
- Forgetting free products count. A free product, discount, or gift is also a material connection. If a brand sent you something and you mention their product, disclose it — even if you were not asked to mention that exact product.
What happens if you skip it
The FTC's enforcement focus is usually on advertisers and agencies, but action against an individual creator is possible — especially after warnings. The agency has sent warning letters over undisclosed connections, and civil penalties for deceptive endorsement practices can exceed $53,000 per violation (the 2025 figure, adjusted for inflation each year). Affiliate programs enforce their own rules too: Amazon Associates can close an account over missing disclosures. The cost of a one-sentence disclosure is zero. The cost of skipping it is not.
If you run a site with affiliate links, the disclosure habit pairs with the other legal pages a small site needs. Our privacy policy guide covers those, and our E-E-A-T guide explains why transparency also helps with search trust.
The short version
Disclose early, disclose plainly, disclose every time. One sentence at the top of the post, before the first link, covers most situations — and it costs you nothing. Readers who know how the money works trust you more, not less.