What Should I Write in an Affiliate Disclosure? Complete 2025 Guide

Understanding Affiliate Disclosures

An affiliate disclosure is a transparent statement that informs your audience about your financial relationship with companies whose products or services you recommend. When you earn a commission from sales made through your affiliate links, you have a legal obligation to disclose this relationship clearly and prominently. This disclosure serves as the foundation of trust between you and your audience, ensuring they understand that your recommendations may be influenced by potential financial gain.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires affiliate disclosures under their Endorsement Guides, which mandate that any material connection between an endorser and a company must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed. This isn’t just a legal formality—it’s an ethical practice that protects consumers from deceptive marketing while allowing you to monetize your content legitimately. According to recent research, 57% of consumers value transparency as the most important quality they look for in influencers and content creators, making proper disclosures essential for building long-term audience loyalty.

Key Elements of an Effective Affiliate Disclosure

Clear and Simple Language

The most critical aspect of any affiliate disclosure is clarity. The FTC explicitly states that disclosures must be written in plain English without legal jargon or confusing terminology. Your audience should immediately understand that you receive compensation when they make purchases through your links. Avoid defensive or apologetic language such as “I hate to add these links, but the FTC requires it,” as this undermines your credibility and suggests you’re uncomfortable with your affiliate relationships.

Use direct phrases like “This post contains affiliate links,” “I earn a commission when you purchase through these links,” or “As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.” These statements are concise, honest, and easy for any reader to understand regardless of their familiarity with affiliate marketing. Keep your disclosure under 50 words when possible, and avoid burying important information in lengthy legal text that readers will skip over.

Prominent Placement and Visibility

The placement of your affiliate disclosure is just as important as the wording. The FTC emphasizes that disclosures must be “clear and conspicuous,” meaning they should be difficult to miss. Placing your disclosure only in a footer, in tiny font, or requiring additional clicks to view it violates FTC guidelines and defeats the purpose of transparency. Instead, position your disclosure where readers will see it before they encounter your affiliate links.

For blog posts, place your disclosure in the opening paragraph or immediately before your first affiliate link. For long-form content, consider repeating your disclosure throughout the article to ensure readers don’t miss it. Use contrasting colors, bold text, or larger font sizes to make your disclosure stand out visually. On mobile devices, ensure your disclosure is readable and doesn’t require horizontal scrolling.

Platform-Specific Disclosure Requirements

Different platforms have unique requirements and built-in tools for disclosing affiliate relationships. Understanding these platform-specific guidelines ensures you remain compliant while maintaining a natural user experience for your audience.

YouTube and Video Content: YouTube requires creators to check the “Includes paid promotion” box when uploading videos with sponsored content or affiliate links. Additionally, you should verbally mention your affiliate relationship during the video, include the disclosure in your video description, and use timestamps to call out the disclosure in video markers. This multi-layered approach ensures viewers see your disclosure regardless of how they engage with your content.

Instagram and Facebook: Meta platforms offer a “Paid Partnership” label that you can enable on posts and stories. To use this feature, tap “Earn money,” insert your affiliate link, and toggle on the paid partnership label. Supplement this with hashtags like #ad, #sponsored, or #affiliatelink placed at the beginning of your caption for maximum visibility. Don’t rely solely on hashtags—include a clear statement in your caption text as well.

TikTok: Like YouTube, TikTok has a disclosure setting you must enable when promoting affiliate partnerships. Failing to do so may result in your post being removed due to violations of TikTok’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. Add your affiliate disclosure to each post using hashtags and include a disclosure link in your bio for easy reference.

Instagram Stories and Reels: Use the “Paid Partnership” sticker or add text overlays clearly stating “This is a sponsored post” or “Affiliate link.” Make sure the disclosure is visible throughout the story or reel, not just at the beginning.

X (formerly Twitter): X doesn’t offer built-in paid partnership labels, so you must include #ad in your posts recommending products or services. Use straightforward language like “This is an affiliate link” to ensure compliance with X’s Paid Partnership Policy.

Blogs and Websites: Place your disclosure as close to affiliate links as possible, ideally within the same paragraph. You can also add a sitewide disclosure in your footer, sidebar, header, or a dedicated affiliate disclosure page. Many successful bloggers use multiple disclosure locations to ensure maximum visibility.

FTC Compliance and Legal Requirements

The Federal Trade Commission actively enforces affiliate disclosure requirements, and non-compliance can result in significant penalties. The FTC can fine you up to $43,792 per violation, meaning each undisclosed affiliate link could trigger a separate penalty. Beyond financial consequences, failing to disclose affiliate relationships can damage your reputation, result in loss of affiliate program accounts, and expose you to legal action for deceptive advertising.

The FTC’s Endorsement Guides apply to all content creators, regardless of follower count or platform. Whether you have 100 followers or 100,000, the rules apply equally. The FTC has increased enforcement in recent years, with multiple high-profile cases against influencers and content creators who failed to properly disclose affiliate relationships. This trend indicates that the FTC is taking these violations seriously and actively monitoring social media and blogs for non-compliance.

Your disclosure must be readable from the page where you post your recommendation or endorsement. You cannot place the disclosure on an “About Us” page and expect that to satisfy FTC requirements for every affiliate link on your site. Each piece of content with affiliate links needs its own clear disclosure. Additionally, the disclosure must be in close proximity to the affiliate link or endorsement to prevent deceptive marketing claims.

Real-World Examples of Effective Disclosures

The Wirecutter (owned by The New York Times) places a clear disclosure at the bottom of every page: “If you click a link on our site and buy something we recommend, we may receive a commission.” This simple, transparent statement appears consistently across their entire site, reinforcing their commitment to disclosure. The Wirecutter’s approach has earned them significant trust with their audience, contributing to their $150 million in affiliate revenue between 2011 and 2016.

Smart Passive Income uses both a dedicated disclosure page and inline disclosures within content. Their inline disclosure reads: “Full Disclosure: I’m a compensated advisor and an affiliate for ConvertKit.” This approach provides detailed information for interested readers while keeping inline disclosures concise. Pat Flynn, the founder, publishes monthly income reports showing exactly how much he earns from affiliate partnerships, demonstrating complete transparency.

Outdoor Girl provides a comprehensive disclosure that explains not only that she earns commissions but also her standards for recommending products: “Links with an * may help pay for this website. If you click a link with an * and buy from a company’s website, I may receive a small payment, at no extra cost to you. I only link to other sites that I like, know, or trust (ones that I would be happy to use myself).” This approach builds trust by explaining her vetting process.

Authentically Emmie, a fashion blogger, adds her disclosure at the beginning of blog posts with a confident, appreciative tone: “Disclosure: I’m not being compensated for this post, but the items were gifted by Lane Bryant for a sponsored Instagram post. There are affiliate links in this post—this means that if you click through and order anything through them, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help me continue my work here, and I greatly appreciate the support!” Her tone is honest without being defensive, which strengthens her relationship with readers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many content creators make critical errors when writing affiliate disclosures that can result in FTC violations and loss of audience trust. One of the most common mistakes is burying the disclosure in footer text or requiring readers to click multiple times to find it. The FTC has explicitly stated that “there’s no effective disclosure if people don’t see it,” making visibility absolutely essential.

Another frequent error is using vague language that doesn’t clearly explain the financial relationship. Phrases like “I may benefit from this link” or “I have a relationship with this company” are too ambiguous and don’t meet FTC requirements. Be specific: use the word “commission,” “affiliate,” or “earn money” to make the relationship crystal clear.

Some creators make the mistake of only disclosing affiliate relationships on certain platforms or in certain types of content. The FTC requires disclosure wherever affiliate links appear, whether on blogs, social media, email newsletters, podcasts, or videos. Inconsistent disclosure practices can lead to violations and damage your credibility.

Avoid using hashtags as your only disclosure method. While #ad and #sponsored are helpful, they don’t constitute a complete disclosure on their own. Supplement hashtags with clear text statements explaining your affiliate relationship. Additionally, don’t assume that a general disclosure on your “About Us” page is sufficient—each piece of content with affiliate links needs its own disclosure.

Building Trust Through Transparency

Proper affiliate disclosures do more than satisfy legal requirements—they build genuine trust with your audience. When readers know you’re being transparent about your financial relationships, they’re more likely to trust your recommendations and engage with your content. Research shows that 80% of consumers have made purchases based on influencer recommendations, and transparency significantly increases the likelihood that readers will act on your advice.

Transparency also protects your long-term business interests. Audiences that discover hidden affiliate relationships feel deceived and are unlikely to return to your content. By being upfront about your affiliate partnerships from the start, you establish a foundation of honesty that strengthens audience loyalty over time. Many successful content creators report that transparent affiliate disclosures actually increase click-through rates because readers appreciate the honesty and feel comfortable supporting creators they trust.

Consider going beyond minimum FTC requirements by explaining why you recommend specific products, sharing your vetting process, or disclosing commission rates when possible. This additional transparency demonstrates that your recommendations are genuine and based on personal experience rather than purely financial motivation. PostAffiliatePro helps you manage these relationships transparently by providing tools to track affiliate partnerships, manage commissions, and maintain clear records of all your affiliate relationships.

Updating and Maintaining Your Disclosures

Your affiliate disclosures aren’t a one-time task—they require regular review and updates as your affiliate partnerships change. Conduct periodic audits of your content to ensure all affiliate links have proper disclosures and that your disclosure language remains clear and current. Track your active affiliate programs, affiliate marketers, and sponsored partners in a spreadsheet or content management system to stay organized.

When you join new affiliate programs or end existing partnerships, update your disclosures accordingly. If you change your affiliate relationships significantly, consider updating your sitewide disclosure as well. Regular audits help you stay ahead of evolving FTC requirements and ensure you’re not accidentally promoting products you no longer recommend or have affiliate relationships with.

Test your disclosures on mobile devices to ensure they’re readable and visible on smaller screens. Many readers access content primarily through mobile devices, so your disclosure must be equally prominent on all devices. Use tools like Google Mobile-Friendly Test to verify that your disclosures display correctly across different screen sizes.

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