Affiliate Guide: FTC Affiliate Disclosures

Today we want to address the issue of affiliate disclosures and the Federal Trade Commission regulations. While the idea of creating an affiliate disclosure can be intimidating, we’re here to assure you that they are a positive thing! Not only is having a disclosure policy beneficial and responsible, it will help build trust between you as an affiliate and your followers. 

In December 2009, the Federal Trade Commission released the “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. As online social media continued to expand, the FTC wanted to deal with concern over the fact that people may exaggerate the benefit of a free product or fail to let their followers know the relationship between them as an affiliate and the endorser. In other words, you must let your followers know that you are using an affiliate link and/or that you are reviewing a complimentary product.

So, as an affiliate, what should you do? First, we recommend reading the FTC Endorsement Guide here. The main point that we want to highlight is:

“When there exists a connection between the endorser and the seller of the advertised product that might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement… such connection must be fully disclosed.”

Second, write your own affiliate disclosure for the sites where you use any affiliate links. A useful website is DisclosurePolicy.org, which helps you create a disclosure policy that is right for you (and it’s free!). The FTC states that you do not need to have your affiliate disclosure on every single page of your website. However, we recommend creating a disclosure page and making it visible from every page on your website (placing it on the menu bar is a good location).

Third, congratulate yourself for bettering your relationship with your followers! Being honest, truthful and fully transparent helps create a long-lasting and trustful relationship. Being a Sigma affiliate is all about sharing your honest and genuine opinions!

*Note: As of now, the FTC affiliate disclosure policies apply to US citizens. However, this could change in the future so we encourage our international affiliates to adopt this policy as well. 

© 2012 Sigma Enterprises, LLC