Affiliate disclaimer for bloggers: what to disclose and where

Affiliate links are one of the most common ways small blogs and review sites make money. You recommend a product, a reader buys it through your link, and you get a commission. Readers are generally fine with that, as long as they know about it.

An affiliate disclosure tells them. Consumer protection and advertising rules in many countries expect you to say when you have a financial relationship with the brands you mention. This article covers what a good disclosure says, where to put it, and the mistakes that cause trouble.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and platform, so check the guidance that applies to you, or ask a lawyer.

Why you need to disclose affiliate links

The idea behind the rules is simple: if your relationship with a brand could affect how readers judge your recommendation, they should know about it.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has published guidance on endorsements and testimonials. It expects influencers, bloggers and publishers to disclose "material connections", including commissions, in a way that is clear and easy to notice.

In the United Kingdom, advertising rules enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority require marketing communications, affiliate content included, to be obviously identifiable as advertising. In the European Union, consumer protection law treats hidden advertising as an unfair commercial practice, and national authorities have issued guidance for influencers and content creators.

Affiliate programs have their own rules as well. Amazon Associates, for example, requires participants to include a specific statement on their site: "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases." Other networks and merchants often require a disclosure in their terms, and breaking those terms can get your account closed and your commissions withheld.

What a good affiliate disclosure says

The disclosure can be short as long as it is clear. A good one tells readers that you may earn money if they click a link and buy something, and that it doesn't cost them extra (if that's true). You can name the programs you work with, such as Amazon Associates or a particular network. If you keep editorial independence, say that your opinions are your own.

For example:

Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I have used or researched.

Plain words work better than legal phrases. "I earn a commission" is clearer than "this site may receive compensation from third parties". If readers have to work out what you mean, the disclosure isn't doing its job.

Where to put the disclosure

A disclosure page linked from the footer is useful, but on its own it is usually not enough, because most readers never see it.

Regulators' guidance generally says a disclosure should be close to the claim or link it relates to, and noticeable before the reader acts. In practice that means:

• a short line, in italics if you like, at the top of each post with affiliate links, before the first link;
• notes near individual links or product boxes in long articles, especially comparison tables and "best of" lists;
• in videos and podcasts, a disclosure said out loud and shown on screen, as well as written in the description;
• on social media, a clear label in the post itself, since a hashtag buried among a dozen others is easy to miss;
• a dedicated disclaimer page, linked from your footer, that explains your affiliate relationships in more detail.

The footer page holds the full explanation; the note inside the post is the part readers actually see.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is disclosing only in the footer or on an "About" page. Readers who land on an article from search won't see it. Putting the disclosure at the end of the post has a similar problem, because by then many readers have already clicked.

Vague wording is another. "Sponsored links may appear" or "our partners" doesn't tell readers that you earn money when they buy. Small grey text has the same effect: if the disclosure is hard to read, it may not count as clear.

Bloggers also forget other relationships. Free products, paid placements and sponsored posts are material connections too, so disclose them along with your affiliate links.

A disclosure also doesn't make a misleading review acceptable. If you say you tested a product, you should have tested it.

Do you need more than an affiliate disclosure?

A full disclaimer page often covers more than affiliate links. Depending on what you write about, you might add:

• a general section saying your content is for information only and may contain errors;
• a health and fitness section saying your content isn't medical advice and readers should consult a professional;
• a money and investing section saying your content isn't financial advice;
• a note that results in testimonials vary from person to person;
• a note that you don't control the external websites you link to.

These sections set expectations, but they won't protect you from every claim. Accurate content matters more than the wording of any disclaimer.

Create your disclaimer

Our free disclaimer generator builds a disclaimer page with an affiliate disclosure section, an optional Amazon Associates statement, and optional medical, financial, testimonial and external link sections. It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored.

Once you have the page, add a short disclosure at the top of every post that contains affiliate links and check the specific rules of each program you join. If you're unsure what applies in your country, have your disclaimer reviewed by a qualified lawyer.