Video: What is an Affiliate Disclaimer

As affiliate marketing has grown, so has the attention given to it by bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Now, it's recognized as a form of advertising and is subject to special rules, like the mandate requiring the use of affiliate disclaimers.

So what is an affiliate disclaimer, why is a disclaimer required for affiliate links, and what should you include in your disclaimer? Well, keep watching to find out more.

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What is a disclaimer?

Affiliate disclaimers inform your website visitors that you participate in an affiliate program, and thus, you may receive commissions from the links used on your sites.

In today's world, it may seem obvious that you're part of an affiliate program, and because the practice is so common, you might wonder why sharing your partnerships formally matters.

Which leads us to our next question.

Why is a disclaimer required?

Affiliate disclaimers are mandated by the Federal Trade Commission in the United States and under other laws around the world.

If you get caught without one, you'll most likely find yourself getting slapped with a fine or even having your website shut down. But these disclaimers are more than a legal requirement. They're also good business practice.

Affiliate disclaimers are both useful and a legal requirement in the U.S. and elsewhere. As I mentioned before, they're good business practice because disclosure builds trust and trust builds customer loyalty.

Of equal importance is that both the FTC and many affiliate programs, and namely Amazon's, now require it. Affiliate programs each have their own individual requirements, and you should check with your program for guidance before you start promoting affiliate links on your site.

Here's what you need to know about the FTC requirements for affiliate program participants.

The FTC protects U.S. consumers from bad products and shady companies. Part of its role is eliminating deceptive marketing practices that trick consumers into buying products.

Failing to disclose financial partnerships is considered to be a deceptive marketing practice.

Deceptive marketing practices fall under the legal category of false advertising, which is regulated by the Lanham Act.

That means affiliate program participants who fail to reveal their participation in a program where they receive money from brands or stores for sharing products are engaging in deceptive marketing practices.

What should my affiliate disclaimer include?

There are four essential parts to an affiliate disclaimer:

• Firstly, tell everyone that you're getting paid
• Secondly, explain why you've chosen the specific products
• Thirdly, disclose whether you receive free products
• And finally, let everyone know if you participate in Amazon Associates

If you participate in Amazon Associates and need to create your disclaimer, don't worry - writing this disclaimer, or disclosure, is much simpler than you might think. Amazon wants to make it as easy as possible for affiliates to comply with the rules.

Just remember, all you need to highlight is that you:

• Are an affiliate, and
• You earn a commission when people make purchases via your links

Let's take a look at PCPartPicker, an Amazon Affiliate.

When you click on any product page:

You'll find a short disclosure at the bottom explaining that:

• The company is an affiliate
• It receives money if customers make purchases from certain retailers by clicking on site links
• PCPartPicker product page with affiliate disclaimer highlighted

Since it's succinct and placed very close to the products being advertised, it meets Amazon and FTC standards.

If you're still not sure if you know how to write your disclaimer, don't worry. We have an affiliate disclaimer generator that's ready for you to use right now.

The process is simple. Just go to our website PrivacyPolicies.com and click on Affiliate Disclaimer Generator, then modify the information so that it accurately matches yours, and viola, you'll have your disclaimer ready to be used within minutes.

And that's it for now. We hope that you found this video on affiliate disclaimers helpful and informative.

If you have any more questions related to the topic that we didn't happen to touch on, please leave them in the comments below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

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