FTC Requirements for Affiliate Marketers

In May of 2015, the Federal Trade Commission released new guidelines that directly affect most affiliate marketers. The last time the FTC published guidelines related to affiliate marketing was in March of 2013 when the FTC released its updated “.com Disclosures”.

In May 2015, the FTC updated its “Endorsement Guides,” covering issues such as disclosures in close proximity to affiliate links, buying “Likes” and incentivizing Tweets, and required disclosures in consumer reviews.

Disclosure of Potential Commissions Near Affiliate Links

Many affiliate marketers create content around to products that would appear on blogs or consumer reviews sites, with affiliate links to retailers embedded into the content. The new version of the FTC’s Endorsement Guides clarifies that affiliate marketers must disclose their relationship with the retailer in a “clear and conspicuous” manner, so that consumers can decide how much weight to give the product review or endorsement. Read more “FTC Requirements for Affiliate Marketers” →