Most affiliate disclosure examples you will find online are written for the wrong place. They are tidy paragraphs for a disclosure page, linked from the footer, and they satisfy the site owner more than the reader. The US Federal Trade Commission’s guidance is about something simpler: whether a person reading your recommendation can see, at that moment, that you earn from it.
This post sets out what the FTC says, then turns it into wording and placement you can use. One caveat first. These are US rules, and this is not legal advice. Other countries have their own advertising rules, which can differ, so check the regulator where your audience lives.
What the FTC actually asks for
The FTC’s guide Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers is aimed at creators, but its principles apply to anyone recommending products for something of value. The central test is placement. A disclosure must be “placed so it’s hard to miss”, which means with the endorsement itself.
The guide is direct about where disclosures fail: “Disclosures are likely to be missed if they appear only on an ABOUT ME or profile page, at the end of posts or videos, or anywhere that requires a person to click MORE.” For a website, the equivalent of the profile page is the standalone disclosure policy. It is fine to have one. It is not enough on its own.
The second point is scope. “Financial relationships aren’t limited to money. Disclose the relationship if you got anything of value to mention a product.” Free products, discounts, paid trips and commissions all count. If you review a product the manufacturer sent you for free, that is a relationship to disclose, even with no affiliate link on the page.
Wording that works, and labels that do not
The FTC’s guidance names terms that are clear and terms that are not. The table below sets them side by side.
| Clear, per the FTC | Not enough, per the FTC |
|---|---|
| “advertisement” | “sp” |
| “ad” | “spon” |
| “sponsored” | “collab” |
| Simple statements such as “Thanks to Acme brand for the free product.” | A stand-alone “thanks” or “ambassador” |
| For websites (Endorsement Guides FAQ): “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” | A disclosure only on an About page, at the end of a post, or behind a MORE click |
The pattern is easy to see. Clear wording tells the reader what the relationship is in words they already understand. Weak wording is abbreviated, vague, or relies on the reader decoding an industry term. A useful check is to read the disclosure as someone who has never heard the word “affiliate”. If they would not understand that you are paid when they buy, the wording needs to be plainer.
Affiliate disclosure examples for a website
The FTC’s Endorsement Guides FAQ, which we cover in our post on whether affiliate SEO is dead, adds two points specific to websites: “The closer the disclosure is to your recommendation, the better”, and a model sentence, “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” Built on those, here are placements and wordings that follow the guidance. The wording beyond the FTC’s own sentence is ours, offered as illustration.
- Top of a review or roundup. Before the first product: “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.”
- Next to a buy button. A short line beside or directly under the link: “Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy.”
- Free product reviewed. In the opening paragraph: “The manufacturer sent this unit free of charge for review.”
- Sponsored post. A label above the headline that reads “Sponsored” or “Advertisement”, not a tag at the bottom.
A footer link to a full disclosure policy is still worth keeping. It is where you explain which programmes you belong to and how you choose products. Treat it as the detail behind the on-page disclosure, never as a substitute for it.
On long pages, repeat the disclosure near clusters of links further down. A reader who arrives from a jump link or scrolls straight to a comparison table may never see the line at the top. The FTC’s wording about closeness to the recommendation is the guide here.
Video, social and email
The same principle carries across formats, and the FTC guide was written with social media in mind. In a video, the disclosure belongs in the video itself rather than only in the description, since a viewer may never expand it. Saying it aloud and showing it on screen makes it hard to miss.
On social platforms, the disclosure should sit at the start of the caption, before any truncation point that requires a tap to read more. A word like “ad” or “sponsored” at the front is clearer than a string of hashtags at the end.
Newsletters with affiliate links or sponsored sections need the same treatment: a clear label at the sponsored section, not a line in the footer beneath the unsubscribe link. If the whole issue is sponsored, say so near the top.
Why the footer habit persists, and what it costs
The received wisdom among site owners is that a disclosure page linked sitewide covers everything. It persists because it is tidy and invisible, which is exactly the problem. The FTC’s own list of places where disclosures are likely to be missed reads like a description of the standard affiliate site template.
There is an SEO angle too. Google’s guidance on reviews expects affiliate relationships to be disclosed, which our post on Google’s product review guidelines covers. A visible disclosure costs one sentence, and it removes the risk of a reader feeling misled after the click. When you study affiliate site examples, check where each one places its disclosure as well as how it earns.
A simple audit works for most sites. Open your ten highest-earning pages. For each, ask whether a reader who sees only the first screen, or only the section with the link, would know you earn from it. If not, move the disclosure up and closer to the link. Then check templates, so new posts inherit the fix.
Here is the limitation. This post summarises published US guidance, not the law of any other country and not advice on your specific situation. The FTC’s examples are illustrations, not an exhaustive list of acceptable wording. If your site earns significant affiliate revenue or targets readers outside the US, take proper legal advice. More on revenue models sits on our monetization hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does affiliate disclosure mean?
It means telling readers, clearly and near the recommendation, that you earn a commission or received something of value in connection with the product you mention.
Is a disclosure page in the footer enough?
Not on its own, under the FTC’s guidance. Disclosures on profile pages, at the end of content, or behind a MORE click are likely to be missed.
What wording does the FTC suggest for a website?
Its Endorsement Guides FAQ gives “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” Terms like “ad” and “sponsored” are also clear.
Do free products need disclosing?
Yes. The FTC says financial relationships aren’t limited to money, so disclose anything of value you received to mention a product.
The takeaway Put the disclosure next to the recommendation, in plain words like “ad” or “I get commissions”. Keep the footer policy as detail, not as the disclosure itself, and remember these are US rules.
