1. Identify what connects you to the brand
The FTC’s influencer guidance covers connections such as payment, free or discounted products, employment, and personal or family relationships. A benefit does not have to be cash. Do not assume that an honest opinion or a familiar audience makes the relationship obvious.
ATN suggests keeping a private campaign note: who supplied what, what content was requested, whether a commission is possible, and which versions you plan to publish. If an agreement changes after the first draft, revisit the disclosure before reusing that draft.
Sources: [1]
2. Write a sentence that describes the real arrangement
Use direct wording and name the relevant brand when necessary to remove ambiguity. The FTC’s affiliate guidance says readers may not understand the meaning of “affiliate link” alone. Explain the payment relationship rather than relying on insider terminology.
| Actual arrangement | Illustrative wording |
|---|---|
| A paid post | Brand X paid me to make this post. |
| A free item | Brand X supplied this item to me free of charge. |
| A purchase commission | I may receive a commission when you buy through this link. |
| More than one benefit | Brand X paid for this post and supplied the item free. |
These are drafting examples, not guaranteed legal wording. Do not describe a paid campaign as only a free sample. Do not add claims about the buyer’s price unless you have checked that they are true.
Sources: [2]
3. Place it where the audience meets the recommendation
The FTC advises putting the disclosure with the endorsement, where it is hard to miss. A profile-only notice, a hidden expansion, or a crowded hashtag block can be inadequate. For image-based endorsements, make the disclosure readable in the image; live endorsements may need repetition for people joining later.
ATN’s practical check is to open the published format at phone size and look at its first visible view. Can a new reader understand the relationship before acting on the recommendation? Check the cropped image and collapsed caption you actually see, not only the roomy editor preview.
Sources: [1]
4. Check video, links, and platform labels
The FTC’s detailed guidance connects video disclosure to the endorsement’s format: visual for a visual endorsement, audible for an audible endorsement, and both when both are used. A video description alone may be missed. Affiliate explanations should also be clear near the relevant links. A platform’s built-in label is not automatically sufficient.
Make a version checklist for your own campaign. Include the main post, edited video, story, description, and any later repost. Each version should be understandable on its own; someone seeing a short excerpt may never see the original introduction.
Sources: [2]
5. Review the claim as well as the disclosure
The FTC also cautions against describing experience you did not have or making unsupported product claims. Before publishing, separate what you personally observed from information supplied by the brand. If a statement needs evidence you do not have, remove or qualify it accurately rather than adding stronger promotional wording.
Save the approved content and the disclosure as they appeared together. In your working note, record which versions went live and where corrections would need to be made. That gives you a practical way to update the campaign if a link, relationship, or important claim changes.
Sources: [1]
Your quick checklist
- I identified the payment, benefit, or other relevant relationship.
- My wording describes that arrangement accurately.
- The disclosure is readable alongside the recommendation.
- Each video, image, link placement, and repost has been checked.
- My claims match my evidence, and I retained the published version.
Sources & scope
This guide summarizes selected U.S. FTC staff guidance and adds ATN workflow examples. Applicable laws, platform rules, and campaign requirements can differ, including across borders. The sample sentences are not a legal review or a guarantee that a particular placement is sufficient.
- FTC: Disclosures 101 for social media influencers (opens in a new tab)Source checked September 28, 2026
- FTC: Endorsement Guides questions and answers (opens in a new tab)Source checked September 28, 2026
Published September 28, 2026. No affiliate links or paid placements in this guide.