The 2023 update keeps the core rule: people should know about a commercial relationship before relying on an endorsement. Commissions, free products, discounts, employment, family ties, and other benefits can all require disclosure.
Audit each placement:
• Put the disclosure beside the recommendation, before the click or purchase decision.
• Use plain words: "I earn a commission from qualifying purchases."
• Make it readable in mobile, video, email, and social formats.
• Do not hide it in a profile, footer, hashtag block, or terms page.
Platform labels may help, but they do not replace your own disclosure. For reviews, do not suggest personal experience that did not happen, and do not tie incentives to positive sentiment. In short videos, show and say the disclosure long enough to be understood.
Treat disclosure as part of the creative brief. If a reasonable viewer could miss the relationship before acting, change the wording or placement before publishing.
Disclosure Desk
@DisclosureDesk
FTC endorsement rules got sharper: four affiliate checks that prevent weak disclosures
This post was published in the Telegram channel Disclosure Desk. Subscribe here: @DisclosureDesk.