Affiliate Disclosure Examples: Good vs. Bad
Real affiliate disclosure examples — compliant and non-compliant side by side for blogs, Instagram, and video — and exactly why each failing example fails. For copy-ready wording, see the disclosure generator.
The fastest way to internalize the clear-and-conspicuous standard is to compare compliant and non-compliant disclosures side by side. The examples below reflect the FTC’s stated positions.
Blog and website
Adequate
- A line at the top of the post: “This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.”
- “Paid link” placed immediately after a specific product link.
Inadequate
- A footer link reading “Disclosure” that opens a separate page.
- A single homepage banner intended to cover every article on the site.
Adequate
- “#ad” as the first word of the caption.
- “Thanks to [Brand] for sponsoring this post — #ad” in the first line.
Inadequate
- “#sp” at the end of a long caption after “more.”
- The platform’s “paid partnership” label used as the only disclosure.
Short-form video
Adequate
- Spoken “This video is sponsored by [Brand]” in the first seconds, plus on-screen “#ad” text.
- Persistent on-screen “Paid partnership” text that stays up during the pitch.
Inadequate
- A small caption line that does not contrast with the background.
- A disclosure shown only in the final seconds of the clip.
Why the “bad” examples fail
Each failing example breaks at least one criterion: the disclosure is avoidable (behind “more” or a link), ambiguous (“#sp”), not in the same manner as the claim (caption-only on video), or not specific to the content (a single site-wide banner). The compliant versions are visible without interaction, plainly worded, placed with the recommendation, and delivered in the same medium.
A useful self-test
Ask: could a first-time visitor, arriving directly at this one piece of content on their phone, tell that I am paid — without clicking, scrolling past the recommendation, or already knowing what a niche hashtag means? If not, the disclosure is not clear and conspicuous.
For copy you can reuse, see the disclosure templates library and the compliance checklist.
Authoritative sources
Last reviewed July 2026. This page is general educational information, not legal or tax advice.