Affiliate Disclosures by Platform
The clear-and-conspicuous standard is constant; how you satisfy it changes by platform. A hub linking the format-specific rules.
The clear-and-conspicuous standard is constant, but how you satisfy it depends on the platform. Each medium truncates, hides, or displays disclosures differently, and the FTC has given format-specific guidance. This page summarizes the rules; follow the links for detail.
The platform pages
- Blogs and websites — above the fold, before the first affiliate link, on every monetized page.
- Instagram — in the first lines of the caption, before “more.”
- TikTok and short-form video — spoken and superimposed; captions alone are insufficient.
- YouTube and long-form video — at the start, in audio and on-screen text.
- Live streams and Stories — repeated periodically; superimposed and legible.
- Email and newsletters — near the top, before the affiliate content.
- Podcasts — spoken aloud near the recommendation.
The common thread
Across every platform, three rules hold. The disclosure must be visible or audible without extra effort by the audience. It must appear in the same manner as the recommendation — visual for visual, audible for audible. And it must not rely solely on a platform’s built-in “paid partnership” tool, which the FTC has said may not be adequate on its own.
Built-in tools help, but do not finish the job
Use platform disclosure tools — they add a layer — but always add your own explicit, plain-language disclosure in the content itself.
Choosing the right placement for each format
The decision comes down to two questions: how does the audience consume this format, and how might they miss a disclosure? On text formats, the risk is truncation and scrolling, so the disclosure goes up top. On audio and video, the risk is that a visual-only or end-placed disclosure is never seen or heard, so it goes early and in the same channel as the recommendation. On live and ephemeral formats, the risk is that the audience is only present for part of the content, so the disclosure repeats. Match the placement to the failure mode and you will satisfy the standard on any platform, including ones not yet listed here.
Newer and niche platforms
New platforms appear constantly, but the analysis never changes. Ask whether your content promotes something you earn from, and if so, place a clear disclosure where the audience will encounter it before acting, in the medium they are using. Apply that test to any emerging platform and you will not be caught out by a format this resource has not specifically addressed.
Authoritative sources
Last reviewed July 2026. This page is general educational information, not legal or tax advice.