A disclosure has to do one thing: make it obvious, before someone clicks, that you may be paid if they buy. Everything else is detail.
Most creators either skip it or bury it in a footer nobody reads. Both are risks, and both are unnecessary, because a good disclosure takes one line and costs you almost nothing in trust.
The standard you are being held to
In the United States the FTC requires disclosure of any material connection between you and a seller, “clearly and conspicuously”. In the UK the CMA and ASA require the same in substance. The wording differs; the test does not.
Clearly and conspicuously means an ordinary reader notices it without looking for it. A footer link, a line beneath a fold, grey small print, or a hashtag lost in twenty others all fail that test — not because a regulator said so specifically, but because they are designed not to be noticed.
The rules apply regardless of audience size. There is no threshold below which they stop applying.
Wording you can copy
Top of an article: “Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.”
Beside a specific link: “(affiliate link)” — plain, immediate, impossible to misread.
Spoken, in video: “Just so you know, the link below is an affiliate link, so I get a commission if you buy.” Say it aloud. A description-box line does not cover a viewer who never opens the description.
Social post: Lead with #ad or #affiliate, in the visible part of the caption, not after a “more” cut.
All four are short, honest, and pass the test. None of them require a lawyer.
Where it goes
| Format | Where | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Blog post | Above the first affiliate link, visible without scrolling | Footer only, or below the fold |
| Video | Spoken early, plus on screen | Description box only |
| Short-form video | On-screen text plus the platform’s paid tool | Caption after the “more” cut |
| Before the first link | At the very bottom | |
| Podcast | Read aloud in the episode | Show notes only |
| Social post | Start of the visible caption | Buried among many hashtags |
The platform tool is not enough on its own
Instagram’s paid partnership label, TikTok’s branded content toggle and YouTube’s paid promotion checkbox are all useful. Use them — some networks require it.
But those labels are small, easy to miss, and sometimes not displayed at all depending on how the content is viewed. Regulators have been explicit that a platform label alone does not necessarily meet the standard. Use the tool and say it in your own words.
Also have a disclosure page
A per-post line handles the immediate obligation. A standing page explaining how you make money handles everything else: how the relationships work, whether payment affects what you recommend, and who to ask if someone wants to know whether a specific link is affiliate.
It is also what an affiliate network’s compliance team looks for when reviewing your application. Ours is at our affiliate disclosure if you want the structure.
Why it costs you less than you think
The fear is that saying “I get paid for this” stops people buying. In practice audiences already assume links are monetised, and confirming it plainly reads as confidence rather than apology.
Disclosure is one obligation; tax on affiliate income is the other one creators overlook. What damages trust is discovering an undisclosed commission afterwards. That converts a recommendation into a suspected advertisement retrospectively, across everything you have ever published. The disclosure is cheap; its absence is not.