Key takeaways
- If you earn a commission from links, the FTC expects a clear, conspicuous disclosure that a reader will actually notice.
- It must sit close to the affiliate links — near the top of the content, not only in a footer or a separate disclosure page.
- Use plain language a normal reader understands, and place it before the first affiliate link on every page that has them.
- Automating the disclosure by category is the reliable way to never forget it. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Why disclosure is required
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that when you have a 'material connection' to a product — such as earning an affiliate commission — you disclose it clearly to your audience. The idea is simple: a reader deserves to know that a recommendation may earn you money before they act on it.
This is general information to help you set things up correctly, not legal advice. Rules and their interpretation change, and other countries (and platforms like Amazon Associates) have their own requirements. When in doubt, read the FTC's own guidance or consult a professional.
What 'clear and conspicuous' means in practice
The FTC's standard is that a disclosure must be hard to miss and easy to understand. In practice that translates into a few concrete rules.
- Placement: close to the claim or the affiliate link, so a reader sees it before clicking — typically near the top of the article, above the first link.
- Language: plain and unambiguous, e.g. 'We may earn a commission from links on this page, at no extra cost to you.' Avoid vague hedges like 'this post may contain links.'
- Visibility: not hidden in a footer, behind a click, or reachable only via a separate disclosure page.
- Coverage: on every page that contains affiliate links, and on every platform where you share them.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most non-compliant setups fail for the same handful of reasons. A single 'Disclosure' page linked from the footer is not enough, because readers on an article page never see it. A disclosure placed at the very bottom of a long review comes too late — the reader has already clicked. And overly clever or vague wording can defeat the purpose even when a disclosure technically exists.
The safest pattern is boring and effective: a short, plainly worded line in a visible box near the top of any post that contains affiliate links.
Setting it up on WordPress
You can add a disclosure by hand to each post, but relying on memory is exactly how pages slip through non-compliant. The reliable approach is to automate insertion based on a rule — for example, 'every post in the Reviews or Deals category gets the disclosure at the top.'
- Write one short, plain disclosure sentence you are comfortable standing behind.
- Insert it automatically at the top of posts in your affiliate categories, so new posts are covered without any manual step.
- Scan your existing posts for affiliate links that are missing a disclosure, and fix the gaps.
- Mark affiliate links with rel="sponsored" (and typically nofollow), which is the search engines' expected signal for paid or affiliate links.
A note on Amazon Associates
If you are an Amazon affiliate, the Associates Program has its own required disclosure statement in addition to the FTC's general expectations, and it must appear where your Amazon links are. Keep the Amazon-specific wording available as a preset so it is applied consistently.
PressHangar Compliance Guard ships with presets for US (FTC), Japan and Amazon, auto-inserts the disclosure by category, and scans for posts that have affiliate links but no disclosure — turning 'remember to disclose' into something the site handles for you.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a disclosure page linked in my footer enough?
- Generally no. A reader on an article page may never visit your footer or a separate disclosure page. The disclosure needs to be visible on the page with the affiliate links, near those links.
- Where exactly should the disclosure go?
- Close to the affiliate links and before the reader would click them — most commonly a short, visible line near the top of the post, above the first affiliate link.
- Does this apply outside the United States?
- The FTC rules apply to US-facing content, but many countries have equivalent requirements (for example, disclosure and stealth-marketing rules in Japan). Amazon Associates also imposes its own statement regardless of country. This guide is general information, not legal advice.