What exactly do I need to disclose as an affiliate?

In most cases, you need to clearly disclose that you may earn commissions / affiliate income from purchases made through your links, especially when you have a “material connection” to the product or offer.

Do I need to disclose on every post?

If the post includes an affiliate link (or otherwise suggests you can earn from it), a disclosure is typically needed for that post in a clear and conspicuous way. Reusing a consistent disclosure placement helps, but make sure the disclosure is present where the links are visible.

Where should I put my disclosure for short-form content (TikTok/IG Reels/Shorts)?

Place it on-screen or in the caption in a way that’s visible before users act on the affiliate link. If the disclosure is only in a place people won’t see (or after the fact), it may be considered not clear enough.

Can I hide the disclosure in a bio link or comments?

For compliance, disclosures generally need to be visible and understandable in the same context as the affiliate offer. Hiding it behind a click or burying it in comments that users may not read can be risky.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a practical checklist for content creators. For legal requirements in your region and specific situation, consult a qualified professional.

Affiliate Disclosure & Compliance Checklist (FTC + Amazon Associates)

Q: Is the sentence “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases” enough?

It’s a common, useful disclosure phrase, but it still needs to be clear and conspicuous where users can see it. In some contexts, you may also need a brief “I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases” style explanation.

The fastest way to lose trust (and risk compliance)

Affiliate marketing works because audiences feel like they’re getting honest recommendations.

When disclosures are missing, unclear, or placed too far from the affiliate link, you can trigger both audience mistrust and regulatory scrutiny.

This checklist helps you set up disclosure that is:

Clear (people understand it)
Conspicuous (people can easily see it)
Consistent (you don’t forget it)

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What you’re disclosing (simple version)

Most platforms and regulators care about one thing: whether you have a material connection to the product/offer.

If you may earn a commission when someone buys through your link, you generally need a disclosure that makes that connection obvious.

Your disclosure usually covers:

Affiliate income (you may earn commissions)
The fact that your recommendation isn’t purely unpaid
The user should not assume your recommendation is unbiased

FTC-style disclosure principles (what “good” looks like)

Use these rules when you decide the wording and placement:

1. Clear language (no mystery)

Avoid vague phrases like “links may help support.” Prefer direct wording like:

“I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.”
“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”

2. Conspicuous placement (visible before the click)

If users have to scroll or wait to find the disclosure, it may fail the “clear and conspicuous” test.

3. Context matters

The disclosure should appear where users are making decisions:

Same page/article
Same post caption
Same video description (or on-screen text)
Near the link area users use

Where to place disclosures by content type

1. Blog posts / articles

Put a disclosure near the affiliate link section (above the first link is a good baseline).
Add a short “affiliate disclosure” line near your hero/intro if the page contains many affiliate offers.

2. Link-in-bio pages (Instagram / TikTok / YouTube)

Include a short disclosure near the top of the bio page (before the product list).
If your bio page is a landing page with products, include disclosure on that page, not only on a linked “terms” screen.

3. Short-form video (TikTok/IG Reels/YouTube Shorts)

Options that work well:

On-screen text that appears early in the video
Clear disclosure in the caption, and keep it easy to find

Avoid:

“Disclosure” hidden only in comments
Disclosure that appears after users already clicked through

4. YouTube video descriptions

Put the disclosure at/near the top of the description.
Make it readable without expanding multiple collapsed sections.

Copy-ready disclosure templates (use these)

Pick one phrase and keep it consistent across your channels.

Template A (Amazon Associate specific)

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Template B (general affiliate income)

I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases through the links on this page.

Template C (short-form / caption friendly)

Affiliate links: I may earn commissions if you shop through my links.

Template D (for comparison posts)

Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Amazon Associates-specific alignment (practical guidance)

Amazon’s rules differ from FTC requirements, but they overlap in a practical way:

Keep your disclosure clear wherever affiliate links are present
Don’t make the disclosure harder to find than the links
Don’t imply endorsement as if it were purely independent compensation-free

If your content contains multiple affiliates, keep your disclosure consistent and avoid mixing terms so users can’t tell what applies.

Compliance checklist (quick “are we good?” audit)

Use this before you publish:

☐ Your disclosure is visible where affiliate links are visible
☐ Your disclosure appears before the first meaningful action (click / swipe / shop)
☐ Your wording is plain and direct (no ambiguity)
☐ You’re not relying on “hidden” disclosures (terms page only, comments-only, etc.)
☐ Your bio page / landing page includes the disclosure near the top
☐ Your short-form video either shows it on-screen or includes it in an easy-to-find caption

Next: once you’re compliant, measure what works

Disclosure isn’t just about avoiding problems. It also improves conversion quality because users trust you more.

After you fix disclosures, the next step is attribution troubleshooting: confirm that clicks are actually credited to your affiliate tag and reported in Amazon analytics.

Use this attribution troubleshooting playbook to verify your tracking end-to-end.