Affiliate Disclosure
The FTC requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of material connections
between an endorser and a seller. An affiliate commission is a material
connection. The standard is that a reasonable person notices and understands it —
which means placement matters as much as wording.
This is the cheap part of compliance. Skipping it is what turns a
technicality into an actual problem.
---
The rules
- Before the link, not after. The disclosure appears above or immediately
preceding the link — never below it, never only in the footer.
- Every instance. Not once per site, not once per page. Every placement.
- Plain language. "I earn a commission" — not "material connection may
exist."
- Same visual weight as body copy. Never smaller, never dimmer than
--ink-200, never collapsed behind a toggle, never grey-on-grey.
- In email too. Same rule, before the link.
- On video and audio. Spoken and on-screen, at the point of mention — not
only in the description.
- Unavoidable before clicking. If someone has to scroll, expand, or hover to
see it, it doesn't count.
---
Approved language
Standard inline — default
Disclosure: I'm an affiliate for [brand]. If you buy through this link I
earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Short inline — tight layouts
Affiliate link — I earn a commission if you buy.
Page-level, at the top of any page with multiple affiliate links
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them I earn a
commission, at no additional cost to you. I only link to things I've used or
would use myself.
(Only use that last sentence if it's true of every link on the page.)
Free offer — for Your Wish Is Your Command and similar
This is free. I'm an affiliate for [brand], which means if you later buy
something from them I may earn a commission. It costs you nothing either way.
Use this one. A free offer with an affiliate relationship behind it is
exactly the case people fail to disclose because "there's no purchase." Disclose
anyway — the material connection exists whether or not money changes hands
today, and disclosing it costs you nothing in conversion.
Heads up: the link below is an affiliate link and I earn a commission if you
buy. Nothing changes on your end.
Spoken (video/audio)
Quick disclosure — I'm an affiliate for these guys, so if you buy through my
link I get a commission. Doesn't cost you anything extra.
---
Full page — /disclosure
Affiliate Disclosure
Last updated: [DATE]
Some links on obnamia.tech are affiliate links. If you click one and make a
purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Who I'm an affiliate for:
- Trudeau Group and its brands, including Global Information Network, World's
Best Nutritionals & Organics, and Kevin Trudeau Fan Club
[ADD OTHERS AS THEY ARISE]
What that means in practice. When you buy through one of my links, the
seller pays me a percentage. In some programmes, once you've purchased through
my link I may also receive commission on your future purchases from that seller,
including subscription renewals.
What it doesn't mean. It doesn't change your price. It doesn't give me
access to your payment details or your account. And it doesn't mean I control
what the seller does — third-party products are theirs, including any claims
they make about them.
How I decide what to link to. I link to things I've used or have direct
experience with. I'm telling you about the commission so you can weigh my
recommendation knowing it exists. That's the point of disclosure — you should
be able to discount my opinion appropriately.
Third-party claims are theirs, not mine. Statements a seller makes about
its own products haven't been verified by me. Dietary supplements are not
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult an appropriate professional before
acting on anything material.
Questions: [CONTACT_EMAIL]
---
Implementation
Build it once as a component and the rule enforces itself:
```
<AffiliateLink
href="https://globalinformationnetwork.com/?ref=2d3wut"
brand="Global Information Network"
variant="standard" />
```
The component renders the disclosure above the link automatically. **A raw
affiliate URL should never appear anywhere in the templates** — if it can only
be rendered through the component, it can't be shipped undisclosed by accident.
Add a check to tests/verify_local.py: fail the build if ref=2d3wut
appears in any template outside the affiliate component. That turns a compliance
rule into a guard, which is the same pattern the repo already uses for security
invariants.