Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
General information drawn from the US Federal Trade Commission’s published guidance. It is not legal advice.
Short answer
Yes, if you are paid when someone buys through your link, the FTC expects you to say so clearly and place the disclosure next to the recommendation. The FTC’s own example wording is: “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” Plain words beat jargon, and a disclosure only at the top of a page or in a profile is easy to miss.
Who this is for
Lab managers who write purchasing newsletters, researchers who review instruments or consumables on a blog, and department staff who publish buying guides with supplier links. After reading, you should be able to test any link you publish against the FTC’s rule and choose wording the FTC itself has described as adequate or inadequate.
What does “FTC disclosure” mean?
It refers to the duty in the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, codified at 16 CFR Part 255. Section 255.5(a) says that when a connection exists between the endorser and the seller that “might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement” and the audience would not reasonably expect it, “such connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously.” Example 11 in the same section describes a blogger who reviews coffee makers independently but includes affiliate links; the FTC says the reviews “should clearly and conspicuously disclose the compensation.”
The FTC’s influencer guidance defines a material connection as “a personal, family, or employment relationship or a financial relationship,” and it includes free or discounted products. A commission on a sale is a financial relationship.
Do you have to disclose if you have an affiliate link?
If the link pays you for purchases made through it, yes. The FTC says the same guidance applies “anytime you endorse a product and get paid through affiliate links”, whether that is a blog post, another site or a tweet. Two exits are stated by the FTC: if it is clear that the content is a paid advertisement, no additional disclosure is needed, and if you give a link purely as a convenience and are not paid, “there isn’t any connection you need to disclose.”
A five-question disclosure test
This checklist is an editorial arrangement of the rule in 16 CFR 255.5(a) and the FTC statements above; it is a working aid, not an FTC form.
- Is there a connection? Do you earn a commission, receive free or discounted product, or have another financial or employment tie to the seller? If not, there is nothing to disclose.
- Could it affect how readers weigh your recommendation? Commission on a sale is the FTC’s own blogger example.
- Would your audience already expect it? If the page is plainly an advertisement, the FTC says no extra disclosure is needed. A review that reads as independent is different.
- Is the wording clear? Compare it with the table below.
- Is it close to the recommendation? “The closer the disclosure is to your recommendation, the better.”
Disclosure wording the FTC has addressed
The table lists only wording the FTC has commented on in the two FTC pages listed under Sources. Anything else you see recommended online, such as “may contain affiliate links”, is a marketer’s choice rather than FTC text.
| Wording or device | What the FTC says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” | The FTC’s own example of a disclosure. | Endorsement Guides FAQ page |
| “Paid link” next to an affiliate link | “Should be an adequate disclosure of the nature of the link.” | Endorsement Guides FAQ page |
| “Commissionable link” | “Probably not a clear disclosure.” | Endorsement Guides FAQ page |
| “Affiliate link” alone | Consumers might not understand that this means the person placing the link is getting paid. | Endorsement Guides FAQ page |
| A “buy now” button | Would not be adequate as a disclosure. | Endorsement Guides FAQ page |
| “Advertisement”, “ad”, “sponsored” | Named as acceptable terms for a paid relationship. | Disclosures 101 |
| “sp”, “spon”, “collab” | The FTC warns against using these. | Disclosures 101 |
| #ad or #sponsored hashtag | Fine but not necessary; do not bury the disclosure in a group of hashtags or links. | Disclosures 101 |
Before and after, in a lab-supply setting
Illustrative wording only (editorial examples, not FTC text). Suppose a lab-manager newsletter links to a supplier’s page for a consumable and earns a commission on sales. A closing footer line reading “Some links earn us a fee” fails the closeness test for a review further up the page. A line placed beside the link, such as “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post” (the FTC’s example) or “paid link” directly after the link text, follows the FTC’s statements. The same holds for a departmental buying guide whose author is paid per sale; a guide that links to a supplier as a convenience with no payment needs no such line.
What is the best place to put affiliate links?
The FTC does not rule on where in an article the affiliate link itself belongs; what it addresses is where the disclosure goes. It should sit with the endorsement: “The closer the disclosure is to your recommendation, the better,” and if the review and the disclosure are separated, readers may not connect them. The FTC notes readers might overlook a disclosure at the very top of the page, outside of the blog post itself. For video, it says to disclose both in the videos and in the description near the links. Disclosures 101 adds that a disclosure should be placed with the endorsement message itself, and that a profile or “about me” page disclosure is likely to be missed.
Placement by format
- Blog review or newsletter item: beside the link or recommendation, not only at the top or in a footer.
- Video: in the video and in the description near the links. Disclosures 101 says the disclosure should be in the video and not just in the description.
- Image-based posts and Stories: the FTC advises superimposing the disclosure over the image so it is hard to miss.
- Live streams: repeat the disclosure periodically.
Do you have to disclose affiliate links on Instagram?
The FTC’s affiliate-link answer is not platform-specific: the same guidance applies anytime you endorse a product and get paid through affiliate links. Its influencer guidance (Disclosures 101) does not mention Instagram or affiliate links by name, but it covers social posts generally: put the disclosure where it is hard to miss, superimpose it over images in Stories, and do not rely on a platform’s disclosure tool alone. The FTC says to use such a tool in addition to your own good disclosure.
Common misunderstandings
- “A disclosure on my About page covers every post.” The FTC says a profile or about-me disclosure is likely to be missed.
- “The word ‘affiliate’ is enough.” The FTC notes that readers may not know it means you are paid.
- “A hashtag is required.” It is fine but not necessary; clear wording near the endorsement is what matters.
- “Every outbound link needs a disclosure.” A convenience link with no payment involves no connection to disclose.
Where this meets other disclosure duties in research settings
A commission is a commercial tie, separate from the research-integrity disclosures institutions already handle. For those, see our guides on the conflict of interest disclosure form and NIH financial conflict of interest rules. Researchers who publicize work or recommend products online may also want social media for researchers, and anyone writing about supplier relationships can read about medical laboratory supply wholesale pricing.
FAQ
Do you have to disclose if you have an affiliate link?
Yes, when you are paid for purchases made through it. The FTC example wording is “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.”
What is the best place to put affiliate links?
The FTC addresses the disclosure’s position rather than the link’s: keep it near your recommendation and the link, not only at the top of the page.
What does “FTC disclosure” mean?
The duty in 16 CFR 255.5(a) to disclose clearly and conspicuously a connection to the seller that audiences would not reasonably expect and that might affect the weight of your endorsement.
Do you have to disclose affiliate links on Instagram?
The FTC’s affiliate-link guidance applies wherever you endorse a product and get paid through the link. Place the disclosure where it is hard to miss, and superimpose it over Stories images.
Sources
- FTC, “FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking” (revised Endorsement Guides, 2023): ftc.gov, checked 2026-11-01.
- FTC, “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers” (November 2019): ftc.gov, checked 2026-11-01.
- 16 CFR 255.5, Disclosure of material connections (text via Cornell LII): law.cornell.edu, checked 2026-11-01.
