Affiliate Disclosure Examples for Bloggers: Where and How to Add Them

Affiliate disclosure examples help bloggers explain when they may earn money from links, recommendations, or product mentions. A clear statement gives readers important context before they decide whether to click or buy. It can also help publishers meet applicable advertising rules and affiliate-program terms.

The best disclosure is not complicated legal language. It is a short, direct explanation placed where readers will notice it—ideally before or near the first affiliate link. In this guide, you’ll find copy-ready affiliate disclosure statements, placement tips for blogs and social media, common mistakes to avoid, and important differences between jurisdictions.

Important: This article is educational information, not legal advice. Requirements vary by country, platform, audience, and the facts of a particular endorsement. Check the rules that apply to your business and seek qualified advice when needed.

What Is an Affiliate Disclosure?

An affiliate disclosure is a notice explaining that a publisher may receive compensation when readers use certain links or take a qualifying action. Compensation might include a commission on a purchase, a referral fee, a free product, a discount, a paid partnership, or another benefit tied to a recommendation.

Affiliate links often look like ordinary links to readers. The disclosure adds the missing context: the publisher has a financial or other material connection that could matter when someone evaluates the recommendation.

A disclosure is different from a privacy policy, terms of use, or a general statement that a website contains advertising. Those pages may serve other purposes, but they do not necessarily tell readers about the relationship connected to a specific recommendation. Likewise, a disclosure does not make an inaccurate review or unsupported product claim acceptable.

Affiliate Disclosure Examples You Can Adapt

Use plain language that accurately describes your relationship. Replace the examples below with your real arrangements; do not claim that you earn a commission, receive free products, or have tested something unless that is true.

1. Short affiliate disclosure for a blog post

Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

This concise version works when it accurately describes the arrangement. Put it near the beginning of the article, before readers encounter affiliate links. If you also receive products or other benefits, update the statement to disclose those relationships too.

2. Friendly, conversational disclosure

How this page is supported: Some links are affiliate links. If you choose to buy through one, I may receive a commission. I recommend resources I believe may be useful, and the commission does not add to your purchase price.

This version suits personal blogs where a conversational tone feels natural. Keep the claims about your selection process honest and supportable. Avoid suggesting that commissions never affect your judgment unless that is a fair description of your actual process.

3. Disclosure for a product review

Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you buy a product through links in this review. This compensation helps support the site. It does not change the price you pay.

Use this when a review includes commission-generating links. If the brand supplied the product, paid for the review, or provided another benefit, disclose that separately and clearly. A commission disclosure alone may not communicate a free sample or sponsored arrangement.

4. Disclosure for a comparison article or buying guide

Affiliate notice: This guide includes links to retailers and service providers. We may receive compensation when you follow certain links and make a qualifying purchase or sign-up.

This is useful when a page compares several products, and not every link earns a commission. If only some links are affiliate links, make it easy for readers to understand which links are monetized, using clear labels or nearby explanations where needed.

5. Disclosure when you received a free product

Product sample disclosure: The company provided this product to us for review. We may also earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page.

Only use this if the company actually provided the product. If the item was loaned, gifted with no review obligation, or supplied under a paid agreement, describe the arrangement accurately. Do not imply that a review is independent of a sponsor when the sponsor controlled the content.

6. Disclosure for a sponsored post

Sponsored content: This article was created in partnership with [Brand]. We received compensation for this content.

Replace the bracketed text with the brand’s name and describe the relationship in a way readers can understand. If the post also contains affiliate links, disclose that additional connection instead of assuming the sponsorship label covers every compensation method.

7. Disclosure for a newsletter

Affiliate note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click one and complete a qualifying purchase, we may earn a commission.

Place the notice in the email itself, near the relevant recommendation or links. Do not rely only on a website disclosure if the commercial message is delivered in a separate email that readers may never visit your site to understand.

8. Disclosure for social media

Affiliate link: I may earn a commission if you buy through this link.

Make the relationship clear in the post, caption, video, or story where the recommendation appears. Use a platform’s paid-partnership feature when appropriate, but do not assume a platform label automatically replaces any disclosure required for your situation.

9. Disclosure for a video

Disclosure: Some links in this video’s description are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a qualifying purchase.

Put the statement in the description near the links, and consider saying it aloud or displaying it on screen when you deliver the endorsement in the video. A disclosure buried after a long description may be easy to miss.

10. Disclosure for a resource page

How we fund this resource: Some recommendations link to products or services through affiliate links. We may receive a commission when you make a qualifying purchase or sign up.

This can suit a tools, books, or resources page that contains many recommendations. Keep the disclosure visible on that page and consider adding specific labels where individual links or arrangements differ.

Where Should You Put an Affiliate Disclosure?

Good wording is only part of the job. Readers need a reasonable chance to see the disclosure before they act on the recommendation. The appropriate placement depends on the format, design, and where the endorsement and links appear.

At the beginning of an affiliate blog post

For a long review or buying guide, put a concise notice near the top—often after the introduction and before the first affiliate link. Readers should not have to scroll through multiple recommendations to discover the commercial relationship. Keep it visually distinct enough to notice without making it look like an unrelated pop-up or warning.

Near product recommendations and links

A general notice at the top is a helpful starting point, but additional context may be useful where a page has separate product sections, tables, buttons, or embedded widgets. A “Check price” button can sit far from the introduction on a long page. Consider a short label near the relevant links, especially when a reader might land directly on that section from search.

On a dedicated disclosure or policy page

A site-wide affiliate disclosure page can explain your overall policy, the kinds of relationships you have, and how readers can contact you. Link to it in the footer or another consistent location. However, a policy page should supplement—not automatically replace—a clear notice near a particular endorsement. Many readers will never open the footer or read a policy before clicking a link.

In social posts, videos, and stories

Place the disclosure where the endorsement is made and where people will see it without extra effort. A caption should not hide the statement among dozens of hashtags or after a “more” cutoff. For video, consider spoken and on-screen wording as well as a description notice. For stories or short-lived content, include the disclosure on the relevant frame, not only on a profile page.

In emails and downloadable content

When a newsletter, PDF, or other downloadable guide contains affiliate recommendations, put a notice in that format. A reader may forward the email or save the file without the surrounding webpage. The disclosure should travel with the commercial content wherever practical.

On pages with affiliate buttons or comparison tables

Tables can separate product names, prices, ratings, and calls to action across several columns. Make sure the disclosure is not lost visually or separated from the relevant links. Use readable text and a clear label; do not rely on a tiny asterisk whose explanation is hidden at the bottom of the page.

What Makes a Disclosure Clear and Effective?

• Use ordinary language. “We may earn a commission if you buy through this link” is more direct than unexplained legal jargon.
• Be specific about the relationship. Explain commissions, gifts, sponsorships, discounts, or other material benefits that actually apply.
• Make it noticeable. Use readable text, sufficient contrast, and placement close to the endorsement. Do not hide it behind a hover, tiny footnote, or multiple clicks.
• Disclose before the decision point. Readers should see the notice before or as they encounter the recommendation—not only after clicking.
• Repeat when the format changes. A blog disclosure may not travel with a social post, newsletter, video clip, or downloaded guide.
• Keep it truthful. Never state that a product was independently tested or that opinions are unaffected by a sponsor unless that accurately describes what happened.
• Review it regularly. Update old pages when relationships, affiliate arrangements, or link destinations change.

FTC Affiliate Disclosure Requirements: What U.S. Bloggers Should Know

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides guidance on endorsements, testimonials, and material connections between endorsers and marketers. A commission or other benefit that could affect how an audience evaluates an endorsement may be a material connection. FTC guidance emphasizes that disclosures should be clear and conspicuous and that context and presentation matter.

For a practical starting point, read the FTC’s Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers and its Endorsements, Influencers, and Reviews guidance. These are U.S.-specific resources, not universal legal rules for every country.

In practice, a U.S.-focused blogger should consider whether readers can easily understand the connection, whether the notice is placed where they will see it, and whether the disclosure is appropriate to the medium. A disclosure may be inadequate if it is vague, hard to read, separated from the endorsement, or presented in a way users are likely to miss. The exact assessment depends on the circumstances; this article is not a legal determination about any individual page.

Do not assume that terms such as “affiliate,” “partner,” “collab,” or “ambassador” will communicate the arrangement clearly to every reader. Plain language explaining the benefit is often easier to understand. A hashtag or platform tool can be useful, but it should not obscure the meaning or be treated as a guaranteed legal safe harbor.

Are Affiliate Disclosure Rules the Same in Every Country?

No. Bloggers may be subject to laws, regulator guidance, consumer-protection standards, and platform rules in more than one jurisdiction. Which rules matter can depend on where the publisher operates, where the audience is located, the nature of the promotion, and the applicable law. The U.S. FTC approach should not be presented as a universal rule.

For audiences in the European Union, consumer-protection and unfair-commercial-practices rules may be relevant, and national implementation and enforcement can differ. The European Commission provides information about the Influencer Legal Hub. Creators targeting EU consumers should review the guidance relevant to their country and activity.

In the United Kingdom, advertising and consumer-protection rules may also apply; the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) publishes guidance for influencer advertising. Read the ASA guidance on recognising ads on social media if it is relevant to your audience or campaign.

Publishers in Pakistan and other markets should check applicable local consumer-protection, advertising, e-commerce, tax, and platform requirements rather than assuming U.S. or European guidance answers every question. If your blog attracts international readers, create a disclosure process that accounts for the markets you actively target and obtain local legal advice where the risk warrants it.

Common Affiliate Disclosure Mistakes to Avoid

1. Putting the notice only in the footer

A footer link to a policy is useful, but many readers will not open it. Add a clear statement near the affiliate content itself.

2. Using vague wording

“This post contains partners” may not tell a reader whether you receive money, free products, or another benefit. Explain the connection in direct language.

3. Hiding it after the first affiliate link

Readers may click before seeing the notice. Place it before or alongside the first relevant recommendation, then add context where needed.

4. Assuming a platform tool is enough

Platform labels and branded-content features can help, but evaluate whether the disclosure is visible and understandable in the actual post or video. Follow both platform rules and applicable law.

5. Using the same statement for every relationship

A commission-only relationship is not identical to a paid sponsorship or a free product. Tailor the notice so it accurately describes the benefit involved.

6. Making unsupported independence claims

Do not say “brands never influence our reviews” or “we only recommend products we personally tested” unless your process consistently supports those claims. Explain your review method honestly.

7. Forgetting old or republished content

Disclosures can become outdated when links, partnerships, or monetization arrangements change. Recheck evergreen guides, social reposts, email templates, and comparison tables during content updates.

A Simple Affiliate Disclosure Checklist

Before publishing, review these questions:

• Have I identified every relevant commission, gift, sponsorship, discount, or other material connection?
• Does the wording describe the actual relationship accurately?
• Can readers notice and understand it without hunting through the page?
• Is it placed before or close to the endorsement and affiliate links?
• Will it remain visible on mobile devices and in the format where the content appears?
• Have I added a suitable disclosure to the social post, video, newsletter, or downloadable item itself?
• Have I checked applicable laws, regulator guidance, platform rules, and affiliate-program terms for the audiences I target?
• Do my product claims and statements about testing reflect what I genuinely did?
• Is my site-wide disclosure page accurate and easy to find as a supplement to on-page notices?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good affiliate disclosure statement?

A useful starting point is: “This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.” Adapt it to disclose all material relationships that apply and confirm that the wording is suitable for your jurisdiction and format.

Should an affiliate disclosure be at the top of a blog post?

For many long-form articles, placing it near the beginning and before the first affiliate link is a sensible approach. Depending on the layout and content, short notices near individual recommendations may also help readers understand which links are commercial.

Is an affiliate disclaimer page enough?

Not necessarily. A dedicated page can explain your general policy, but readers may not see it before encountering a recommendation. A clear, noticeable disclosure near the relevant content is often more effective and may be needed under applicable rules.

Do I need to disclose affiliate links on social media?

A commercial relationship should be disclosed in the context where the endorsement appears when required by applicable rules. Do not rely only on a blog policy if the social post itself contains the promotion. Check the relevant platform and jurisdiction guidance.

Do I have to say “at no extra cost to you”?

Only say this when it is accurate. It can clarify that a commission does not increase the buyer’s price, but it does not replace the need to explain the affiliate relationship. If the arrangement works differently, describe it accurately.

Can I use the same affiliate disclosure on every page?

You can use a consistent base statement, but check each page and format for differences. Sponsored posts, free samples, paid endorsements, and commission links may require different or additional wording.

Final Thoughts

The best affiliate disclosure examples share three qualities: they are honest, easy to understand, and placed where readers can notice them. Start with plain language, describe the benefit you may receive, and put the notice close to the relevant recommendation. Then review the rules that apply to your audience, platform, and location.

Clear disclosures are not just a publishing chore. They give readers important context for evaluating recommendations and help you communicate transparently. Build disclosure checks into your normal editing process, and revisit them whenever an article or partnership changes.

For more background on affiliate-related website tools, see our guide to WordPress affiliate plugins for beginners. Keep this article focused on disclosure wording and placement, and use the linked guide for plugin-specific questions.

Editorial note: This article provides general educational information and is not a substitute for legal advice. Verify current regulator guidance and local requirements before relying on any example as your compliance policy.