Disclosures 101

Social Media

Influencers

for
2 Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers

Do you work with brands 

to recommend or endorse 

products?

If so, you need to comply with the law

when making these recommendations.

One key is to make a good disclosure

of your relationship to the brand.

This brochure from FTC staff gives tips on

when and how to make good disclosures. 

The FTC works to stop deceptive ads, and its Endorsement Guides 

go into detail about how advertisers and endorsers can stay on the 

right side of the law.

If you endorse a product through social media, your endorsement 

message should make it obvious when you have a relationship 

(“material connection”) with the brand. A “material connection” to 

the brand includes a personal, family, or employment relationship or 

a financial relationship – such as the brand paying you or giving you 

free or discounted products or services. 

Telling your followers about these kinds of relationships is important 

because it helps keep your recommendations honest and truthful, 

and it allows people to weigh the value of your endorsements.

As an influencer, it’s your responsibility to make these disclosures, 

to be familiar with the Endorsement Guides, and to comply with laws 

against deceptive ads. Don’t rely on others to do it for you.
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When to Disclose

⊲ Disclose when you have any financial, employment, personal,

or family relationship with a brand.

» Financial relationships aren’t limited to money. Disclose the 

relationship if you got anything of value to mention a product.

» If a brand gives you free or discounted products or other perks 

and then you mention one of its products, make a disclosure 

even if you weren’t asked to mention that product.

» Don’t assume your followers already know about your

brand relationships.

» Make disclosures even if you think your evaluations

are unbiased.

⊲ Keep in mind that tags, likes, pins, and similar ways of showing 

you like a brand or product are endorsements.

⊲ If posting from abroad, U.S. law applies if it’s reasonably 

foreseeable that the post will affect U.S. consumers. Foreign laws 

might also apply.

⊲ If you have no brand relationship and are just telling people about 

a product you bought and happen to like, you don’t need to 

declare that you don’t have a brand relationship.
4 Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers

How to Disclose

Make sure people will see and understand

the disclosure.

⊲ Place it so it’s hard to miss.

» The disclosure should be placed with the endorsement 

message itself.

» Disclosures are likely to be missed if they appear only on an

ABOUT ME or profile page, at the end of posts or videos, or 

anywhere that requires a person to click MORE.

» Don’t mix your disclosure into a group of hashtags or links.

» If your endorsement is in a picture on a platform like Snapchat 

and Instagram Stories, superimpose the disclosure over the 

picture and make sure viewers have enough time to notice and 

read it. 

» If making an endorsement in a video, the disclosure should be 

in the video and not just in the description uploaded with the 

video. Viewers are more likely to notice disclosures made in 

both audio and video. Some viewers may watch without sound 

and others may not notice superimposed words.

» If making an endorsement in a live stream, the disclosure 

should be repeated periodically so viewers who only see part 

of the stream will get the disclosure.
@

Thanks to Acme brand for the free product! 

#AcmePartner #ad

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⊲ Use simple and clear language.

» Simple explanations like “Thanks to Acme brand for the free 

product” are often enough if placed in a way that is hard

to miss.

» So are terms like “advertisement,” “ad,” and “sponsored.” 

» On a space-limited platform like Twitter, the terms 

“AcmePartner” or “Acme Ambassador” (where Acme is the 

brand name) are also options.

» It’s fine (but not necessary) to include a hashtag with

the disclosure, such as #ad or #sponsored. 

» Don’t use vague or confusing terms like “sp,” “spon,” or 

“collab,” or stand-alone terms like “thanks” or “ambassador,” 

and stay away from other abbreviations and shorthand

when possible.

⊲ The disclosure should be in the same language as the

endorsement itself.

⊲ Don’t assume that a platform’s disclosure tool is good enough,

but consider using it in addition to your own, good disclosure.
6 Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers

What Else to Know

⊲ You can’t talk about your experience with a product you

haven’t tried.

⊲ If you’re paid to talk about a product and thought it was terrible, 

you can’t say it’s terrific.

⊲ You can’t make up claims about a product that would require 

proof the advertiser doesn’t have – such as scientific proof that

a product can treat a health condition.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Have more questions? The FTC’s Endorsement Guides: 

What People Are Asking is an FTC staff publication that 

answers many questions about the use of endorsements, 

including in social media, with many helpful examples. 

FTC.gov/influencers
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

business.ftc.gov

November 2019