The Amazon Associates program is a great way for bloggers to earn extra income while sharing their recommendations and reviews. If you participate in this program, you need to have the appropriate disclaimer on your blog. It's required by both Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission. This presentation will show you how to create and display your disclaimer to stay compliant with both Amazon and the FTC. Read the related blog article here: https://termsfeed.com/blog/disclaimer-amazon-associates/

1. Disclaimer for
Amazon Associates

2. If your website participates in the Amazon
Associates program, you need to disclose
this in a disclaimer.

3. There are two reasons you need to do this:
Amazon requires it
The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) requires it

4. First let’s look at the Amazon requirement.

5. When you sign up for the Amazon Associates
program, you must accept and agree to the
terms of the Associates Program Operating
Agreement.

6. Section 5 of this agreement requires that you
clearly disclose that as an Amazon Associate
you earn from qualifying purchases.
You can either use the quote provided by
Amazon or “any substantially similar statement.”

7. Now let’s look at requirements by the FTC.

8. The FTC is authorized by federal law to protect
consumers from deceptive and misleading
forms of advertising.
Truth in Advertising laws cover endorsements
and affiliate marketing.

9. According to the FTC, if you engage in affiliate
marketing such as with Amazon Associates,
you need to disclose the affiliate relationship
or you’re being deceptive to your audience.

10. Here’s how the FTC phrases it in its Endorsement
Guides: What People Are Asking document:

11. The FTC also offers guidance in the same
document for where to place your disclosure.

12. Your disclosure MUST be:
Clear and conspicuous
Placed as close to the
recommendation as possible

13. Your disclosure must NOT be:
Buried on a general web page or in
legal agreements
Connected to a poorly labeled
hyperlink
Placed at the bottom of your
website, after the relevant material

14. Let’s look at some examples of disclosures that
satisfy both Amazon and FTC requirements for
content and placement.

15. At the top of a shopping page on the Au Naturale
Nutrition website, you’ll see a link to an Affiliate
Disclosure.
Its bright font and placement at the top of the
section means shoppers will be sure to see the
disclosure before seeing any affiliate links.

16. The link takes shoppers to a Disclosure page where
affiliate links are disclosed and described, mentioning
the FTC guidelines.

17. Further down in the disclosure is a section
mentioning Amazon:

18. This is a very thorough disclosure and is
appropriately linked in a conspicuous, clear
place on the website.

19. Hello Peaceful Mind has a link to its Amazon
Affiliate Disclosure in its website footer:

20. A link and short sentence disclosure is also
provided at the beginning of blog posts where
affiliate links may be found:

21. The linked disclosure is short and to the point.

22. The website participates in Amazon
Associates
Affiliate links are used
The site owner may receive a
commission if the links are used to
make a purchase
The disclosure lets users know that:

23. Here’s how Ultimate IT Guys disclose their
participation in the Amazon Associates
program in just two sentences.
A link to the Amazon Affiliate Disclaimer is
provided in the website footer:

24. The disclaimer links to a page with a short
but effective disclaimer:

25. As you can see, there’s a lot of flexibility with your
disclaimer’s structure.
It can be as thorough as you want, or it can be as
simple as including the one sentence suggested
by Amazon in its Program Operating Agreement:
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying
purchases.”

26. If you participate in the Amazon Associates
program:
Both Amazon and the FTC require you to disclose
that you may earn money through affiliate links.
Make your disclaimer clear and conspicuously
placed. No hiding it on random web pages!
Place your disclaimer close to where your affiliate
links will be, and before the links -- such as at the
top of a blog post where affiliate links can be
found.
Add a footer link for your disclaimer so it’s easily
accessible with other important links.
Remember: