Hey all, A few weeks ago I noticed an announcement by Clickbank about the new FTC affiliate edorsement rules. I did read most of the FTC's new rules, although I still do not fully understand whom these guidelines apply to. It mostly seems to target bloggers, but then again states "anyone who endorses a product as an affiliate" etc etc. I decided to add a "Disclosure Policy" to my website and landing pages for my PPC campaigns just in case google decides to follow suite, however, after a little investigatin I noticed that nobody else who is using Adwords seems to be following these new rules. Are any other affiliate out there, especially those using Adwords, following these new rules, and to what degree?
One thing for sure is that your ads cannot be deceptive. For example, lose 50 pounds in 1 week! Are you promoting acai berry products? If you are doing everything ethically, then you don't need to worry about it!
My ad's are fine, actually, my ad's are the kind that require a "manual review" immediatly, so I am confident that google approves of my ad's and my landing pages, considering a real person reviews my ad's every single time I post or change them. It's just that this new FTC rule started Dec. 1st this year, and yet I have no idea if these rules apply to people doing PPC or just bloggers and SEO. They require that you must openly disclose that you get paid comission for endorsing a product, or that you recieve free products or services if thats the case. Like most affiliates, I use "My Story" marketing where I pretend to be someone who tried the product with success. I have yet to see any other affiliates who use adwords that openly disclose their affiliate compensation, let alone any with a disclosure policy, which leads me to believe that the new FTC rules apply to only specific affiliate pages. Just wondering if anyone else has implemented this new policy into their marketing strategy.
If I'm not wrong, you should disclose that you are an affiliate and get commission for the sale on product.
Since I use my blogs for affiliate marketing, I just add a small disclaimer saying that "this is a money-making blog, if anyone clicks on the link and buy products, I will make at least 1 cent."
I think it's all about disclosure and making the web more transparent. For example - think about it as if you had a store. Would you have a big sign saying "LOSE 50lbs A WEEK WITH THIS PILL"? I think not... and that's the mentality the FTC wants to have on the web as well.
Right.. I listened to a 2 hour video interview with an FTC official, and it was stated clearly that affiliate pages should disclose they are earning commissions. So i whipped up template affiliates can use which contains an FTC transparency statement. Better safe than sorry