Free cheatsheet
FTC disclosure cheatsheet for sponsored posts
Under the FTC's guidance for influencers, disclose any financial, employment, personal, or family relationship with a brand, including free products, in plain words such as ad or sponsored, placed where it is hard to miss: in the image or video itself, not only in a caption, profile, or behind a more link.
By Distinct ·
A summary of the FTC's Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers, written for quick reference. It is not legal advice; read the FTC's own page for the full guidance.
When you need to disclose
Any financial, employment, personal, or family relationship with the brand
Payment is not the only trigger.
Free or discounted products count
Including products you were sent without being asked to post.
It applies even if you think your opinion is unbiased
U.S. law can apply to creators outside the U.S.
When it is reasonably foreseeable that the post will affect U.S. consumers.
Source: FTC, Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers (ftc.gov).
Where to put it
Somewhere hard to miss
Not only in your bio, at the end of a post, or behind a more click.
Photos and Stories: superimpose it on the image
Give viewers enough time to read it.
Video: say it and show it in the video itself
A note in the description alone is not enough.
Livestreams: repeat it periodically
People join partway through.
What to say
Plain words: ad, advertisement, sponsored
Hashtags such as #ad or #sponsored are acceptable.
Or say it in a sentence
For example: thanks to [brand] for the free product.
Avoid vague tags
Such as sp, spon, or collab on their own.
Platform disclosure tools may not be enough by themselves
Use them alongside your own clear disclosure.
Honesty rules
Do not talk about experiences you have not had with the product
Do not claim a product does something it has not been shown to do
Keep the business side in one place
Distinct keeps your media kit, rates, and brand deals together, so the numbers on this sheet live next to the deals they are for. See how it works.