Disclosures 101 for Influencers - FTC GuidanceUpdated a year ago
Be sure to abide by all laws and regulations by the FTC. Influencers must disclose their partnership with The Coldest Water. All statements you make regarding Coldest Water products should be truthful and from your own personal experience.
How To Disclose:
Place it so it’s hard to missThe 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 linksIf your endorsement is in a picture on a platform like Snapchatand Instagram Stories, superimpose the disclosure over thepicture and make sure viewers have enough time to notice andread it.If making an endorsement in a video, the disclosure should bein the video and not just in the description uploaded with thevideo. Viewers are more likely to notice disclosures made inboth audio and video. Some viewers may watch without soundand others may not notice superimposed wordsIf making an endorsement in a live stream, the disclosureshould be repeated periodically so viewers who only see partof the stream will get the disclosure.Use simple and clear language.» Simple explanations like “Thanks to The Coldest Water brand for the freeproduct.”So are terms like “advertisement,” “ad,” and “sponsored.” On a space-limited platform like Twitter, the terms“TheColdestWater Partner” or “Coldest Ambassador” (where Acme is thebrand name) are also options. It’s fine (but not necessary) to include a hashtag withthe 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 shorthandwhen possible.The disclosure should be in the same language as theendorsement itself.Don’t assume that a platform’s disclosure tool is good enough,but consider using it in addition to your own, good disclosure.You can’t talk about your experience with a product youhaven’t tried.If you’re paid to talk about a product and thought it was terrible,you can’t say it’s terrificYou can’t make up claims about a product that would requireproof the advertiser doesn’t have – such as scientific proof thata product can treat a health condition.
Please refer to the latest updates:
https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers