FTC Guidelines for Affiliate Advertising on Twitter

More often than not, when you begin to get thousands of followers on Twitter, you start to see recommendations for specific products or services (especially TweetAdder) from other people who you follow in your timeline.  Did you know more often than not, the person who is tweeting the link is an affiliate for the software or service, and will be financially compensated if you signup?

That’s right!  They receive money because you clicked on their link!  However, here’s something you may not know.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires “that any affiliate who uses reviews, rankings or testimonials to promote products must clearly disclose the fact that they receive compensation for doing so”.

How many times do you see that law broken on your timeline in a given day?

This is not to say that you can’t advertise on Twitter, only that you must let people know you are a paid affiliate.  So, the ultimate question becomes:  How do I tweet my recommendation, and include the proper disclosure all in 140 characters or less? 

The FTC has a document called:  The FTC’s Revised Endorsement Guides: What People are Asking and on page 5, they have clearly defined how to recommend/advertise on Twitter.

Here’s the excerpt:

Q:  What about a platform like Twitter? How can I make a disclosure when my message is limited to 140 characters?

A:  The FTC isn’t mandating the specific wording of disclosures. However, the same general principle – that people have the information they need to evaluate sponsored statements – applies across the board, regardless of the advertising medium. A hashtag like “#paid ad” uses only 8 characters.   Shorter hashtags – like “#paid” and “#ad” – also might be effective.

It really is that simple to be compliant!  Being upfront with people is a good way to build trust, and in the end they may click your link and buy the product for that very reason.

Unfortunately, many people on twitter do not know or care about these guidelines.  If you are unsure whether or not you are being conned into a paid link, here are some steps to check:

1. Hover over the shortened URL in Twitter.
2. If it contains a unique ID (id=1234) or “aff” or”affiliate” it is an affiliate link.

Please help us spread the word!

Most people aren’t even aware about this rule, and these guidelines only take a minute to execute.  The FTC takes these guidelines very seriously, and the Advertiser you publish for could end up in some serious “hot water”.