Affiliate disclosure templates you can copy-paste (FTC, EU, UK).

Affiliate-disclosure rules look like a paperwork problem until a creator gets fined or has their content removed. The actual rules from the FTC (US), the Digital Services Act and Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (EU), and the ASA (UK) are not complicated. They share three principles: the disclosure must be clear, must be noticed before the click, and must use words a normal reader understands. The disagreements are about format, not substance.

This post gives you per-platform copy-paste templates that satisfy all three jurisdictions in one wording, the mistakes that get creators in trouble, and the gray areas worth knowing about. For the deeper background on what the FTC actually requires and why, see FTC affiliate disclosure rules every creator should know.

The three rules every disclosure must satisfy

• Clear: a normal reader understands what it means. "Affiliate" is fine. "#sp" or "#ad" alone is borderline. "Some links may be partnerships" is too vague.
• Conspicuous: visible without scrolling, hovering, or clicking "more." Above the fold, near the link, not buried in a sidebar or a "Disclosures" page.
• Pre-click: the reader sees the disclosure before they click the affiliate link, not after.

Every template below is designed to satisfy all three.

Blog post (long-form article)

Top-of-post intro

Place this in the first 100 words, above any affiliate link. Italics or a tinted callout box, not buried in the body:

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I've used or researched thoroughly.

Why it works: names the relationship ("affiliate"), explains the mechanic (commission, no extra cost), and ends with an editorial-standards signal. Satisfies FTC, EU UCPD, and ASA in one paragraph.

Inline near each link (long posts with affiliate links far below)

For posts longer than 1,500 words, the FTC recommends repeating disclosure near each affiliate cluster. Add this as a parenthetical:

(affiliate link)

Right after the link text. Three words, zero ambiguity, satisfies pre-click and proximity requirements.

YouTube

Description (above the affiliate links)

This video contains affiliate links. If you buy through them I earn a small commission. It doesn't change the price for you. Products linked below.

Place it before the first link. YouTube collapses descriptions to the first ~3 lines on mobile; if your disclosure is below the cut, it doesn't count as conspicuous. If you have multiple links, this single disclosure block at the top is enough, you don't need to repeat per-link.

In-video (verbal mention)

Best practice (not strictly required if description disclosure is conspicuous): say "the links in the description below are affiliate links" once in the video, ideally within the first 30 seconds. Belt and suspenders for sponsored content + affiliate content overlap.

Instagram

Caption (for feed posts and Reels)

Open the caption with the disclosure. Don't bury it after the read-more cut:

#affiliate Loving the [product]. Link in bio.

Or for more context:

Honest note: the link in bio is an affiliate link, I earn a small commission if you buy. [Rest of caption.]

Avoid: #sp, #partner alone (unclear to most users), or #collab (used for non-affiliate partnerships too, ambiguous).

Stories with link stickers

Add text directly on the story frame, near the link sticker:

Affiliate link →

The text must be on the visible frame, not just in the caption.

TikTok

Caption + on-screen text

TikTok captions are short, so combine caption hashtag with on-screen text:

Caption: #affiliate Link in bio.

On-screen text (overlay): Affiliate link in bio

TikTok's autoplay format means most viewers scroll past the caption. On-screen text catches the audience the caption doesn't.

Pinterest

Pin description

Pinterest truncates descriptions to about 3 lines on mobile. Open with the disclosure:

#affiliate [Product] makes weeknight cooking faster. Link to where I bought mine.

For the full Pinterest mechanics see the Pinterest affiliate links guide.

Newsletter (Substack, Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Ghost)

Top of email

A single line, above the body, in italics or a small tinted block:

This email contains affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a commission at no cost to you.

For platforms with a recurring template (Substack, Beehiiv), put this in the template footer header so it appears on every send automatically. One setup, lifetime compliance.

Podcast

Verbal disclosure at or near the product mention. Specific wording:

The link in the show notes is an affiliate link, meaning I earn a small commission if you buy. Doesn't change the price.

Plus written disclosure in the episode's show notes/description, above the affiliate link.

Common mistakes that get creators fined

Burying the disclosure on a separate page

A "Disclosures" link in the footer of your blog doesn't satisfy any of the three rules. The FTC has explicitly stated that disclosures buried behind a click are not conspicuous. Same in EU and UK.

Vague hashtags only

#sp, #partner, #collab, #thanks alone don't count. The 2023 FTC endorsement guides update specifically called out #sp as inadequate. EU regulators take a stricter view: the word "advertising" or "advertisement" or the language equivalent ("Werbung," "publicité," "reclame") is preferred over hashtags.

Disclosure after the affiliate content

Reviewer says "buy this thing, link below" at minute 4 of a video, mentions "by the way these are affiliate links" at minute 8. Insufficient. The disclosure must be visible/audible before the affiliate recommendation, not after.

Implicit disclosure via context

"As a content creator I sometimes earn commission on the things I recommend" in your About page doesn't cover individual posts. Per-content disclosure is required regardless of what your About page says.

EU-specific notes

The EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive treats undisclosed affiliate marketing as a misleading commercial practice, fined per-incident in most member states. The Digital Services Act adds transparency requirements for online platforms that cover affiliate content. Practical impact for creators: use the word "advertising" or "affiliate" explicitly in EU-targeted content. Don't rely on #ad alone in markets where the local-language equivalent (Werbung in Germany, pub in France, reclame in Netherlands) is the regulator's preferred term. The English #affiliate is increasingly accepted across EU markets but local-language is the safest path.

UK ASA specifics

The UK ASA requires #ad, #advertisement, or #affiliate for affiliate content. #sp and #gifted are not affiliate-disclosure compliant in the UK either (gifted is its own category for unpaid product gifts). The ASA actively monitors Instagram and TikTok creators; multiple high-profile rulings since 2024 have resulted in content removal and reputational damage. Verbal disclosure in video content is required in addition to written caption disclosure for the ASA.

The 5-minute audit

Open your three highest-traffic affiliate posts. Check:

• Is the disclosure visible above the first affiliate link, without scrolling on mobile?
• Does it use the word "affiliate," "ad," or "advertising" (not just #sp or #partner)?
• Is it the same disclosure on every piece, or do you have a mishmash of formats?

If any answer is no, fix those three first. Then put your standard wording in a snippet manager (TextExpander, Raycast, Alfred) so future posts get it automatically.