Making money from videos

Affiliate disclosure for videos: FTC and ASA rules and examples

Where and how to disclose affiliate links in YouTube, TikTok and Instagram videos under FTC and UK ASA guidance, with disclosure lines you can copy.

Updated Oct 12, 2026

If you earn a commission from links in a video, disclose it in the video itself, in plain words, before or when you show the product. In the US, the FTC says a disclosure only in the description is not enough. In the UK, the ASA expects affiliate content to be labelled as an ad upfront. Repeat the disclosure next to the links in the description.

This guide summarizes official guidance as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. If you have a specific situation, check the sources named below or ask a lawyer.

The US: FTC Endorsement Guides

The FTC's Endorsement Guides were revised in 2023. Its plain-English pages, "FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking" and "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers," cover affiliate links and video directly.

Affiliate links count

The FTC says you should disclose your relationship to a retailer when you get paid through affiliate links, the same as for any paid endorsement. It does not matter how small the commission is.

Put it in the video, not only the description

From the FTC's guidance on video:

A disclosure in the video description alone is "not enough on its own," because viewers can easily miss it.
The disclosure has the best chance of being clear when it is "included in the video itself."
At the beginning of the review is better. Several disclosures during the video are better still.
Viewers are more likely to notice a disclosure made in both audio and on-screen text.
In a livestream, repeat it periodically so people who join late still hear it.

Use words people understand

Good: "ad," "advertisement," "sponsored," or a plain sentence such as "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post," which is the FTC's own example.
Starting a post with "Ad:" or "#ad" is likely to work. A disclosure buried in the middle or at the end is easier to miss.
"Paid link" right next to an affiliate link is described by the FTC as an adequate label for that link.
Avoid: "sp," "spon," "collab," and "thanks" or "ambassador" on their own.
"Affiliate link" alone may not be enough, because viewers might not understand that it means you are paid.

Other points creators miss

No "show more." A disclosure should be visible without tapping "more" on a truncated caption.
No single disclosures page. The FTC says a single disclosure on a home page is not sufficient. Each post or video needs its own.
Same language. Disclose in the language the endorsement is made in.
Platform tools are a start. The FTC says a platform's disclosure feature is no guarantee of an effective disclosure, and the responsibility stays with the creator and the brand.

The UK: ASA and CAP rules

In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority enforces the CAP Code. CAP's advice page "Affiliate marketing" and the ASA's influencer guide, written with the Competition and Markets Authority, cover video creators.

Affiliate content is advertising. If you promote a product with a link or code that pays you per click or sale, the parts of your content about that product are ads. Brands and affiliates share responsibility for them.
Label it upfront. For vlogs, the commercial nature should be clear before the viewer engages, for example with "Ad" in the title or thumbnail, or on-screen text when you talk about the affiliated products.
Make the description clear. CAP says it should be equally obvious in the description which products and links are advertising.
Labels that failed. The ASA has found that "affiliate" on its own was not widely understood, that "#collab" was not clear enough, and that a disclaimer at the bottom of a post is unlikely to be enough. CAP recommends against "Aff" on its own.

Platform disclosure tools

Use the built-in tools as well as your own words:

YouTube: tick the paid promotion box in YouTube Studio when a video contains a product placement, sponsorship or endorsement. YouTube adds a label at the start of the video and notes that you remain responsible for meeting legal requirements.
TikTok: TikTok's Branded Content Policy treats products you earn a commission on, through an affiliate link or promo code, as branded content, and asks you to switch on the commercial content disclosure toggle when you post.

Disclosure lines you can copy

Adapt these to your voice. Say the spoken line out loud and show the on-screen line at the same time.

Spoken, at the start of a review:

"Quick heads-up: some links in this video are affiliate links, so I earn a commission if you buy through them."

Spoken, short version for Shorts, Reels and TikTok:

"Ad: I earn a commission if you buy through my link."

On-screen text:

Ad: I earn from purchases through my links

First line of the description or caption, before any links:

Ad: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Next to each link in the description:

Tent I use (paid link): vyrl.at/yourname/storm

For a livestream, repeated every so often and whenever you show a new product:

"Reminder: the links in chat and in my profile are affiliate links, and I earn a commission on purchases."

For a sponsored video that also has affiliate links:

"This video is sponsored by [brand], and the links below are affiliate links, so I earn from purchases too."

For UK audiences, in the title or thumbnail of a video built around affiliate products:

Ad | My 5 favorite headlamps

Disclosure on your link page

Your link-in-bio page is part of the same promotion, so add a short line there too, such as "Some links on this page are affiliate links. I earn a commission on purchases." Place it near the links, not only in a footer.

How Vyrl handles disclosure

On a Vyrl page, fans can ask questions through the "Ask me" AI, which answers from your own video transcripts and cites the video moments. It links only to products you have confirmed, and it shows the affiliate disclosure with those links. You still need to disclose in your videos, because that is where the recommendation happens. When you share a video's Vyrl address on screen, such as vyrl.at/yourname/storm, that is a natural moment to say the disclosure line. See which video made the sale for how those addresses track sales.

Quick checklist

Disclose in the video, spoken and on screen, before or as you show the product.
Use plain words: "ad," or "I earn a commission if you buy."
Put the disclosure at the top of the description or caption, before any links.
Tick YouTube's paid promotion box or TikTok's commercial content toggle where it applies.
Repeat it in livestreams and on your link page.
When in doubt, disclose more clearly, not less.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

Questions

Is a disclosure in the video description enough?

Not on its own, according to the FTC. Viewers can easily miss the description, so the FTC says the disclosure has the best chance of working when it is in the video itself, ideally near the start.

Is saying affiliate link enough?

Probably not. The FTC notes that viewers might not understand that an affiliate link means you get paid, and the UK ASA has ruled that the word affiliate on its own was not widely understood. Say plainly that you earn money from purchases.

Do I need to disclose if I only earn a few dollars?

Yes. Both the FTC and the ASA treat a commission on sales as a material connection or advertising regardless of the amount you earn.

Does the platform's paid promotion label cover me?

Use it, but do not rely on it alone. The FTC says a platform's disclosure tool is no guarantee of an effective disclosure, and the responsibility stays with you and the brand.

I am not in the US. Do the FTC rules apply to me?

The FTC says US law applies if it is reasonably foreseeable that your videos will be seen by and affect US consumers. Many other countries, including the UK, have similar rules of their own.