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ShopStyle Collective Blog

A place for all the tips and tricks to best monetize your ShopStyle Collective links.

HOW TO BE COMPLIANT WITH F.T.C. GUIDELINES

February 12, 2021 | Must Know, Tips & Best Practices

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Endorsement Guidelines are focusing more on influencers and disclosures for sponsored and affiliate content. Since we want to help you comply with FTC rules, here are best practices to follow when promoting any ShopStyle Collective affiliate content, as well as sponsored content. Per our Terms & Conditions, you must adhere to FTC Endorsement Guidelines and disclose any time you use our tools. If you do not comply, ShopStyle Collective may terminate your ShopStyle Collective account and disclaim any obligation to pay you your earnings.

Each post using our tools (links, widgets, Looks, etc.) as well as any paid campaigns, must include a clear and conspicuous disclosure. When you receive product for free it is considered the same as being paid and must include a disclosure. By disclosing the relationship between you, the Merchant, and ShopStyle Collective, a viewer of your posts can decide how much weight to give your endorsement.

Use the examples below as a baseline for how to craft clear, FTC-compliant messaging.

Types of Disclosures for paid/sponsored campaigns:

  • Facebook: #Sponsored, #Promotion, #PaidAd, #ad, #CommissionLink
  • Instagram: #Sponsored, #Promotion, #PaidAd, #ad, #CommissionLink ** Please note the disclosure must be placed before the “more” link to open up and see more hashtags. When posting to Instagram, even if you utilize the “Paid partnership with [sponsor name]” tool, ShopStyle requires our influencers to provide additional disclosure (i.e. #sponsored or #ad) in the caption.
  • Blog post: “I get commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.”, and Sponsored by [sponsor name]
  • Pinterest: #Sponsored, #Promotion, #PaidAd, #ad, #CommissionLink
  • Video: Clearly state in the video that it’s sponsored by [sponsor name], that the content in this video has affiliate links you can make money off of when clicked on (if it does), and add in disclosure (#CommissionLink) under description in video.

Types of Disclosures for affiliate links used in blog and social posts:

  • Facebook: #ad #CommissionLink
  • Instagram: #ad #CommissionLink
  • Blog post: “I get commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.”
  • Pinterest: #ad #CommissionLink
  • Video: Clearly state in the video that it’s sponsored by [sponsor name], that the content in this video has affiliate links you can make money off of when clicked on, and add in disclosure (#CommissionLink #Ad) under description in video.

Best practices to follow for all disclosures:

  • Disclosures must be next to the content to which it relates to; a viewer should not need to scroll to view the disclosure
  • Disclosures must be in a font of the same size as the rest of your post
  • Disclosures must be obvious, not buried in a long paragraph of unrelated text or hashtags
  • Disclosures should be visible every place the post appears, not only be accessible by clicking a hyperlink such as your Bio or About Me page
  • Always disclose if a brand sent you product for free. e.g: Revolve sent me this jumpsuit or #FreeSample c/o Revolve

Thanks for being a part of our community! If you have further questions see here for official answers from the FTC. The Fashion Law also has informative content surrounding FTC guidelines for influencers. If this still isn’t making sense please add in your questions below and we’ll answer them.

Examples of how to incorporate these guidelines into your posts/content:

Blog:

Instagram:

Please note, ShopStyle will be auditing bloggers for compliance purposes. As a member of our program, you may be subject to an audit at any time.This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, legal advice. Please visit FTC.gov for guidelines.

-The ShopStyle Collective Team

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brittany says

    September 1, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    These are fantastic tips! It’s never worth getting on the wrong side of the FTC! And I really believe readers appreciate transparency!

    Reply
  2. Jamie says

    October 22, 2017 at 12:12 pm

    I’m so confused! I see so many decently big blogs linking through you guys and Rstyle (I can see their referral code when I click) but I don’t see disclosures in their posts. I want to make sure I’m complying but when I went to see what some of my fave blogs did….I got very confused if I understood the rules correctly!

    Reply
  3. Silver International Price says

    November 20, 2017 at 11:37 pm

    I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well.Thanks for sharing this information.And I’ll love to read your next post too.

    Reply
  4. Sarah Steele says

    January 29, 2018 at 9:37 am

    This was such a helpful overview; thanks for providing this clear guidance!

    Reply
  5. Lakeshia says

    March 10, 2020 at 6:59 pm

    Does this apply on instagram only when your posting and adding shopstyle? Thanks

    Reply

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  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
They’re all available for linking, too. Get star They’re all available for linking, too. Get started on your content now with these in-network favorites.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Mo May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Kick off the month by sharing these trending Asian-owned brands your followers are sure to love. Plus, head to the blog for more!
Brunch essentials, travel beauty, and dresses galo Brunch essentials, travel beauty, and dresses galore…Swipe for what’s on the rise for May and add to your content strategy for the month. ✨ See the full trend report on the blog! #trendreport
Ready, set, link! We just onboarded 10 new ShopSty Ready, set, link! We just onboarded 10 new ShopStyle Collective retailers in fashion, home, baby, and more. Use them to create content your audience will love. Swipe for a sneak peek, and head to the blog for the full list.
If you’re not already using Instagram’s Link S If you’re not already using Instagram’s Link Stickers, it’s time to start. Instagram rolled out Link Stickers to everyone earlier this year, and the tool is one of the easiest ways to monetize on Instagram! Swipe for some ways you should be taking advantage ➡️
Introducing the Spring Content Challenge, Instagra Introducing the Spring Content Challenge, Instagram Story Edition! 🌸 It’s easy: Follow the challenge prompt each day and post it to your Instagram Story. Remember to include an affiliate link (via Link Stickers) for every story you post. 

Tag @shopstylecollective for a chance to be featured. Good luck!

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