Affiliate disclosure for your link in bio
By Erin Kerr ·
The short answer
Put the disclosure next to the thing you're recommending, not only in your profile. Say it in the post that sends people to your link, and again on the link page itself, right above the affiliate links, in plain words like "affiliate link" or "I may earn a commission."
Why a bio-only disclosure falls short
Think of a disclosure like the price tag on a shirt. It does its job when it's on the shirt, and it doesn't help much if the price is printed on a sign across the store.
The FTC's guide for creators, Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers, says disclosures "are likely to be missed if they appear only on an ABOUT ME or profile page." It also says "The disclosure should be placed with the endorsement message itself" and "Place it so it's hard to miss."
Two more things from the same page that matter for a link page. Don't put the disclosure "at the end of posts or videos, or anywhere that requires a person to click MORE", and "Don't mix your disclosure into a group of hashtags or links."
The guide doesn't talk about link-in-bio pages by name, so what follows is my reading of it: your link page is where the recommendation and the affiliate link sit together, so that's where a disclosure belongs.
Where the disclosure goes
You have two places that count, and I'd use both.
| Where | What to do |
|---|---|
| The post, Reel or video that mentions the deal | Say it where people can see it without tapping "more", before they follow you to the link |
| Your link page, right on the affiliate links | A short line directly above or beside those links |
| Your profile bio | Fine as an extra, but not enough on its own |
If a post says "code in my bio" and the code lives on your link page, a person goes through two screens before they buy. The disclosure should be on both.
What to write
The FTC's page says simple terms are fine: "advertisement," "ad," and "sponsored" all work, and it warns against vague ones like "sp," "spon," or "collab." For affiliate links specifically, a plain sentence does the job. impact.com's affiliate disclosure guide gives examples like "This is an affiliate link" and "This post contains affiliate links."
A few lines you can copy and change:
- On a link page: "Some of these are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission at no cost to you."
- Next to one link: "Affiliate link"
- In a caption: "Ad: I earn a commission if you use my code."
Put the disclosure first rather than at the end of a long caption, and write it the way you'd say it out loud. If a friend wouldn't understand it, a follower won't either.
The platform's own label
Some platforms have a built-in label for paid content. The FTC's page says "Don't assume that a platform's disclosure tool is good enough", and suggests using the tool in addition to your own disclosure. So treat the label as a bonus and keep your own words in the post.
How I handle it in Goose Tools
I built the link page in Goose Tools so the disclosure doesn't depend on me remembering it. Your page lives at goosetools.com/@yourhandle, and the Discount Codes section always shows a line under its heading saying that some links are affiliate links and that you may earn a commission at no cost to the buyer. You don't write it and you can't forget it.
Links in that section are also marked as sponsored in the page's code, which is how you tell search engines a link is paid. An affiliate link with no code gets a small "affiliate" tag on the button.
What it doesn't do: the disclosure line only appears on the Discount Codes section. If you put an affiliate link in your main list, nothing is added to it, so I'd either move it into the Discount Codes section or mention it in the link's own note. The note is one line and you write it yourself, so something like "affiliate link" works. Also, the disclosure on your link page doesn't replace the one in your posts.
For the full setup, from adding the code to the copy button, there's a step-by-step in how to add discount codes to your link in bio. It's free, you sign in with Google, and you can set up your link page on Goose Tools. More how-tos for the business side of being a creator are on the Goose Tools blog.
Quick answers
Is this legal advice?
No. I'm not a lawyer. The FTC's page above is the place to start, and if you have a bigger deal or a contract, ask someone who does this for a living.
Do I need to disclose if the link doesn't pay me when someone clicks?
The FTC page gives free product from a brand as an example of something to disclose. It doesn't answer this exact case, so that's my call: if you earn when someone buys through your link or code, that's a connection people would want to know about, so I'd say it.
Is a hashtag enough?
The FTC says a hashtag like #ad or #sponsored is fine but not necessary, and that it shouldn't be buried in a group of other hashtags. A plain sentence is easier to read.
Does my bio need one too?
It can't hurt, and it's a good habit. Just don't count on it to do the whole job.