Whether you’re a blogger or someone who works with them on blogger outreach campaigns, understanding FTC blogger disclosure guidelines is becoming more important than ever. By following guidelines, you can help protect your blog, brand and/or client—and when it comes to the Internet, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
The FTC’s most recent guidelines were released earlier this month and provide more parameters tied to disclosures in digital advertisers. As MediaPost points out, these updates are “a guardrail, not an ultimatum”—but it’s still essential to not only understand the guidelines, but use them, too. Here’s a look at the updates:
Clear And Conspicuous Disclosures
These two words, “clear” and “conspicuous,” are the words to remember in reference to FTC-compliant blogger disclosures. When disclosing a product or brand tie-in, this information can’t be buried in the post—instead, it must be included at the top of the page. Additionally, the disclosure needs to be formatted in the same text size as the blog and can’t be in a color that makes the information less noticeable than the other content on the page. And hyperlinks used for purposes for disclosure are discouraged by the FTC. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? A disclosure that’s buried or hard to find doesn’t do anyone any good.
Use Hashtags To Distinguish Short-Form Posts
If you’re tweeting or posting another short-form message, the FTC suggests labeling the content with #Ad at the beginning of the content. It’s also acceptable to use #Sponsored, although this is generally less preferred because of the length.
One other note? As Holly Pavlika writes for MediaPost, “The FTC, however, is open to other disclosures other than #Ad and #Sponsored. So, the guidance offers an opportunity if an advertiser is willing to explore other options.” If you’re willing to assume the risk that comes with that sort of experimentation, it might be something worth exploring.
When in doubt? Remember that the FTC is all about clarity and truth. Be upfront about testimonials, product reviews, gifts and other related product or brand tie-ins. And if you’re part of an agency or working on behalf of a blogger outreach campaign, don’t hesitate to include some blogger education in your materials. Don’t just assume bloggers are well-versed in areas like FTC guidelines (although it’s certainly a smart idea). Use the opportunity to present your own suggested disclosure parameters, along with examples, as an added safeguard for your brand and the participating bloggers.
Have you incorporated disclosure education as part of your blogger outreach campaign? What sort of response did you receive?
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Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”