UPDATED 8 OCT 2009. See the footer for news from the FTC that will help you relax.

Okay, so you want to comply with the new FTC rule that says affiliates must now disclose that they get paid for sales but HOW BEST TO SAY THIS?

http://arindamchakraborty.com/beware-of-posting-affiliate-links-on-your-blog-part-2 has posted a good sized list of options. Different ways to state the fact these are affiliate links.

It’s a long-ish post so look for the red headline that says… My Personal “Nuttie” Views-Affiliate Marketing. That’s where he gives his suggestions on compensation disclosure statements.

Another good thing about this post is that Arindam links through to a substantial list of sites that also deal with this new FTC ruling.

Cheers,
Gary Harvey.

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Update 11 October.

Here’s what Joel Comm’s lawyer says about all this. He is a “Creative Business Lawyer™” and he writes some of the most easy-to-read legal stuff I’ve ever seen from a lawyer. At the end of the article, there are 8 action steps.

http://www.joelcomm.com/new_ftc_rules_for_testimonials_1.html

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Update 18 October.

Someone from the FTC has responded to the fears and panic that is spreading among some internet marketers. I think this short piece on the FastCompany blog will help you relax. This puts the matter into perspective — and it includes quotes from the FTC representative. Read the rest of this entry

On Oct 5, 2009, the FTC released new guidelines about the use of testimonials. If you’re a product creator or an affiliate marketer, you should know about this one.

Here’s the easy-to-read Frank Kern version…
http://masscontrolsite.com/blog/?p=59

Here’s the FTC page…
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

The FTC headlines say “FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials.
Changes Affect Testimonial Advertisements, Bloggers, Celebrity Endorsements“.

As Frank says, “New FTC Thing Is A Bigger Deal Than You Might Think”.

Best wishes,
Gary

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Update 10 October:

“The long and short of it is that you need to make sure that you’re
not at risk of being “carpet-bombed” by the upcoming affiliate-squashing
campaign that the FTC is rolling out with its new ultra-unclear guidelines.

And this directly affects ALL affiliates.

And the cost of violation (including inadvertant, well-meaning
violations) rings in at a crippling $11,000 PER INCIDENT.”

That’s from Chris Rempel’s email this morning. You can read his full blog post at

http://www.thelazymarketer.com/blog/2009/10/09/the-sky-is-not-falling-but-this-is-definitely-a-game-changer Read the rest of this entry