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Affiliate Disclosure Requirements: A Practical Guide for Trading Affiliates

November 4, 2026
Affiliate Disclosure Requirements: A Practical Guide for Trading Affiliates

An affiliate must tell the audience about any paid or material connection to a brand. The disclosure must be clear and conspicuous, and it must sit next to each endorsement, not only on a home page or in a footer. Affiliates who promote trading services have extra duties on top of this: fair and balanced claims, visible risk warnings and, in some countries, limits on who may market investment services at all.

This guide covers the US rules first, since they set the baseline for most English-language content. It then covers placement on websites, social media and video, example wording, trading-specific compliance and the identity checks affiliate programs may request.

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Promote Gold Trading Transparently
Sonic AI focuses on automated gold trading, giving affiliates a specific service to understand before making clear, balanced claims.
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TL;DR

  • The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires disclosure of any material connection, including commissions, free products and discounts.
  • The disclosure must be clear, conspicuous and placed with the endorsement. A single home-page notice is not enough.
  • US law can apply to affiliates located abroad when their posts can reasonably be expected to affect US consumers.
  • Trading affiliates must keep promotions fair, clear and not misleading, with prominent risk warnings.
  • Programs may ask affiliates for identity documents. This is separate from the identity checks the program runs on clients.

Table of Contents

What an affiliate disclosure is

An affiliate disclosure is a statement that tells the audience about a financial or other connection between the person recommending a product and the company selling it. The FTC says a connection must be disclosed when a significant minority of the audience would not expect it and when it could affect how people weigh the endorsement. The agency requires that this be done clearly and conspicuously.

The FTC lists the forms a material connection can take. Payment is one. Free products and discounted services given in return for a mention are others, as the agency explains in its guidance for social media influencers.

A commission on a referred sale is therefore a material connection. The size of the commission does not change the duty. A small commission and a large one both need a disclosure.

Transparency also serves the audience. A reader who knows the link pays the publisher can judge the recommendation accordingly. Compliance guides from privacy and legal software publishers make the same point: disclosure supports both legal compliance and trust.

Who must disclose

The duty is not limited to website owners with a formal contract. The FTC states that influencers must disclose material connections whenever they endorse a product. This holds whether the relationship is a signed deal or only perks and free samples, per its influencer guidance.

The same guidance puts the responsibility on the person posting. An influencer cannot assume that the brand, an agency or a network will handle compliance. Understanding the rules is the poster's own job.

In practice, the following groups all need to disclose:

  • Bloggers and publishers who place affiliate links in articles and reviews.
  • Social media creators who post referral links or codes.
  • YouTube and podcast hosts who recommend a product in return for a commission.
  • Newsletter writers and community moderators who share referral links in messages or groups.
  • Network marketers who pass referral links to personal contacts through public posts or channels.

Affiliates outside the United States

Location does not remove the duty. The FTC says US law may apply to an influencer based abroad when it is reasonably foreseeable that the post will affect US consumers, as stated in its influencer guidance. An affiliate writing in English for a global audience should assume the US standard applies. Local rules in the affiliate's own country may add further duties.

Where the disclosure goes

The test is whether a typical reader sees the disclosure before acting on the endorsement. Several placement rules follow from it.

  1. Next to the endorsement. The FTC says disclosures should accompany endorsements. It adds that one disclosure on a home page is not enough if people may read individual reviews or watch single videos without seeing it, according to its endorsement guide FAQ.
  2. Before the link. Guidance from a compliance publisher says disclosures should explain the relationship in simple language and appear before the user engages with the affiliate links.
  3. Inside the video. For video endorsements, the disclosure belongs in the video itself. A line in the description alone does not meet the standard, per the FTC.
  4. On every page type. A review, a comparison table, a newsletter and a social post each need their own notice.

A useful working habit is to treat each piece of content as if it were the only one the reader will see. If the disclosure would be missing for a reader who lands on that page from a search engine, it is not in the right place.

Websites and blogs

Place a short notice near the top of each article that contains affiliate links, above the first link. Add a fuller disclosure page and link to it from the footer. The footer page is supporting material. It does not replace the notice on the page itself.

If an article includes a comparison table, the notice should appear before the table. Ranking criteria in tables should be transparent and objective. A table that ranks products by commission size, while implying a neutral ranking, misleads readers.

Social media

Put the disclosure in the post text where it is seen without tapping or expanding. Do not bury it among hashtags or below a collapsed line. Platform tools for marking paid content can help, but the wording should still be plain.

Video and audio

Say the disclosure aloud and show it on screen near the start of the recommendation. Repeat it if the video is long and the recommendation returns. Add it to the description as well, as a second layer.

Messaging apps and private groups

Sharing a referral link in a group chat or channel with several people is a recommendation to an audience. Include a short line stating that the link pays you a commission.

Example wording

A standard disclosure reads like this: this post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive compensation if you click on products or services and make a purchase. This wording appears in a widely used guide. A shorter version suggested by an affiliate program knowledge base is that you may earn a small commission from purchases made through the links.

For trading content, a better version names the relationship and the risk together:

Disclosure: I earn a commission when you open an account through the links on this page. Trading gold involves risk, and you can lose money.

Three features make this version work. It states the relationship in plain words, it says what triggers payment, and it sits next to a risk statement. Avoid vague wording such as "sponsored by friends" or "partner links". Terms like these may not tell a reasonable reader that money changes hands.

The FTC measures clarity against what a reasonable consumer understands, not against what an industry insider understands. A reader new to trading may not know what an introducing broker, a referral rebate or a revenue share is. Say "commission" or "I get paid".

Example wording

Trading affiliates: extra compliance

Trading and investment products are regulated more tightly than most consumer goods. An affiliate promoting a broker, a copy-trading service or an automated strategy is producing a financial promotion in many jurisdictions. The following principles come from regulators.

Fair, clear and not misleading

UK regulator guidance says financial promotions made through affiliates must be fair, clear and not misleading. Each promotion must also comply on its own, and applicable risk warnings must be prominent. Unless an exemption applies, promotions must be approved by an appropriate authorized person. These points are set out in the FCA's finalised guidance FG24/1.

The same guidance says firms should take proactive responsibility for how affiliates communicate promotions. They should also run monitoring and oversight systems. For an affiliate, this means the brand may review content, ask for corrections or end a relationship that breaches the rules.

Who may market at all

Some countries restrict who can acquire clients for investment services. Spain's securities regulator said in a 2020 statement that professional marketing and client acquisition for investment services may be carried out only by investment firms or their tied agents. It also called it unacceptable for authorized firms to use unauthorized third parties for client acquisition through affiliate programs. See the CNMV public statement.

The practical lesson is that the legality of paid referrals for trading products depends on the country of the audience. Before promoting to readers in a given country, check that country's financial regulator for rules on introducers and referral fees.

Claims about results

When content cites a win rate, a drawdown figure or a streak of winning months, it should say where the figure comes from, what period it covers and whether anyone independent verified it. It should also avoid implying a guaranteed outcome. Past results do not predict future ones. Our own guidance on trading risk disclosure covers how regulators treat these statements. The step-by-step method for third-party trade verification shows how a reader can check a track record independently.

A compliance checklist for trading affiliates

  • Place a disclosure of the commission before the first affiliate link on every page.
  • State a risk warning in the same view as any performance claim.
  • Describe results with their source, period and verification method.
  • Avoid promises of income, guaranteed profit or risk-free returns.
  • Do not give personal investment advice unless you hold the authorization the local law requires.
  • Check the rules of the country where your audience lives.
  • Keep records of what you published and when.

A longer walk-through is in the five-step compliance checklist for copy trading referral programs.

Affiliate KYC requirements

KYC, or know your customer, usually refers to identity checks that a financial firm runs on clients. Affiliate programs in finance may run a similar check on the affiliate. The purpose differs. Client checks relate to account opening and funds. Affiliate checks relate to who receives commission payments and whether the affiliate is allowed to promote the service.

What a program asks for varies. Typical items include a government-issued ID, proof of address, the country of residence and sometimes a description of the channels used for promotion. Some programs verify the affiliate only when a payout is requested or when the program's compliance team asks. Read the program terms before registering, and keep identity documents ready for the payout stage.

Two habits help. First, provide accurate details that match your payout account. Mismatches are a common cause of delayed payouts. Second, make sure the channels you list are the ones you actually use, so the program can review the content that carries your links.

Affiliates in the Sonic AI program can start from the affiliate verification page. New partners register through the affiliate registration page.

Network marketers and referral structures

People who build referral networks face two questions at once: disclosure and the structure of the compensation. The disclosure duty applies to each person who publicly recommends a product for pay. A multi-level structure adds a reason to explain, in plain words, how earnings arise. A reader should be able to tell whether pay comes from client trading activity or from recruiting.

If you are comparing models, read five questions to ask before joining an MLM or affiliate program. For publishers choosing among programs, the overview of trading affiliate programs lists what to look at.

Our perspective

Disclosure is part of the product when the product involves money. A reader who sees a performance claim and a commission notice together can decide with full information. That is the standard we want our affiliates to meet.

Sonic AI is a gold-only (XAUUSD) auto-trading strategy. Our stated results are an 80% win rate, less than 1% drawdown and 18 consecutive winning months. We point to the verification on MyFXBook so readers can check the record themselves instead of relying on our word. Affiliates should present the same figures the same way: with the source, the period and a risk warning.

Our fees are performance-based, so the way we earn is tied to client results. Affiliates can explain this on the performance fee page without exaggeration. The strategy copies trades through COPYX, and no trading knowledge is needed to start. That is a strong message on its own and does not need inflated promises.

We built our affiliate material so that honest disclosure and effective promotion go together. A clearly disclosed recommendation builds the trust that lasting referrals depend on.

Paulo

Promoting Sonic AI as an affiliate

Sonic AI is an auto-trading strategy focused only on gold. It runs through the COPYX system, which copies trades to the user's account automatically. The strategy's results are reported on MyFXBook, and the setup guides cover the process for new users. Live results are on the live performance page.

Affiliates and network marketers can join through the COPYX IB Partner Program. Disclose your commission, show the risk warning and cite the verified record. The Sonic AI home page has the full overview of the service.

Sonicaigold

For a guide to turning an audience into referrals responsibly, see the trading affiliate playbook.

Common disclosure mistakes

Disclosing only in the footer or on an About page. The FTC says one home-page notice is not enough when readers may view individual pages or videos without seeing it.

Placing the notice after the link. The reader should see the disclosure before engaging with the link.

Using unclear terms. Words such as "partner", "collab" or "thanks to" may not tell a reasonable consumer that you are paid.

Relying on the brand. The FTC puts personal responsibility on the person posting. A brand's template helps, but you own the result.

Mixing claims and risk. Showing a win rate in a headline and the risk warning in small print at the bottom fails the fair and balanced test that regulators describe.

Ignoring the audience's country. US rules may reach affiliates abroad, and local financial regulators may restrict paid referral for investment services.

Common disclosure mistakes

Leaving old content unchanged. Review published pages from time to time. Older posts with affiliate links need the same notice as new ones.

A simple process for each new piece of content

  1. List every link in the piece that pays you if a reader acts.
  2. Write one plain sentence that says so, and place it above the first such link.
  3. Add the risk warning next to any statement about performance or returns.
  4. Check each result claim for its source, period and verification method.
  5. For video, say the disclosure aloud and show it on screen, then repeat it in the description.
  6. Note the audience country and check that country's rules on referral fees for investment services.
  7. Save a copy of the published page with the date.

FAQ

Do I need a disclosure if I earn only a small commission?

Yes. The FTC's test is whether the connection could affect how the audience weighs the endorsement, not how much money is involved. Any payment, free product or discount counts as a material connection, per the FTC.

Is a disclosure on my home page enough?

No. The FTC says a single home-page disclosure is not sufficient when people may read individual reviews or watch videos without seeing it. Place the notice with each endorsement, before the link, per the FTC's guidance.

Does US law apply if I live outside the United States?

It can. The FTC states that US law may apply to an influencer located abroad if it is reasonably foreseeable that the post will affect US consumers, as explained in its influencer guidance. Your own country may also have rules, so check both.

What should a trading affiliate add beyond the disclosure?

A prominent risk warning, balanced claims and a source for any performance figure. UK guidance says promotions must be fair, clear and not misleading, and that risk warnings should be prominent, as set out in the FCA guidance. If you offer personal advice, check whether your country requires authorization.

Will I need to provide ID to join an affiliate program?

Possibly. Finance-related programs may ask for identity documents at registration or before the first payout. This is separate from the identity checks on clients. Read the program terms and keep documents ready.

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