Transparency with Affiliate Links

When promoting any affiliate link following the Committee of Advertising Practice code. This is set-out by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to be compliant.

The ASA is a non-governmental organisation that regulates advertising in the United Kingdom and has published guidelines for affiliate marketing. This is a type of marketing where an ‘influencer’ receives a commission for clicks or sales generated by a personalised link or code.

The ASA’s affiliate marketing guidelines state that all affiliate marketing must be obviously identifiable as such. This means that Promoters must clearly state that they are promoting a product or service in exchange for a commission. Promoters can do this by adding a disclaimer to their posts, such as:

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I/We receive a commission if you make a purchase.”

The ASA’s affiliate marketing guidelines also state that Promoters must not falsely claim or imply that they are acting as a consumer or for purposes outside their trade, business, craft or profession. This means that influencers cannot pretend to be unbiased reviewers when they are actually being paid to promote a product or service.

Finally, the ASA’s affiliate marketing guidelines state that Promoters must make clear their commercial intent, if that is not obvious from the context. This means that Promoters must not make it seem like they are simply sharing their personal opinion about a product or service when they are actually being paid to promote it.

The ASA’s affiliate marketing guidelines are designed to protect consumers from being misled by Promoters who are promoting products or services in exchange for a commission. By following these guidelines, Promoters can help to ensure that their content is transparent and honest.

Here are some additional tips for Promoters who want to comply with the ASA’s affiliate marketing guidelines:

• Any commercial content must be clearly identifiable as such, the notation of ‘Ad’ prefacing the content or being clearly related with the advert.
• Use clear and conspicuous language to identify affiliate marketing content.
• Avoid making false or misleading claims about the products or services you are promoting.
• Be transparent about your relationships with the brands you promote.
• Disclose any financial or other incentives you have received from brands.
• Respect the privacy of your followers.

cAPItula Promoter T&C’s enforce that this is adhered to as part of your Agreement in being affiliated with our Commissioners. See Promoter 12.2.1.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your affiliate marketing content is compliant & not misleading. The ASA’s guidelines are updated here https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/affiliate-marketing.html