The legal basis
The governing statute, Section 5 of the FTC Act, prohibits deceptive or unfair practices in commerce (15 U.S.C. § 45, retrieved 2026-10-05). For endorsements, the Commission sets out its reading of Section 5 in the Endorsement Guides, codified at 16 CFR Part 255. The Guides are administrative interpretations. Departing from one is not itself a violation, though conduct at odds with them can still result in a Section 5 action (16 CFR § 255.0(a), retrieved 2026-10-05).
The current text dates from a revision announced on 2023-06-29. Four changes matter to buyers. It introduced a formal definition of “clear and conspicuous”. It stated that a platform’s own disclosure tool can fall short. It brought tags on social media, virtual influencers and fake reviews within scope. It also set out how advertisers, endorsers and intermediaries each carry liability (FTC, 2023-06-29).
What counts as a material connection
Material connection: any tie between endorser and brand that the audience is unlikely to anticipate and that could change how much the audience trusts the endorsement. Such a tie must be disclosed (16 CFR § 255.5(a), retrieved 2026-10-05). Payment is the plain case. The FTC’s influencer guidance adds employment, family or personal relationships, and products given free or at a discount (FTC, Disclosures 101, 2019-11).
The working rule for a buyer follows directly. Where the brand paid for the placement, supplied the product or has any other tie to the creator, the audience must be told.
What “clear and conspicuous” means in practice
Clear and conspicuous: hard to miss and easy for an ordinary consumer to understand. The disclosure matches the format of the claim. A spoken claim needs a disclosure that can be heard; a claim on screen needs one that can be seen. On social platforms and other interactive media, the disclosure must be impossible to avoid (16 CFR § 255.0(f), retrieved 2026-10-05).
The FTC’s published answers to frequent questions make three further points relevant to audio and video:
- A spoken claim calls for, at minimum, a spoken disclosure.
- Placing the disclosure early in a video is preferable to placing it at the close.
- In a long live stream the disclosure is repeated, so viewers who arrive later still hear it.
The same answers warn that using a platform’s disclosure tool does not by itself make a disclosure effective (FTC, Endorsement Guides FAQ, retrieved 2026-10-05).
Podcast reads
The Guides include a podcast example. A host delivers an obvious commercial early in the episode; a listener takes it that the host is being paid, so the Guides call for no added statement of payment. A social media post by that host about the product is then judged on its own facts (16 CFR § 255.5, retrieved 2026-10-05, Example 12).
The example applies only to a read that is plainly an ad. A segment scripted to pass as the host’s personal recommendation, or as editorial, falls outside it and requires a disclosure at the opening. Requiring every host to name the sponsor as the read begins costs nothing and closes the point.
YouTube integrations
YouTube’s policy: where a video contains a sponsorship, endorsement or other paid relationship, the creator enables the paid promotion setting, and a label is shown when playback starts. YouTube also states that the setting does not shift legal duties away from the creator or the brand (YouTube Help, retrieved 2026-10-05).
Our integrations therefore carry two disclosures: the label, and an in-video disclosure that the creator both says and shows as the sponsored segment begins. The FTC cautions against a disclosure that appears only in the description or below a “more” link, since many viewers never see it (FTC, Disclosures 101, 2019-11).
Wording that works
The FTC accepts plain wording: “ad”, “advertisement”, “sponsored”, or “Thanks to [Brand] for the free product”. It rejects “sp”, “spon” and “collab” as too vague (FTC, Disclosures 101, 2019-11).
Campaigns that also run in the United Kingdom meet one further rule. Under the CAP Code, marketing must be obviously identifiable as marketing (CAP Code, rule 2.1, retrieved 2026-10-05). The joint ASA and CMA guidance for influencers favours a label such as “#Ad” at the front of the post, and advises against “Sponsored”, “Gifted” and “In partnership with” (ASA and CMA, 2023-03-23). “Ad” is accepted in both markets, which makes it the simplest standard word.
Who is responsible
Since the 2023 revision, the Guides state that liability can fall on the advertiser, the endorser and any intermediary, each in its own right (FTC, 2023-06-29). Delegating disclosure to the creator does not end the brand’s duty. Three controls follow: the disclosure requirement is set in writing before production; each placement is checked once live; and a failed placement triggers a correction request and a written record.
Bought engagement is now covered by a rule
The FTC’s final rule on consumer reviews and testimonials was announced on 2024-08-14 (FTC, 2024-08-14). The rule, 16 CFR Part 465, reaches fake reviews and testimonials, paying for reviews, insider reviews without disclosure, and fake indicators of social media influence, including the purchase or sale of fake followers and views (16 CFR Part 465, 89 FR 68077, 2024-08-22). Signs of bought engagement are therefore a vetting failure as well as a pricing problem, and a channel showing purchased followers is not booked.
Disclosure checklist, per placement
- Log each material connection with the creator, free product included.
- Specify the disclosure per format in the brief: exact words, position and timing.
- Podcasts: confirm the read is plainly an ad, or require a spoken disclosure as the segment opens.
- YouTube: require the paid promotion setting, plus a spoken and on-screen disclosure as the segment opens.
- Short video and social posts: require “Ad” or “Sponsored” in the first line or on screen, in addition to the platform label.
- Check each placement once live and keep the recording or a screenshot.
- Where a disclosure is missing, request a correction the same day and log the result.
This briefing restates published guidance from the FTC, YouTube and the ASA as at its revision date. It is not legal advice. Disclosure rules for your category should be approved by your own counsel.