FTC Disclosure Cheatsheet for AfterSlim Affiliates

Version 1.0 · Sent to every new Affiliate in the welcome email

This document is not legal advice and is intended as a starting framework subject to legal review. Based on publicly available FTC guidance, including "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers" and 16 C.F.R. Part 255. For specific situations, consult qualified counsel.

Quick version

When you post about AfterSlim, do all three:

1. Put #ad or #sponsored at the very start of your caption, description, or video.
2. Make sure the disclosure is visible before the user has to tap "see more", scroll, or click into anything.
3. Include the FDA disclaimer any time you make a health claim:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

That covers about 95% of cases. The rest of this document is the why and the edge cases.

1. Why disclosure matters

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that anyone with a "material connection" to a brand disclose that connection clearly when endorsing the brand's product.

A material connection includes:

• You earn a commission on sales
• You received the product for free
• You were paid for the post
• You have a personal or business relationship with the brand

If you participate in the AfterSlim Affiliate Program, you have a material connection. Every promotional post needs a clear disclosure.

The risk is real. The FTC has sent warning letters and pursued enforcement actions against both brands and individual influencers. Past cases include:

• Lord & Taylor (2016): settled with the FTC over an influencer campaign where 50 paid posts did not disclose payment.
• Warner Bros. (2016): settled over a YouTube campaign where sponsorship was disclosed only in the video description, below the fold.
• Teami (2020): the FTC fined the brand and sent warning letters to specific influencers for deceptive weight-loss claims and inadequate disclosure.

You are personally responsible. The FTC has stated that individual influencers can be named in actions, not just brands.

2. The basic rule

Disclosures must be clear and conspicuous. A consumer should not have to look for them.

"Clear" means plain language a reasonable person understands. "Conspicuous" means placed where someone is likely to see it before they engage with the endorsement.

If a disclosure is technically present but easy to miss, the FTC treats it as if it were not there.

3. What counts as proper disclosure

Plain words that work

• #ad
• #sponsored
• "Paid partnership with AfterSlim"
• "AfterSlim sent me this product and I'm earning a commission"
• "I'm part of the AfterSlim Affiliate Program"
• A platform-native label such as Instagram's "Paid Partnership" badge or TikTok's "Branded Content" toggle

Placement that works

• At the very beginning of an Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook caption, before the "see more" cutoff
• Spoken aloud in the first 30 seconds of a video
• As large, readable on-screen text overlaid on a video for at least 3 seconds
• In the first line of an email above the offer
• At the top of a blog post or article, in the same font size as the body

4. What does NOT count

Common mistakes the FTC has explicitly flagged as inadequate:

• #sp, #spon, #col, #collab in isolation. The FTC says abbreviations consumers do not recognize do not work.
• "Thanks @afterslim!" A thank-you is not a disclosure.
• "Press sample" or "gifted". These do not clearly communicate the financial relationship.
• A disclosure hidden inside a hashtag block at the end of a caption: ...#guthealth #wellness #afterslim #ad
• A disclosure that only appears after the "more" cutoff
• A disclosure in your bio or on a separate "I work with brands" page
• A disclosure in the YouTube description without also saying it on screen or out loud
• A disclosure shown so briefly or in such small text on a video that a viewer would miss it
• A disclosure in a language different from the language of the rest of the post

5. Platform-specific guidance

Instagram feed post

• Put #ad or #sponsored as the first word of the caption.
• Or use the native "Paid partnership with afterslim" tag (Settings → Creator → Branded Content).
• If both, even better.

Example caption opening:

#ad Sharing my honest take on AfterSlim's GLP-1 Companion after using it for 3 weeks...

Instagram Stories

• Use the "Paid Partnership" sticker that tags @afterslim, OR
• Overlay readable text such as "#ad" on the same frame as the product. Keep the text on screen long enough to read (3+ seconds).
• One disclosed frame inside a multi-story sequence is not enough. Disclose on every frame that promotes the product.

Instagram Reels

• Disclose verbally in the first 3 seconds AND in on-screen text AND in the caption opening.

TikTok

• Toggle the "Disclose video content" branded content switch when posting.
• Add #ad at the start of the caption.
• Add readable on-screen text "Paid partnership" or "#ad" within the first 3 seconds.
• For voiceover videos, say it out loud.

YouTube (long-form)

• Add a verbal mention ("This video is sponsored by AfterSlim" or "I'm partnered with AfterSlim") within the first 30 seconds.
• Add a readable on-screen text overlay during the verbal disclosure.
• Include the disclosure in the video description, above the fold.
• Use YouTube's "Includes paid promotion" toggle in the upload settings.

YouTube Shorts

• Treat as TikTok. Verbal + on-screen text + caption.

Blog / personal website

• Place the disclosure at the top of the post, near the title, in the same readable font size as body text.
• A footer disclosure does not satisfy this requirement.
• Example: "Disclosure: I am an AfterSlim affiliate and earn a commission on sales made through links in this post."

Email marketing

• Include disclosure in the first line of the email body, above or directly next to the CTA.
• Subject lines and preview text can hint at it ("Sponsored: ...") but body disclosure is required regardless.
• You must also be CAN-SPAM compliant: working unsubscribe link, valid physical address, no misleading subject line.

X / Twitter

• Put #ad at the start of the tweet, not at the end.
• For threaded tweets, repeat the disclosure on any tweet in the thread that promotes the product.

Podcasts

• Verbal disclosure at the start of the segment.
• Also include in show notes.

Live streams (Instagram Live, TikTok Live, Twitch, YouTube Live)

• Verbal disclosure at the start of the stream and again every 15 to 20 minutes for viewers who join mid-stream.
• On-screen overlay where supported.

6. The FDA disclaimer (separate from FTC disclosure)

Disclosure and disclaimer are two different obligations.

• Disclosure tells the audience you are paid.
• Disclaimer tells the audience the FDA has not evaluated the claim.

For AfterSlim, both are required when you make a health-related claim. Use this exact text:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Place it in the same content piece, in a location where it is readable. Caption, description, on-screen text, or callout box all work.

7. FAQs

I forgot to add #ad. What do I do?

Edit the post immediately if the platform allows it. If editing is not possible (some Story formats), delete and repost with the disclosure. Then email support@afterslim.com to log the incident proactively. Self-reported mistakes are treated more leniently than mistakes we discover ourselves.

It's a repost of a real customer's content. Do I still need #ad?

If you are reposting and you have a material connection to AfterSlim, yes. The disclosure attaches to your post, not to the original.

I bought the product myself before joining the program. Do I still need to disclose?

Yes. Once you become an Affiliate, every promotional post going forward needs disclosure regardless of how you acquired the product.

It's a personal unboxing on my private account. Do I need to disclose?

If your account is fully private (followers approved by you only), the FTC has indicated this is less of a concern. But if you are an Affiliate, our policy is to disclose on every promotional post regardless of audience size or privacy setting.

The platform doesn't have a built-in disclosure tool. Is that an excuse?

No. Add disclosure manually in text, voice, or on-screen overlay.

Can I disclose in a different language than the post?

No. Use the same primary language as the rest of the content.

Can I disclose only on the first post of a series and skip the rest?

No. Each post that promotes the product needs its own disclosure. Viewers may see the second post without ever seeing the first.

What about reposting AfterSlim's own content?

If you are simply resharing AfterSlim's official content with no commentary or link, you do not need a disclosure. The moment you add commentary, an affiliate link, or any element of personal endorsement, disclosure is required.

I run a podcast and I'm doing a live read. The disclosure feels awkward there.

Standard practice is to lead with a clean "This episode is sponsored by AfterSlim" before the read. That is the most defensible format. Read it as you would any other ad.

I have a Linktree / link-in-bio page. Where do I disclose?

A bio-level disclosure does not replace the per-post disclosure. But on the link-in-bio page itself, add a disclosure near the link to AfterSlim: "Affiliate link. I earn a commission on purchases."

8. Why "just add it at the end" is not safe

The FTC has been explicit: disclosure must be where consumers will actually see it. Burying #ad at the end of 30 hashtags, or putting it in a footer, or only in a description below the fold, is non-compliant even though the text technically appears somewhere.

If you have to scroll, tap, or hunt to find the disclosure, it is not "clear and conspicuous".

9. The five-second test

Before you post, ask yourself:

If a stranger glanced at this for five seconds, would they immediately understand that I am paid (or earn commission) for this content?

If the answer is "maybe" or "they'd have to look", redo the disclosure.

10. When something goes wrong

If you receive a complaint, a platform takedown, a cease-and-desist, an FTC inquiry, or any communication that references your AfterSlim content, email support@afterslim.com immediately with the subject line "URGENT: Compliance Issue". Do not respond to the inquiry on your own first. We will work with you on a response.

11. Quick reference card

Save this to your phone notes:

WHEN POSTING ABOUT AFTERSLIM:

[ ] #ad or #sponsored at the START of caption
[ ] Disclosure visible BEFORE "see more"
[ ] Verbal disclosure in first 30s of any video
[ ] FDA disclaimer if making a health claim
[ ] Use only Approved Claims (see Content Guidelines)
[ ] No "cures", "treats", "prevents", "Ozempic alternative"
[ ] No weight-loss numbers, no before/after
[ ] No "FDA approved" or "doctor recommended"

12. Where to find the source material

If you want to read the FTC guidance directly:

• FTC Endorsement Guides: 16 C.F.R. Part 255 (the current version as of 2026)
• FTC publication: "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers" (available on ftc.gov)
• FTC FAQ: "The FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking" (available on ftc.gov)

These are the documents AfterSlim's guidelines are built around. They are written for a general audience and are worth reading once.

Contact

Questions about disclosure: support@afterslim.com
Urgent compliance issues: support@afterslim.com with subject line "URGENT: Compliance Issue"

This guide is published by VQ Group LLC d/b/a AfterSlim, a Florida limited liability company. Based on publicly available FTC guidance. For specific situations, consult qualified counsel.