# FTC Disclosure Cheatsheet for AfterSlim Affiliates **Last Updated:** [INSERT EFFECTIVE DATE] **Version:** 1.0 **Sent to:** Every new Affiliate in the welcome email. > **NOTICE:** 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 (TL;DR) 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. That means 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 These are 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"**. The FTC has said 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 (or however TikTok has labeled it in your region) 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. See [Content Guidelines](./content-guidelines.md) Section 3 for placement detail. --- ## 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 Print or 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.*