If you can earn a commission, got a free product, or have any other connection to a brand, the people watching need to know before they decide to buy. In both the United States and Canada this isn't just good manners: advertising law expects it. Clear disclosure also protects the trust your recommendations depend on.
What counts as a connection
Regulators call it a material connection: anything that could change how viewers judge your recommendation. For example:
- An affiliate link that can pay you a commission.
- A free or discounted product, even if the brand didn't ask you to post.
- Payment, gifts, trips or event tickets from a brand.
- A personal, family or business relationship with the brand.
How to disclose
- Use plain words: #ad (or #pub in French). “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Sponsored” or “I earn a commission from this link” also work.
- Put it where people see it without tapping “more”: in the video itself (on screen or said out loud) and at the start of the caption, not lost in a block of hashtags or only in your bio.
- Disclose in every post, including stories and lives, not once on your profile.
- Avoid vague tags such as #sp, #collab or #thanks on their own: many viewers don't understand them.
- Disclose in the language of the post. If you post in French, use #pub or “publicité”.
Amazon Associates has its own disclosure rule. On a website or a link page, Amazon asks for a statement such as “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Check Amazon's current policies for what it requires where you post.
United States: the FTC
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces truth-in-advertising rules for influencers. Its short guide, Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers, explains when and how to disclose. A few points from it: put the disclosure in the video itself, not only in the description; don't talk about your experience with a product you haven't tried; and if you thought a product was bad, don't say it's great.
Canada: the Competition Bureau
In Canada, the Competition Act's rules against misleading advertising apply to influencers too. The Competition Bureau's page Influencer marketing and the Competition Act asks you to disclose every material connection, make disclosures prominent and visible on every device without having to expand a post, and base reviews on your real experience. Ad Standards, Canada's advertising self-regulatory body, publishes more detailed disclosure guidelines with examples at adstandards.ca.
Platform labels
Most platforms have their own tools: a branded or commercial content setting, or a paid partnership label. Turn it on where it applies to your post. These labels add to your own #ad; they don't replace it, because they aren't always shown everywhere your video is seen.
AI labels
If a video uses AI-generated scenes, an AI presenter or an AI voice, tell viewers. Turn on the platform's AI label (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others have one) or add a line such as “Made with AI”. Never use AI to show a product doing something the real product doesn't do.
Ask yourself: would a viewer who sees only this one video, on a small screen, understand that you may earn something from it? If not, make the disclosure clearer.