Breaking a rule can get a video removed, an account suspended or an affiliate account closed, sometimes with unpaid commissions lost. Most problems are easy to avoid.
Platform rules
Each platform has community guidelines and rules for branded or commercial content. Read them once, and again when the platform announces changes. They cover what you can promote, how to label it, and what counts as spam or misleading content.
Affiliate program rules
- Use links only where the program allows. Some programs don't allow their links in emails, paid ads or certain apps.
- Don't buy through your own link, or ask friends and family to buy just so you get a commission.
- Don't offer viewers money, gifts or rewards to click or buy, unless the program allows it.
- Don't use a brand's name or logo in your account name or your own ads without permission.
- Don't change or hide links in ways the program doesn't allow.
Music and copyright
Use music from the platform's own library, and check that it's cleared for branded or commercial content: some platforms have a separate commercial music library for promotional posts. Popular songs you add yourself in another editor are usually not licensed for your posts. The same goes for clips from TV shows, films or other creators' videos: don't use them without permission.
Photos and video
Use your own photos and video, or images you are licensed to use. A store's product photos belong to the store or the brand; some affiliate programs allow them only in specific ways, and some don't allow them in videos at all. When in doubt, film the product yourself.
Privacy
- Don't film people who haven't agreed, especially children.
- Check the background before you post: addresses, mail, screens, licence plates and anything that shows where you live.
- Don't share information about your followers or customers (names, emails) except as they agreed.
Children
Toys and products for children come with stricter rules. Don't aim your promotions at children. In Quebec, commercial advertising directed at children under 13 is generally prohibited.
Taxes
Commissions are taxable income. Keep records of what you receive and of your expenses, and check with your tax authority (the IRS in the US, the Canada Revenue Agency in Canada) or an accountant about what to report.
When rules change
Platforms and programs update their terms often, usually by email or a notice in the app. Read those messages: “we didn't know” rarely gets a closed account back.
When you are not sure whether something is allowed, the safe choice is not to post it until you have checked.