Amazon affiliate disclosure: the exact wording, and exactly where it has to go.
You are under two separate obligations, from two different bodies, with two different tests. Most affiliate sites satisfy one of them and assume that covers both. Copy-paste templates below, for the site, the post, the video and the email.
The short version
- Amazon requires one specific sentence: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Displayed clearly and prominently.
- The FTC requires something different — a disclosure a reader cannot miss, in plain language, placed before or alongside the recommendation.
- A footer link to a disclosure page satisfies neither properly. This is the single most common mistake, and nearly every affiliate site makes it.
- Put it above the first affiliate link in every post. One line. That is the whole fix, and it takes an afternoon site-wide.
- Amazon treats a breach as material — meaning account termination with accrued commissions forfeited.
This is not legal advice. It is a plain-language summary of two published requirements, written for publishers rather than lawyers, and it reflects the position as at August 2026. Requirements differ outside the US and change over time. If real money depends on it, have a lawyer in your jurisdiction look at your specific setup.
Two obligations, not one
This is where most confusion starts. Affiliate disclosure is not a single rule — it is a legal requirement and a contractual one, and satisfying one does not satisfy the other.
The FTC — the law
Under the Endorsement Guides, a material connection between you and the seller must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. The test is whether an ordinary reader would notice and understand it. It is about the reader’s experience, not about the words you used.
Amazon — the contract
The Operating Agreement requires a specific sentence, displayed clearly and prominently. It is not enough to disclose in your own words. Amazon wants its wording, and a breach is treated as material.
So a site with a friendly hand-written “hey, I use affiliate links!” note satisfies the FTC’s intent but breaches Amazon’s contract. A site with Amazon’s exact sentence buried in the footer satisfies neither, because nobody sees it.
What Amazon requires, word for word
The Operating Agreement requires this statement:
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
The agreement also permits “any substantially similar statement previously allowed under this Agreement”, which is why you still see older variants in the wild. If you are writing one today, use the sentence above exactly. There is no benefit to paraphrasing and there is a real cost if someone decides your paraphrase is not substantially similar.
Two more obligations sit alongside it in the same agreement, and they catch people out:
- Do not misrepresent or embellish the relationship. You may not state or imply that Amazon supports, sponsors or endorses you. “Amazon Partner”, “Official Amazon Reviewer” and similar are exactly the kind of thing this prohibits.
- Do not make public statements about the Agreement or your participation in the programme beyond the required disclosure, without advance written permission.
“Material breach” is the phrase that matters. Amazon treats failures of these identification requirements as a material breach of the agreement, and the standard consequence is account termination with unpaid commissions forfeited. There is no warning system you can rely on. This is a one-line fix protecting your entire affiliate income.
Where it has to go — the part everyone gets wrong
The FTC’s 2023 revision of the Endorsement Guides was the most significant update in over a decade, and its emphasis was placement rather than wording. The standard is that a disclosure must not be easy to miss, must use plain language, and must appear before or alongside the endorsement — not buried at the end and not in a footer.
The placement rules, concretely
- Above the first affiliate link in the post. Near the top, before the reader reaches anything they could click.
- On every post that contains affiliate links, not only on a disclosure page.
- Visible without interaction. Not inside a collapsed accordion, not behind “read more”, not requiring a hover.
- Readable. Normal body text. Not 9px grey on white, which the guides call out directly.
- In the same medium as the endorsement. A video needs the disclosure in the video — on screen, and spoken where there is audio — not only in the description.
Keep the disclosure page too. A dedicated page at /affiliate-disclosure/ linked from the footer is still worth having — it is a trust signal, it gives you somewhere to explain properly, and some networks expect it. It just cannot be your only disclosure.
Copy-paste templates
Use Amazon’s exact sentence wherever Amazon links appear. The surrounding wording can be yours.
In a post, above the first link
The short version, which is what most publishers should use:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A slightly warmer version that still contains the required sentence verbatim:
Some links in this article go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you.
For a mixed-network site
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
For a video
Say it out loud near the start, and put it on screen at the same time. A description-box disclosure alone does not meet the standard, and this is the case the FTC has been most explicit about.
Spoken: “Quick note — the links below are affiliate links, so I earn a commission if you buy through them.”
On screen, large enough to read on a phone: “Contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
For an email
Heads up: this email contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Before you use that one, check you are allowed to send it. Amazon permits Special Links in email, SMS and direct messages only where the communication is solicited — that is, the recipient opted in — and otherwise compliant. Links in a purchased or cold list are not permitted.
Offline is a flat prohibition. The policy bars promotional activity “in connection with any printed material, ebook, mailing, or any oral solicitation”, so an Amazon affiliate link in a lead-magnet PDF or an ebook is a breach no disclosure wording can rescue. This catches a lot of people who put an affiliate link in a downloadable buying guide.
For a dedicated disclosure page
[Site name] is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This costs you nothing — the price you pay is the same whether or not you use our links.
The seven mistakes that actually get made
| Mistake | Why it fails |
|---|---|
| Footer link only | The reader clicks before reaching it. Fails the proximity standard, and by far the most common. |
| Disclosure at the end of the post | Same problem, one step better. The recommendation came first. |
| Your own wording instead of Amazon’s | May satisfy the FTC, breaches the Operating Agreement. |
| Tiny grey text | The guides specifically call out disclosures that are easy to miss. |
| Video disclosure only in the description | The disclosure must be in the same medium — on screen and spoken. |
| “Amazon Partner” or similar | Implies endorsement by Amazon. Explicitly prohibited. |
| Added to new posts only | Old posts still carry live links and still earn. They need it too. |
That last row is the one worth acting on today. Most publishers add a disclosure when they learn about it and never go back through the archive — leaving years of ranking, earning posts non-compliant. If your site is more than a year old, check a handful of your oldest posts before you do anything else on this page.
Do it once, site-wide
Pasting a line into 300 posts by hand is how this task gets abandoned halfway. It should be automatic.
- Insert it programmatically before the first affiliate link on every post that has one — so new posts are covered without anyone remembering.
- Attach it to the product box as well, so a disclosure travels with the recommendation wherever it appears.
- Style it as normal text. Slightly muted is fine; grey-on-white at 9px is not.
- Audit the archive once, then let the automation handle everything after.
The two-minute self-check. Open your three highest-traffic posts on a phone, in a private window. Without scrolling past the first product recommendation, can you see a disclosure? If not, neither can your readers — and that is the test both the FTC and Amazon are applying.
Part of The Amazon Affiliate Site Playbook — the whole job in six stages, from choosing a niche to keeping a mature site earning.
Disclosure on every post, automatically
Ama Affiliate Pro renders the required disclosure above your affiliate content site-wide, and attaches it to every product box — so old posts, new posts and anything you publish later are covered without you remembering.
Start a 14-day trialCommon questions
What is the exact Amazon affiliate disclosure wording?
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” The Operating Agreement requires this statement, displayed clearly and prominently, and also permits any substantially similar statement previously allowed under the agreement. Use the exact sentence — paraphrasing gains you nothing and risks the argument.
Is a disclosure page in my footer enough?
No. The FTC standard is that a disclosure must be clear, conspicuous and placed before or alongside the recommendation. A reader who clicks an affiliate link in paragraph three never reaches your footer. Keep the page, but put a line above the first affiliate link in every post as well.
Do I need a disclosure on posts with no affiliate links?
No, and it is better not to — a disclosure on a page with nothing to disclose is noise that trains readers to ignore it. Show it where affiliate links appear.
What happens if I do not disclose?
Two separate risks. Amazon treats failure to display the required statement as a material breach of the Operating Agreement, and the usual consequence is account termination with unpaid commissions forfeited. Separately, the FTC enforces the Endorsement Guides against advertisers and endorsers. The Amazon risk is the one most publishers encounter first.
Does a disclosure hurt conversions?
Not measurably in most publishers’ experience, and readers broadly expect it. A clearly disclosed recommendation from someone who explains how they are paid tends to read as more trustworthy, not less. It is also not optional, so the question is mainly academic.
What about YouTube and social posts?
The disclosure must be in the same medium as the endorsement. For video that means on screen and, where there is audio, spoken — not only in the description. For social posts it means in the visible part of the post, not after a “more” cut and not hidden among hashtags. Platform tools such as a paid-partnership label are useful but the FTC does not treat them as sufficient on their own.
Do the rules apply if I am outside the US?
Amazon’s contractual requirement applies wherever you are, because it is a contract term. The FTC Guides concern US consumers, but most jurisdictions have equivalent rules — the UK’s CAP Code and ASA guidance, and the EU’s unfair commercial practices rules among them. If your audience is international, disclose to the strictest standard that applies.
Can I say “Amazon Partner” or “Official Amazon Affiliate”?
No. The Operating Agreement prohibits misrepresenting or embellishing the relationship, including implying that Amazon supports, sponsors or endorses you. Stick to the required sentence, which describes the relationship accurately and is the only wording Amazon has asked for.