Affiliate Marketing
A marketing arrangement where third parties promote products for a commission, subject to specific platform rules and FTC disclosure requirements.
What Affiliate Marketing means
Affiliate marketing involves third-party promoters (affiliates) advertising products or services in exchange for a commission on resulting sales or leads. This model faces significant compliance scrutiny because affiliates may make exaggerated claims to increase conversions. The FTC requires clear disclosure of affiliate relationships, and platforms have specific rules — Meta prohibits certain affiliate redirect practices, Google requires landing page transparency, and most platforms restrict bridge pages or cloaking techniques commonly used in affiliate campaigns. Compliance best practices include monitoring affiliate ad creatives, requiring pre-approval of claims, and using authorized affiliate tracking methods.
Related terms
Endorsement Disclosure
A clear statement revealing a material connection between an endorser and a brand, required by FTC guidelines and platform policies.
Cloaking
The deceptive practice of showing different content to platform reviewers than what actual users see, a serious policy violation.
Landing Page Policy
Platform rules governing the destination pages that ads link to, including requirements for functionality, content, and user experience.
FTC
The Federal Trade Commission — the primary US federal agency enforcing truth-in-advertising laws and consumer protection regulations.