Federal Trade Commission Influencer Guidelines

Curious about the FTC influencer guidelines for 2025? This article covers the key updates and gives you clear steps to ensure compliance. Stay informed and build trust, whether you’re an influencer or a brand.

FTC Influencer Guidelines Key Takeaways

• The 2025 FTC guidelines mandate that influencers disclose all material connections with brands explicitly and clearly, ensuring transparency in endorsements.

• Compliance with the FTC is essential for maintaining consumer trust and avoiding significant legal penalties, which can include fines and settlements.

• Disclosures must be prominently placed in posts and communications, varying by platform, to ensure they are easily noticeable and understandable to the audience.

Understanding the 2025 FTC Influencer Guidelines

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plays a pivotal role in regulating the influencer industry, ensuring that social media influencers adhere to transparent and honest endorsement practices.

• The FTC guide, updated in August 2023, provide clearer instructions on how to disclose endorsements across social media and online reviews.

• These guidelines are not just for influencers but also for brands and marketers to follow closely.

• At the heart of the FTC’s endorsement guides is the principle that all endorsements must be honest and not misleading.

• This means that any connections between the influencer and the brand must be fully disclosed to the audience.

• Such transparency allows followers to make informed decisions and maintains the credibility of both the influencer and the brand.

• Anyone involved in influencer marketing campaigns must grasp these guidelines.

• The FTC endorsement guides aim to ensure that all branded content is truthful and transparent, helping followers accurately evaluate the endorsements they see online.

• This is particularly important as the line between personal recommendations and paid endorsements becomes increasingly blurred in the digital age.

• Next, we explore the key changes in the 2025 FTC guides and define what constitutes a connection.

• These insights will equip you with the knowledge needed to remain FTC compliant and build trustworthy relationships with your audience.

Key Changes in the 2025 FTC Guide

The 2025 updates to the FTC guides introduce several significant changes aimed at enhancing transparency in social media endorsements. Influencers must now explicitly indicate any financial or personal benefits received from endorsements. This includes not only monetary compensation but also free products, discounts, or any other perks that could influence their opinions.

One of the notable changes is the requirement for influencers to place disclosures prominently in their posts to ensure visibility. This means that disclosures should not be hidden at the bottom of a post or in a hard-to-read font. Instead, they should be easily noticeable and clearly state the nature of the relationship between the influencer and the brand. The FTC evaluates the clarity of advertisements from the perspective of reasonable consumers, ensuring that the disclosures are understandable to the average audience member.

Endorsements must also accurately represent the endorser’s authentic experience and opinion. This aligns influencers with the transparency standards of traditional media reviewers, ensuring followers receive honest and reliable information. Celebrities and high-profile figures are also encouraged to make disclosures when posting endorsements to maintain trust with their audience.

What Constitutes a Material Connection?

A material connection refers to any relationship between the influencer and the brand that could affect the credibility of the endorsement. According to the FTC, this includes:

• Financial relationships (e.g., if an influencer is paid to promote a product)

• Personal relationships (e.g., if the influencer receives free products)

• Familial relationships (e.g., if a family member works for the brand)

These connections must be disclosed.

• Even small incentives, such as discount codes or minor gifts, fall under the category of mat’l connections and must be disclosed to the audience.

• This level of transparency is essential for building trust with followers and ensuring that endorsements are perceived as honest and credible.

• By clearly disclosing all relevant connections, influencers can maintain their integrity and comply with FTC guides.

Importance of FTC Compliance in Influencer Marketing

Compliance with FTC guides is not just a legal obligation; it’s a cornerstone of ethical influencer marketing. Failing to disclose connections can lead to significant penalties, including fines and legal fees, which can severely impact both influencers and brands. Moreover, transparency in influencer marketing helps build consumer trust and credibility, which are crucial for long-term success.

Brands and influencers must proactively stay updated with FTC guides to avoid legal repercussions and maintain the integrity of their endorsements. Using platforms like Sprout Social, Tagger Media, and Upfluence can help manage compliance effectively by providing tools for tracking and monitoring influencer relationships. Both parties share the responsibility of ensuring that all endorsements are honest and transparent, fostering a trustworthy environment for consumers.

Building Consumer Trust Through Transparency

Transparency is the bedrock of consumer trust in influencer marketing. Clear and conspicuous disclosures are vital for maintaining this trust, especially among younger audiences like Gen Z, who value authenticity and honesty. When influencers use straightforward language such as ‘ad’ or ‘sponsored,’ it signals to followers that the content is a paid endorsement, allowing them to make informed decisions.

Disclosures should always be clear and easy to understand. For instance, bloggers must disclose any compensation or product they receive when mentioning brands to ensure transparency. On Instagram, using terms like ‘advertisement’ or ‘sponsored’ within the post or story makes it evident to viewers that the content is a paid promotion.

When in doubt, it’s better to over-disclose than under-disclose. If there’s any uncertainty about whether viewers understand the relationship between the influencer and the brand, erring on the side of transparency can prevent potential misunderstandings and preserve trust.

Legal Consequences of Non-Compliance

The legal consequences of failing to comply with FTC guidelines and the FTC Act can be severe. Influencers and brands risk significant penalties, including fines and potential legal action. For example, there was a notable $1 million settlement involving a tea company due to non-disclosure. Such incidents highlight the importance of adhering to FTC regulations to avoid costly legal battles.

Actions may also be taken against individual endorsers who fail to make required disclosures despite warnings. The potential for fines and legal fees underscores the need for influencers and brands to be diligent in their compliance efforts. By staying proactive and transparent, they can avoid these legal pitfalls and maintain their reputation in the industry.

When and How to Disclose Brand Partnerships

Disclosing brand partnerships is a fundamental aspect of FTC compliance in influencer marketing. Influencers must disclose each new endorsement in their social media posts, regardless of the nature of their relationship with the brand. Whether the relationship is financial, personal, or familial, it must be clearly disclosed to the audience.

For ongoing brand relationships with brands, influencers should also make these connections explicit in their content. Affiliate marketers, too, need to provide clear and conspicuous disclosures about their relationship with retailers. The placement of these disclosures is critical—they should be close to the endorsement to ensure visibility and effectiveness.

Each disclosure should be easily noticeable and straightforward, clearly explaining the influencer’s relationship with the brand. It’s essential not to place disclosures only at the end of a post, as they could be overlooked. Disclosures should be hard to miss and use simple language to maintain transparency and trust with followers.

Photo Disclosures

In photo posts, disclosures should be prominent and easily readable to avoid confusion among followers. Superimposing the disclosure over the image is recommended, as it ensures that the audience sees it immediately. Factors such as the time to view, competing text, size of the disclosure, and contrast against the image all play a role in the effectiveness of the disclosure.

Using simple language like ‘ad’ or ‘sponsored’ makes the disclosure clear and understandable. Tagging a brand in a photo may be considered an endorsement, but it might not adequately inform followers about the sponsorship. Therefore, superimposing the disclosure over the photo and ensuring legibility is a best practice for disclosing partnerships on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.

Video Disclosures

When it comes to video endorsements, disclosures should be made both verbally and visually to ensure the audience understands the nature of the sponsorship. Placing disclosures at the start or during product endorsements enhances visibility and effectiveness. This practice is particularly important for longer videos on platforms like YouTube, where disclosures should appear before or at the beginning of the endorsement to disclose paid endorsements.

For TikTok videos, it’s crucial to make disclosures audible and visible, ideally placing them at the start of the video. Consistently using both verbal and visual disclosures helps ensure that viewers are aware of the paid nature of the content, maintaining transparency and trust.

Live Stream Disclosures

Disclosures during live streams require a slightly different approach due to the dynamic nature of the content. Influencers should periodically reiterate their disclosures to ensure all viewers understand the nature of the sponsorship. A good practice is to state disclosures at the start of the stream and then every five minutes to accommodate viewers joining late.

Influencers receiving substantial items for free, such as a luxury car, should disclose this throughout the stream. Additionally, including a clear disclosure in the stream description helps inform potential viewers before they engage with the content.

These practices ensure that disclosures are frequent and visible, maintaining transparency during live broadcasts.

Platform-Specific FTC Influencer Guidelines Disclosure Requirements

Each social media platform has its own disclosure rules and best practices, so influencers must understand the nuances of each. The FTC guidelines apply to all platforms, but the implementation can vary, requiring tailored approaches to ensure compliance.

Grasping these variations helps influencers and brands navigate regulations and maintain transparency across various platforms. In the following sections, we’ll explore the specific disclosure requirements for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter), providing practical tips for each.

Instagram Social Media

On Instagram, using the Paid Partnership label for branded content is a key requirement. Instagram videos should include both visual and audible disclosures for clarity. For Instagram Stories, it’s crucial to overlay disclosures on images or videos, ensuring they are visible long enough to be read.

While hashtags like ‘#paidforbyXYZ’ can serve as disclosures, they may create clarity issues. Therefore, using clearer alternatives and ensuring that disclosures are prominently displayed helps maintain transparency and comply with FTC guidelines.

TikTok Social Media

TikTok creators must use the commercial content disclosure toggle for branded content. This feature helps ensure that disclosures are visible and integrated within the content. Additionally, TikTok mandates that the promotion of products be made obvious within the content itself to avoid any ambiguity.

TikTok creators should periodically repeat disclosures during live streams to ensure clarity for all viewers. These practices help maintain transparency and comply with regulations, fostering trust with the audience.

YouTube Social Media

YouTube videos should include both verbal and visual disclosures. The best practice is to include a disclosure at the beginning of the video and potentially again before product endorsements in longer videos. Placing disclosures within the video itself ensures visibility and compliance with FTC guidelines.

Simultaneous written and spoken disclosures are the most effective, as they ensure that viewers are aware of the sponsorship regardless of how they consume the content. Including a disclosure in the video description alone is not sufficient for compliance, making it crucial to incorporate disclosures within the video.

Facebook Social Media

On Facebook, using clear language and proper hashtags is essential for meeting FTC standards in sponsored posts. Clarity in language helps consumers understand the nature of the sponsored content, building trust and transparency.

Hashtags can improve the discoverability of the posts while signaling the paid nature of the content. Adhering to FTC standards with clear language and correct hashtags ultimately builds consumer trust and ensures compliance.

X (formerly Twitter) Social Media

On X, formerly known as Twitter, creators should disclose sponsorships by adding the hashtag #ad directly within the content of the post. This practice ensures that the nature of the endorsement is immediately clear to followers. Mentioning the product or service directly alongside the hashtag #ad helps maintain transparency and comply with FTC guidelines.

Tweets must have clear disclosures to maintain transparency and avoid legal issues. Following these best practices not only helps influencers avoid legal troubles but also fosters trust with their audience.

Common Pitfalls in FTC Influencer Guidelines Compliance

Despite the clear guidelines provided by the FTC ACT, there are common pitfalls that influencers and brands often encounter. One major issue is failing to properly vet potential influencers to ensure they align with brand values and consistently make accurate disclosures. Brands also have an obligation to ensure that old endorsements remain accurate and to remove any claims if endorsers no longer use the product.

Another significant pitfall is asking customers to change negative reviews, which can mislead other consumers and lead to deceptive practices. Ensuring that all endorsements are honest and transparent is key to maintaining compliance and avoiding these common mistakes.

Misleading or Vague Disclosures

Misleading or vague disclosures can easily lead to deceptive endorsements and advertising claims and potential legal repercussions. Effective disclosures must clearly communicate the nature of the relationship between influencers and brands. Abbreviations like ‘#ad’ or vague terms fail to meet FTC standards for clear disclosures.

Specific phrases like ‘Paid post by [brand]’ are more effective than ambiguous terms like ‘#client’ or ‘#ambassador’. Saying ‘I received free tickets’ does not adequately disclose the relationship and could mislead followers. Thus, clear and detailed disclosures are vital for transparency and compliance.

Overlooking Minor Compensations

Overlooking minor compensations can also lead to compliance issues. Influencers need to disclose gifts received from brands when reviewing products to maintain transparency. Providing discount codes in exchange for reviews implies that a review is expected in return for the discount, which can be misleading.

Although the details of what was received do not always need to be disclosed, any compensation that could affect the reader’s perception should be. Ensuring full transparency, even with minor compensations, helps maintain trust and compliance with FTC guidelines.

Preparing for Future FTC Updates

Preparing for future updates to FTC guidelines is essential for maintaining compliance in the ever-evolving landscape of influencer marketing. Brands and marketers must stay adaptable to manage compliance as guidelines shift. Using a platform’s built-in disclosure tools does not guarantee compliance with FTC rules, so staying informed and proactive is crucial.

Understanding the nuances of each social media platform’s disclosure requirements can help brands and influencers navigate the complexities of FTC laws. By staying adaptable and informed, they can ensure ongoing compliance and maintain the trust of their audience.

Monitoring Regulatory Changes

Regularly monitoring regulatory changes is crucial for compliance with FTC guidelines. If regular monitoring of endorsers is not feasible, switching to pre-approval of posts can help ensure compliance. Making it a habit to check official FTC releases and reputable industry sources will help keep updated with the latest regulations.

Adhering to the latest FTC guidelines not only fosters compliance but also builds consumer trust. Staying informed about regulatory changes allows brands and influencers to adapt their practices and avoid legal issues.

Leveraging Influencer Marketing Platforms

Leveraging influencer marketing platforms can significantly streamline compliance processes. Platforms like Sprout Social offer features that track campaign performance, coordinate schedules, monitor compliance, and provide centralized content feedback. These tools help ensure that influencers follow FTC guidelines effectively and maintain transparency in their endorsements.

Using such different social media platforms is crucial for managing multiple influencers and ensuring that all disclosures are made accurately and timely. By leveraging these tools, brands can enhance their compliance efforts and build trustworthy relationships with their audience through social media platforms.

Summary

In summary, mastering the FTC influencer guidelines is essential for anyone involved in influencer marketing. The 2025 updates emphasize transparency and honesty, requiring clear and conspicuous disclosures of connections. By understanding and adhering to these guidelines, influencers and brands can avoid legal repercussions and build trust with their audience.

Staying updated with regulatory changes and leveraging influencer marketing platforms can help streamline compliance processes. By maintaining transparency and honesty in all endorsements, brands and influencers can foster long-term success and credibility in the influencer marketing industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the FTC Influencer Guidelines?

Influencers must clearly disclose any paid partnerships, sponsorships, or gifted posts to adhere to FTC rules. It is essential to maintain honesty and authenticity in all content.

What are FTC regs for affiliate marketing?

FTC laws for affiliate marketing require that endorsements reflect honest opinions and are made by users of the product. Additionally, disclosures must be clear and conspicuous to avoid misleading consumers about the relationship between the endorser and the product.

What are the new requirements in the 2025 FTC regs?

The 2025 FTC regs mandate that influencers must clearly disclose any financial or personal benefits from endorsements, ensuring these disclosures are prominently placed in their content. This enhances transparency in advertising practices.

What constitutes a connection according to the FTC?

A connection, as defined by the FTC, encompasses financial, personal, and familial relationships that may influence the credibility of endorsements. It is essential to disclose such connections to maintain transparency and trust.

What are the legal consequences of not complying with FTC Influencer Guidelines?

Not complying with FTC guidelines can result in substantial fines and legal repercussions for both brands and influencers. It is essential to adhere to these regulations to avoid severe consequences.

How do I make complaints to the Beter Business Bureau?

To file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, go to the BBB website (bbb.org), navigate to the “File a Complaint” section, and follow the prompts to submit your complaint online. You can also contact your local BBB office directly with details about your issue. You can create a negative review that the company has an opportunity to respond.

What Platforms can I use to make a negative review or complaint?

Consumer reviews can be made on Google Business Listing and Trustpilot.