To My Affiliates: New FTC Advertising Rules!

It's December 1, 2009 and here is an important message for our affiliates. We want to make sure all our affiliates (worldwide) are properly informed about the FTC and its rules so here's a general overview:

What is FTC?

Federal Trade Commission or FTC is a federal agency in the USA created to protect consumers, ensure fair business competition and combat deceptive acts and practices in the marketplace.

As an affiliate, what should I know about the new FTC regulation?

FTC released the "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" effective today (December 1, 2009) requiring disclosure of any financial ties between endorsers and marketers or advertisers.
 
Simply stated, any form of endorsement --- from affiliate marketing to a blogger posting a product review and receiving cash or in-kind payments --- will require the endorser to clearly state their material connection with the seller.

Because OSP International LLC is a US company we and you are required to follow FTC guidelines even if you yourself are not located within the USA. Therefore, please include a statement like the following on the websites where you promote our products: "We are an affiliate of The PM PrepCast and earn a referral commission".
 
To know more, you can check out the guideline in PDF.

How do I make the disclosure beneficial not only to consumers but more so to me as an affiliate?

Josh Nankivel, PMP informed us of this helpful resource that you might want to look at: How to Turn Affiliate Marketing Disclosure into a Selling Point?