5 Tips on Creating an Effective and Fun Disclosure Policy
You must have one of these!
[All TentBloggers must have a Disclosure Policy, per the definition of a TentBlogger!]
[This post is part of the Ultimate Guide to Launching a WordPress-Powered Blog series.]
Did you know that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) released guidelines for bloggers regarding endorsements and advertisements?
What this ultimately means is that if you’re making any money through your blog, in the many various ways that a blogger makes money, you will want to protect yourself and create something called a “Disclosure Policy” and make it publicly accessible via a link on your homepage (footer, header, or wherever) or another highly trafficked page.
But before you go and freak out please note that there’s a lot of fluidity in the interpretation of this law and they recognize that explicitly:
[The Guides] are administrative interpretations of the law intended to help advertisers comply with the Federal Trade Commission Act; they are not binding law themselves.
In any law enforcement action challenging the allegedly deceptive use of testimonials or endorsements, the Commission would have the burden of proving that the challenged conduct violates the FTC Act.
What this means is that it affords you the opportunity to address your blog community directly and in a way that is both personal and applicable to the context and the content that you’re creating. In other words, you can make it a bit more “fun,” if you wish.
Here are some ideas about how to do this:
1. Make it Personal
The goal here is to connect with your audience and simply be you, just as you are in any other circumstance. No need to come off “cold” or unapologetic or too business-like. Make it your Disclosure Policy and make it personal.
You have a unique way of communicating so there’s no need to disrupt that or get rid of it. Your readers are connecting to you in the first place so make sure it can be read exactly the same. This will do wonders for your readers as well as establish the right attitude and rapport as you move toward discussing the ruling, your interpretation, and your focus on your readers as your primary concern.
And besides, who else could you be other than yourself? It’s always fascinating to see how hard we try to be someone else other than ourselves (but that’s another blog post).
2. Focus on Trust
Ultimately your blog is will be a channel communication a strategy that is typically called “Content Marketing”; you’re in the business of writing about businesses, products, services, and more that impact your life and that you like with the understanding that your readers will be influenced by it directly.
They may even purchase or establish relationships with these products and services based on your recommendation and reviews! This is an opportunity for great stewardship and responsibility so you want your readers to trust that you have their best interests in mind, always.
You’ve seen enough blogs out there that are built around nothing more than ego or are so obviously-mercenary in their attempts to “sell you” that you may even be a bit jaded yourself. Bring it back to earth for your readers and visitors, state it plainly that they can trust you, and you’ll receive that goodwill back in spades.
3. Explicitly Mention the FTC
This one is an easy point but it surprises me that a number of Disclosure Policies that I see out there forget it:
- Explicitly mention the FTC.
- Provide the right URL link to the ruling: [ http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm ]
- Add any context necessary to explain what this is all about!
I’d recommend even going one extra step and writing a blog post that references your Disclosure Policy explicitly! That was easy. Done and done.
4. Explain the Why
You’re going to want to explain a few things clearly about the reasons why you’re creating a Disclosure Policy in the first place, since many of your readers may not even know what all of this is about. Here are a few things to remember:
- Explain the benefits of writing one (beyond the obvious “I am required, by law!” benefit.
- Explain some of the consequences beyond the obvious. Think again about the elements of trust.
- Explain the value of having a Disclosure Policy, which is ultimately about them as your readers and community.
Here’s the point: Some of your readers really have no idea about issues or regulations like this. Do them a service by walking them through it all both plainly and easily! Don’t make any assumptions about your readers and if you have the time and desire to explain it in detail then do it!
Get them excited about it (if you can!).
5. Have Fun, Be a Bit Entertaining
Some of the best Disclosure Policies that I’ve seen have taken a very fun approach (and personal, see above) and have made me chuckle a bit.
Not only is this memorable but it was easy to see where these bloggers were coming from, how they interpreted the law, and what they were doing about it.
You’ll see a bit of “character” in my Disclosure Policy which is exactly what I want to communicate: I take it seriously but not too seriously to not have fun!
So, do you have a Disclosure Policy? Share links to yours in the comments!
[This post is part of the Ultimate Guide to Launching a WordPress-Powered Blog series.]
Incredibly helpful. I have always wondered just how to go about this properly. Thanks so much!
sure thing ryan!
These tips are certainly some of the best I’ve seen around on the web. Still need to create mine and now creating it as we speak. Instilling the trust and keeping it personal are how I see an effective disclaimer policy being.
We will see if it is entertaining or not.
haha. i’m sure you’ve got some wit.
Great post!
Some people don’t want to write a disclosure statement but, frankly, I wonder what they’ve got to hide?
BTW, the last paragraph of section 4 in this post doesn’t make sense! I think you must have re-written it once or twice and left some spare words in it!
thanks. i fixed that…! and yes, there’s nothing to hide!
Thanks, I never knew about this. Now to the Bat Cave and work on my Disclosure.
http://www.jizaul.com/disclosure-policy/
what you think? anything missing?
Got some stuff sounding similar to yours. But hey, your my tentblogging mentor.
and… i love how you included that you’re a tentblogger!
that is a big one and is the subject of a post!
JOY
Thanks a billion
Awesome!
rock it.
Mine isn’t entertaining but here it is anyway. I’ve had this on my site for almost a year: http://jesusgeek.info/2009/11/01/full-disclosure-and-compliance-statement/
sweet! good stuff. is there a reason you’ve done it on a post and not a page?
Hey John! What do you think of services like http://http://disclosurepolicy.org/ ?
grrrr I meant http://disclosurepolicy.org/
a great place to start, but too “stuffy” and formal for me. definitely good for some though who want to use it!
Thanks for the tips. As a TentBlogger in the making, I created one (although getting it started felt like pulling teeth): http://www.blaneyoung.com/disclosure-policy/
wow! great stuff! and like that new look.
and thanks for including the fact that you’re a tentblogger! that’s huge!
Another resource to consider when crafting disclosure statements is Michael Hyatt’s suggestions on how to go about it:
http://michaelhyatt.com/five-ways-to-comply-with-the-new-ftc-guidelines-for-bloggers.html
definitely a good post. thanks kenny!
Yours is great. I patterned mine after yours, and it’s still meh.
http://www.davidnormanblog.com/disclosure
sweet! sounds good to me!
Finally got around to writing my policy. Not much in the way of wit, but it gets the message across.
http://www.randykinnick.com/disclosure/
sweet! good for you!
I did it!
http://theitaliandyes.com/disclosure
sweet! great job! i love the “adventure” part!
Hey! I finally got mine done. I wrote an article about the reasons why I did it here http://benrwoodard.com/why-i-wrote-a-disclosure-policy-for-this-blog/ and disclosed the policy here http;//benrwoodard.com/disclosure/
I took a big cue from your disclosure so if I need to make further changes to the copy, please let me know. I don’t mean to copy you, just use you as a guide.
Hopefully that makes sense.
sweet! thanks for referencing this post so others can get help with theirs!
Hi John!
I’m late to reading this post, but it was so helpful in forming my disclaimer. You can see it HERE: http://www.greendrinkdiaries.com
Thanks again, and maybe Kevin and I will see you again soon at Buckhead. (We meet up with Pete and Susan just about every week!)
-Cortney
sweet!!!!!!
thank you for the great tips! how’s this? http://snappycasual.tumblr.com/disclosure
love it! interesting you use tumblr since they have their own TOS too.
So, if we aren’t making money, is there any need of a disclosure policy?
i suppose not. up to you!
I just finished my Disclosure Policy and made it live. What do you think?
http://glorioustrauma.com/disclosure-policy/
good job bro!
Thanks! I love what I’m learning from you! I do have one question regarding these legal matters though. I have a Disclosure Policy and a Privacy Policy already. I have seen many sites also using a “Terms Of Service” or “Terms Of Use” policy as well. Is this really necessary or is the terms of use thing covered by the combination of the disclosure and privacy policies?
i’m not sure that’s necessary. TOS typically and generally refers to a product/service that is purchased/used… one could argue that someone is “using” your blog as a product/service but that’s pretty loose of an interpretation. i’ve never really had a TOS for a blog.
Haha! My site as a product or service? I’m thinking that anyone who thinks of Life Is A Glorious Trauma! as a product or service should immediately seek professional help! LOL
service then.
I am very new to this blog thing and I have been reading through your site for tips on how to get this blog up and running. I realize I am way far behind most of your readers…so please excuse the dummy question…but I have created a disclosure policy page, but how can i get it in the footer instead of a link in the navigation bar?
you have to edit your theme… perhaps.
I’m looking to start a new blog, and being a long reader of your blog, I know that you have recommended having a number of different policies for your blog.
Do you have, or know of, any sample policies that a new blog can customise to suit their particular site, or would you simply recommend picking one, and rewriting it to fit their site?
you can just copy mine. why not?
Thanks for a very practical and to-the-point post on how to write a disclosure policy, John!
Here’s what I’ve wrote so far (using your version as a base helped a LOT!):
http://www.improvinglifedaily.com/about/disclosure-policy/
well done!
This looks great, Ivan. Thanks for sharing.