Make the relationship clear before engagement
For UK-facing affiliate advertising, start with the ASA/CAP guidance rather than a generic disclosure copied from another website. Its central requirement is that advertising be recognisable as advertising. The guidance distinguishes wholly affiliate-focused content from articles containing a mixture of editorial and affiliate material. Placement depends on that context, not just on whether a disclosure sentence exists somewhere on the site.
This guide offers a practical review workflow, not individual legal advice or a guarantee of compliance. Read the official ASA/CAP affiliate guidance for the full examples and qualifications. WAM’s development guides use ordinary source and tool links; this page does not claim an affiliate relationship that has not been established.
Start with an inventory of the actual relationship
Before generating wording, list the content, the destination and the arrangement. Is there a commission for a qualifying purchase, a payment for placement, a supplied product, or no commercial arrangement? Do not infer the answer from the presence of a brand name. Ask the person responsible for the agreement if the relationship is unclear.
Then mark where the reader first encounters the promotion: a search or social title, a newsletter preview, an article opening, a product recommendation or a button. A review that starts only at the footer misses most of the reader’s journey.
Match the label to the content
ASA/CAP explains that wholly affiliate-connected articles may need their commercial nature made clear before a reader clicks through. Mixed articles need the relevant promotional content and links identified. The guidance cautions against relying on a bottom-of-page statement or ambiguous wording such as “may” earn commission. Review the full source before deciding how those examples apply to your publication.
Keep the explanation factual. Do not claim that a commission never affects a price, that every recommendation is independently tested, or that a product is approved by a regulator unless you have the evidence for that separate assertion. A disclosure should explain the relationship, not add unsupported reassurance.
Review the page as a reader sees it
| Surface | Check | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Preview or title | Can the reader recognise the promotion before opening it? | Exact visible label and context |
| Article opening | Is the explanation visible without passing promotional claims? | Location and wording |
| Mixed-content section | Can the reader tell which recommendation is commercial? | Associated content and link |
| Small screen | Is the label legible and untruncated? | Viewport and observation |
| Republished excerpt | Does the relationship remain clear outside the original page? | Destination-specific review |
This worksheet is an editorial process we propose; it is not a regulatory checklist with guaranteed legal effect. Save the exact version reviewed. “A disclosure was present” is less useful evidence than a note of what was visible, where and before which action.
Use a generator as a drafting aid
The Disclosure Generator helps draft wording from the relationship you supply. It cannot verify an agreement, identify every relevant jurisdiction or inspect all the places a platform displays your content. Read its output against the facts and the intended placement before using it.
Do the same with the CTA Generator: a clear button does not replace disclosure around promotional content. Avoid letting a generated call to action introduce urgency, a discount or a testing claim that you cannot substantiate.
Recheck when the relationship changes
A previously non-commercial guide may later acquire affiliate links. That is a new editorial review point, even if most paragraphs remain unchanged. Conversely, an old disclosure can become inaccurate if the arrangement ends. Record the change and examine titles, cards, excerpts and the article itself rather than updating only one template.
Disclosure and tracking privacy are separate issues. This workflow does not authorise adding analytics, collecting visitor information or saving calculator inputs. Review those questions independently before a launch that introduces data collection.
Your next step is to select one planned recommendation and complete the worksheet using its actual agreement and distribution surfaces. If you find inaccurate wording on WAM, use the corrections route. Programme-specific questions belong with the official merchant; our terms evaluation guide explains what to record.