Disclosure Center

IZEA’s goal is to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the FTC regarding endorsements in social media. We believe we have an ethical obligation to educate and protect the brands, partners and creators we work with.

Disclosure Center

According to the FTC all disclosures should be:

Be proximate to the information
Be at least the same size as the message
Be in the same format as the message
Be accessible on all platforms
Use simple and clear language
In videos, the disclosure should be made both audibly and visually
Be repeated throughout sponsored live streams
Go beyond using a platform’s paid partnership tools
Campaigns targeting younger audiences must use disclosures simple enough for a child to understand

“Advertisers have a responsibility to make sure that any sponsored content is marked as such. The disclosure should be clear and conspicuous, so that the reader understands there is a material relationship between the content producer and the brand.”

– Ted Murphy, IZEA founder

Disclosure Protects the Brand, the Creator
and the Consumer

Disclosure is not just the legal thing to do…

Transparency and authenticity are the underpinnings of trust. Without trust sponsored social is ineffective for brands and detrimental to creators.

Every social sponsorship facilitated directly by IZEA or through our platforms is required to have disclosure. Creators who do not disclose are prohibited from participating in any IZEA campaign and will be removed from our network.

“When it’s not obvious that it is an ad, people should disclose that they are being paid.”

-Mary K. Engle

Associate Director of the Advertising Practices Division Federal Trade Commission

Mandatory Disclosure

Our Advertisers and Creators must comply with FTC guidelines that state, “When there exists a connection between the endorser and the seller of the advertised product, which might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement (i.e., the connection is not reasonably expected by the audience), such connection must be fully disclosed.”

Educate Yourself

Did you know that only the FTC updated its guidelines for endorsements in social media in 2024? Do you know how this affects your campaigns?

We encourage you to download the most recent guidelines from the FTC to stay current.

Guidelines FAQ

Guidelines Updated Guidelines

FAQ

Honesty of Opinion

Creators are free to write or say whatever they want. IZEA has no restrictions on how they express their genuine thoughts on an advertiser’s product or service. Advertisers may not withhold compensation based on a negative conversation, nor do we allow advertisers to force publishers to edit their post to remove critical statements.

If you believe that a Creator or Advertiser has somehow violated our Code of Ethics, we want you to report it to us. Your name will remain confidential.

Report a Violation

Since 2006

IZEA created the very first marketplace for social sponsorship in 2006. Since the beginning we have lead the policy development and discussion, pushing our industry towards transparent, safe sponsorships that protect the brand, creator and consumer.

2006

Industry’s first Disclosure Policy™
Launch of DisclosurePolicy.org

2007

Industry’s first Disclosure Badge™

2008

Industry’s first machine readable disclosure

2009

IZEA Becomes a Governing member of WOMMA

Industry’s first Disclosure Audit™

Industry’s first Disclosure Engine™ For Tweets

Created sponsored checkin platform with
programmatic disclosure

2012

Created first sponsored photo platform with programmatic disclosure

2014

Created first sponsored video platform with programmatic disclosure

2016

Created first sponsored virtual reality platform with programmatic disclosure

2023

Created disclosure tool for AI-generated content in FormAI

Compliance

The FTC guide covers three basic areas of compliance: education, monitoring and enforcement. IZEA provides technology platforms and solutions designed to facilitate, automate and track compliance for any size social sponsorship campaign.

Education

Marketers are obligated to educate and inform people participating in social media marketing programs of their responsibilities surrounding disclosure and claims.

Educational posts on our blog and within our community on Get Satisfaction.
Disclosure automation technology and enforcement of best practices.
Advertiser controlled campaign information regarding product claims.
Participants are bound by the Terms of Service of each platform, which require disclosure and FTC Compliance.

Monitoring

Marketers are responsible for actively monitoring each piece of content created by campaign participants to ensure compliance with the guidelines.

IZEA platforms provide a dashboard with real-time view of submissions both prior and post review.

Enforcement

Marketers must halt any program or individual involved in deceptive representation upon discovery. Marketers should make reasonable effort to correct any misinformation and discontinue utilizing individuals who fail to comply with the guidelines.

Every IZEA marketplace allows advertisers to view and deny compensation to those participants who fail to meet disclosure or factual accuracy requirements.
IZEA removes social media creators and advertisers who fail to comply with FTC guidelines from its marketplaces.

Automation

IZEA requires compliance with the FTC’s disclosure guidelines, whether marketers work with creators via our Managed Services or via the Marketplace. Our FormAI platform has a feature to programmatically insert disclosure into AI-generated content in a way that is clear and transparent for consumers.

Disclosure Examples

Instagram Example

YouTube Example

Blog Post Example

Facebook Example

Twitter Example

Latest Press Releases

Disclosure Center

Disclosure Center

According to the FTC all disclosures should be:

Disclosure Protects the Brand, the Creator
and the Consumer

Mandatory Disclosure

Educate Yourself

Since 2006