FTC Disclosure and Health-Claim Basics for Wellness Creators | Harmonia

The FTC expects you to clearly and conspicuously disclose that you earn a commission or were paid for a recommendation. For a wellness athlete, that means a plain-language disclosure, such as #ad or "I earn a commission on purchases through my link," placed right next to the recommendation where a reader sees it before they act. For supplements specifically, you also avoid claims that a product diagnoses, treats, cures, or prevents a disease. This article covers both, with examples. It is general guidance, not legal advice.

Why disclosure matters for affiliate content

When you recommend a product and earn money if someone buys, a reader deserves to know that before they decide. The FTC treats an undisclosed paid or commissioned relationship as deceptive, and the responsibility sits with both the brand and the person posting.

On Harmonia, a partnership is a two-way choice: the brand approves the athlete and the athlete accepts the brand, which is the two-way veto. That makes the commercial relationship real and intentional, which is exactly the relationship a disclosure exists to surface. Disclosing it is not a downside to manage. It is how a credible recommendation reads as honest.

What a clear and conspicuous disclosure looks like

Two words do the work: clear and conspicuous. Clear means a reader understands it. Conspicuous means a reader notices it without hunting.

• Use plain language. "I earn a commission on purchases through my link," "paid partnership," #ad, or #sponsored. Avoid vague tags like #sp, #collab, or #ambassador that a reader may not recognize as a paid relationship.
• Place it near the recommendation. Put it where the reader is when they see the product, not at the bottom of the post or behind a "more" link.
• Match the format of the post. Say it out loud in a video and show it on screen. In a caption, put it before the fold. In a story or short, keep it on screen long enough to read.
• Repeat where needed. In a long video or a multi-part story, disclose more than once so a viewer who joins partway still sees it.

Where the disclosure goes, by format

Health-claim caution for supplements

Disclosure covers the money. A second rule set covers what you can say about the product. Dietary supplements are not drugs, and there is a firm line around disease and treatment language.

• Avoid disease-treatment or cure claims. Do not say a supplement treats, cures, prevents, or diagnoses a condition. "Cures anxiety," "prevents the flu," and "treats joint disease" all cross the line.
• Avoid specific benefit claims you cannot back up. A measurable claim, such as "boosts metabolism by 30%," needs evidence behind it. If you cannot substantiate it, do not say it.
• Stay consistent with the brand's approved label. Brands use structure or function language that has been reviewed, such as "supports healthy digestion." Work from that language, not stronger versions of it.
• Describe your own experience instead of a medical claim. "This is part of my morning routine" is your experience. "This fixed my gut issues" reads as a medication-style claim.
• Ask the brand for approved copy. The brand can give you claim language they have already cleared. When in doubt, use it.

How brands and athletes share the same rules

The cleanest way to keep disclosure and claims consistent is for the brand to set the rules once and share them with every partner, so nobody has to guess.

• Brands: put your disclosure requirement and your claim do-not-say list in your program brief, and supply approved copy partners can reuse. New to the platform? Start with the brand getting-started guide.
• Athletes: read the program terms before you accept, and follow the brand's disclosure and claim guidance in every post. The applying guide walks through what you agree to when you join a program.

This is also where a curated network helps. Because Harmonia is invite-based and approval is two-way, both sides know the relationship and agree to the rules up front. For why that beats an open marketplace on brand and claim safety, see curated vs open affiliate marketplaces. For the workflow of choosing partners who follow the rules, see recruiting and vetting wellness athletes. For the channel as a whole, see affiliate marketing for wellness brands.

A starting point, not the whole picture

Treat the points below as defaults to build on, not a complete compliance program.

• Disclose the commission clearly and conspicuously, near the recommendation, in plain language.
• Avoid disease, treatment, and cure claims for supplements, and back up any specific benefit you state.
• Work from approved label and copy the brand provides.
• Get specifics from counsel, especially for health or medical claims.

For a copy-ready disclosure checklist you can hand to every partner, see the FTC disclosure checklist for wellness creators on the blog.

FAQ

What FTC disclosure do wellness athletes need to use?

A clear, conspicuous disclosure that you earn a commission or were paid for the recommendation. Use plain language a reader understands without clicking or expanding, such as #ad, #sponsored, or "I earn a commission on purchases through my link." Place it near the recommendation, in the same format as the post, and make it hard to miss. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Where should a disclosure appear in a post?

Next to the recommendation, where a reader sees it before acting, not buried at the bottom or behind a "more" link. In a caption, put it before the fold. In a video, say it out loud and show it on screen. In a story or short, keep it on screen long enough to read. The point is that no reasonable person could miss it.

What health claims should supplement creators avoid?

Avoid saying a supplement diagnoses, treats, cures, or prevents a disease, and avoid specific benefit claims you cannot back up. Keep statements consistent with the brand's approved label and any structure or function language the brand already uses. When in doubt, describe your own experience instead of making a medical claim, and ask the brand for approved copy.

Is hashtag #ad enough to disclose?

Often, if it is easy to see and easy to understand in context. #ad works when it sits near the top of a caption or on screen, not when it is the twentieth hashtag in a block at the bottom. The test is whether a reader notices and understands it before they act. Plain phrases like "paid partnership" or "I earn a commission" can be clearer than a hashtag.

Is this legal advice?

No. This article is general guidance to help brands and athletes set good defaults. It is not legal advice and does not cover every situation. For your specific program, content, or claims, consult your own counsel, especially for anything touching health or medical claims.