Use this release checklist before publishing an article, newsletter, video, or course recommendation. Record a pass, correction, or not-applicable decision for each item. These checks help make the relationship and evidence visible; they are not a certification of legal compliance.
Relationship and placement
- ☐ Identify compensation, free access, sponsorship, or other relevant connections before drafting.
- ☐ State the relationship plainly beside the recommendation, where the reader will see it before acting.
- ☐ Check the mobile view: the disclosure must not disappear behind a collapsed description, footer, or “more” control.
- ☐ For video, include the disclosure in the video itself; using both spoken and visible wording makes it accessible in more viewing conditions.
- ☐ For a newsletter or article, keep the wording near the relevant recommendation rather than relying on a general policy page.
Example for a paid referral relationship: “I may earn a commission if you subscribe through this link.” Add other material connections when relevant. Do not describe your link as independent simply because your opinion is honest.
Claim-by-claim evidence
- ☐ Mark each product statement as personally tested, supported by current documentation, or unverified.
- ☐ Remove claims of personal experience that you did not actually have.
- ☐ Separate a free diagnostic from paid monitoring and from work a consultant must perform.
- ☐ Remove guaranteed inbox-placement, universal phishing-prevention, and assured-income claims.
- ☐ Verify quoted prices, commission terms, and attribution conditions against the current program information.
- ☐ Check that examples, screenshots, and comparisons support the specific statement beside them.
Final release and upkeep
- ☐ Open every destination and confirm the recommendation describes the page it reaches.
- ☐ Review the placement without sound and on a narrow screen where applicable.
- ☐ Save the review date, evidence locations, and person responsible for updates.
- ☐ Revisit the placement when a feature, price, relationship, or program term changes.
The placement principles above draw on the FTC's Disclosures 101 guidance. Use the disclosure examples as a writing starting point and adapt the wording to the actual relationship and format.