Affiliate Link Disclosure
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There was a debate on the recent Net Income Show between the host, ShoeMoney, and his guest, Rand Fishkin about disclosure of relationships when blogging.
This is been a pretty polarizing topic for good reason – readers want to be able to trust what they read in a blog.
In my opinion, as a blogger on affiliate marketing, I’d think people would be surprised if I were not including contextual ads in the content.
The problem is when the ads become the reason for the content. When posts are written for the purpose of promoting products or services, that’s crossing the line.
However, I consider it entirely acceptable for relevant affiliate links to be included in a blog post I’m already going to write affiliate marketing.
Personally, the links I include are typically for hosting, domain registrars, software etc. that I am using, books I’ve read, products I’ve tried out.
I don’t think any affiliate links I’ve incorporated in the past and will insert in the future would be considered gratuitous – if you disagree, feel free to call me on it.
- Posted in Affiliate Opinions
4 Comments
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On June 7 @ 11:25 am posted[...] Shawn Collins Disclosure: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (834) podPressPlayerToLoad(’podPressPlayerSpace_779_0′, ‘mp3Player_779_0′, ‘300:30′, ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shoemoney.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Fplay%2F779%2F0%2FNI060507.mp3′); [...]
I completely agree with you, Shawn. It’s obvious when the “marketing” is the purpose for the content, and most folks are smart enough to avoid that stuff. I have no problem embedding affiliate links into content that is truly useful, and most people don’t mind if you make a few bucks off of honest information.
reply to this commentSince when are bloggers given the same rights, responsibilities, and benefits as journalists?
Do you ask the people you talk to (face-to-face) for their disclosures/disclaimer? Is there any difference between a blogger profiting from telling you something and anyone you meet in the “real World”?
Marketing is marketing.
Sometimes marketing nets a profit and sometimes it is done for free (or charity). Just mentioning a brand name (in either a positive or negative context) is marketing.
Some blogs are informational, some are “hidden” advertising, and some are pure entertainment. Who’s to say all blogs aren’t (to some degree) a little bit of each of these things?
If someone is dumb enough to blindly trust a blogger without checking other sources of information… well God bless them. They need all the help they can get.
My point is… the point of this discussion is moot.
reply to this commentWhen I post affiliate links, I make it as blatant as possible. I don’t think it’s crossing the line. It is what it is, an attempt for me to monetize some of the traffic I receive. More than half of my traffic is just from SEO and they won’t subscribe because they aren’t interested in my blog overall, just that one keyword, so why not try to snag some of their money in the process. The true readers of my blog understand that when I post an affiliate link, I want money, but they stick around and continue reading because I do post interesting content on other days.
For example, here’s an affiliate link on my blog for Thompson Cigars – go buy some for father’s day.
http://www.internetmarketinggorilla.com/2007/06/fathers-day-buy-some-cigars.html
It’s the whole point of the post. I don’t try to sneak it in there. But I agree that people should expect affiliate links on a site talking about affiliate marketing or internet marketing. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t. Managers need to know how affiliates think and affiliates need to know what makes managers tick.
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