If a guest post was paid for, say so near the content and mark paid links. Where the FTC says to put the disclosure, what to write, and a worked example.
If a guest post was paid for, or the writer or the site got something of value for it, say so in plain words close to the content, and mark the paid links with a rel attribute Google recognises. That is the baseline the FTC and Google publish for endorsements and paid links. Below is how to do each part, with a worked example. This is not legal advice, and a lawyer should answer questions about your own situation.
When a guest post needs a disclosure
The FTC's Endorsement Guides Q&A sets out the principle: a connection between an endorser and a marketer should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously when a significant minority of readers would not expect it and it would affect how they weigh the endorsement. The page adds that the same is usually true when the endorser has been paid or given something of value to tout the product.
In guest-post terms, that fits a brand paying a writer to recommend its product in an article, or a writer getting free product for the mention. The Q&A also says the FTC Act applies to bloggers who receive free products or perks with the expectation that they will promote the advertiser's products. If the writer bought the product on their own, has no relationship with the brand, and nobody was paid, the Q&A says no disclosure is needed.
Where to put the disclosure
Placement matters. On blogs, the Q&A warns that "Readers might overlook a disclosure at the very top of the page, outside of the blog." It also says "Consumers may miss a disclosure at the bottom of a blog or page." Its advice is that a disclosure works best very close to, or part of, the endorsement it relates to.
In practice, that means a line at the start of the article body, before the first mention of the sponsor, and a reminder next to any paragraph that recommends the product. We'd avoid a footer note or a separate disclosure page; the FTC says readers may miss a disclosure at the bottom.
What to say
Use plain words that name who paid. The FTC does not mandate specific wording, but it says a label that names the brand is clearer than a bare one: Sponsored by followed by the brand name beats Sponsored on its own. Its own examples are short sentences that state the payment, such as saying the brand paid for the post. It also notes that a thank-you to a brand doesn't necessarily tell readers they got something for free. As the Q&A puts it, "Disclosures need to be easily noticed and understood."
Mark the links, too
The FTC guidance is about readers. Google's policy is about links. Its spam policies list "Exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links" as link spam, and the same page says such links are not a violation when they are qualified with a nofollow or sponsored value. Google's guide to qualifying outbound links says to mark advertisements or paid placements with rel="sponsored", and that nofollow is still acceptable, though sponsored is preferred.
So a paid guest post needs both: a disclosure people can see, and a rel attribute on the paid links that Google can read. Neither one replaces the other.
A worked example
This is an illustration. A project management company pays a site to publish a guest article on remote team habits, with one recommendation of its tool and one link to its pricing page.
- First line of the body: This article is sponsored by the company, named in full.
- The paragraph that recommends the tool repeats it briefly: the company paid for this post.
- The pricing link carries
rel="sponsored". - The author bio says the writer was paid by the company for this article.
- Nothing in the post says or suggests the writer chose the tool independently.
Before you send a draft, SerpCrest's Guest Post Link Checker shows what an editor will flag in it, such as too many links, keyword anchors and links in the intro.
What about AI-written sponsored posts?
A July 1, 2026 agency blog post says "the FTC now expects double disclosure on sponsored AI content". It links no FTC document for that line, and the FTC Q&A above does not mention AI. Unless you can point to an FTC document that says so, the sourced baseline is the material connection disclosure above. Other laws may apply depending on where you publish, so ask a lawyer.
For more on how paid placements are priced and filtered, see guest post prices and publisher traffic and what gets a guest post pitch accepted.
