Put a plain-language commission notice at the start of your YouTube description, before the affiliate links. If you recommend a product or service during a 24/7 stream, do not rely on that description alone: disclose the relationship in the stream and repeat the notice so viewers who arrive later can see it.
A useful starting point is: “I may earn a commission if you buy through links in this description.” Put it where people can see it before they act, and keep it close to the links and the recommendations they relate to. The right wording and any additional steps depend on your arrangement, audience and applicable rules, so treat examples here as practical starting points rather than a universal legal formula.
Put the notice before the affiliate links
A disclosure works only if a viewer can find and understand it before following a recommendation. Start the description with a short notice, then put the relevant affiliate links below it. Avoid leading with channel history, a long schedule, social links or a block of unrelated text that pushes the notice out of view.
For example:
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you buy through links in this description.
[Affiliate links]
This is an example, not wording mandated by the FTC. The FTC’s guidance advises creators to make a relationship clear and to disclose it near the links. Its FAQ also recommends putting a disclosure in the description before potential viewers click through. See the FTC’s guidance on endorsements and affiliate relationships.
For a long description, do not assume every viewer will expand “Show more”. A notice placed after a long introduction or at the bottom may be missed. Begin with the disclosure, then provide the stream schedule or channel details, and group affiliate links under a plainly labelled heading such as “Links mentioned in the stream”.
If you have several links, keep the notice before the first one. You can add short notes beside individual links to make the connection clear, particularly if the stream discusses one product at a time. A global notice is useful, but it should not force viewers to guess which recommendation it covers.
Say what the commission relationship is
“Affiliate link” may be familiar to creators, but it does not tell every viewer what happens financially. Say directly that you may earn money or a commission if someone makes a purchase through the link. The FTC offers wording along the lines of: “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” Adapt the wording to describe your actual arrangement.
A concise notice could say:
I may earn a commission if you buy through these links.
If the commission applies only to certain links, say so and identify those links. If you receive a different kind of benefit, such as a free product, payment or discount, describe that accurately too. Do not say you earn a commission if you do not, and do not imply that all links are affiliate links when only some are.
You may see creators add, “The price you pay is not affected by my commission.” Include that only if it is true for the programme and offer in question. It is not a substitute for explaining that you may earn a commission, and it should not distract from the main notice.
Keep the language ordinary. A viewer should not need to know industry shorthand, click an external policy page or infer the relationship from a label. A disclosure can be brief without being cryptic.
Keep disclosure beside the recommendation
The description notice and the recommendation should be easy to connect. If a stream repeatedly discusses a particular microphone, devotional book, lighting product or study aid, place its link and a clear note together rather than collecting links in a distant section without context. The FTC recommends disclosure both in content containing an endorsement and in the description near the links.
A practical layout might read:
I may earn a commission if you purchase through the links below.
Microphone mentioned during the stream: [link]
Book discussed in the evening segment: [link]
Use labels that genuinely describe the content. Do not call a link “official” or “best” unless that claim is accurate and supportable. If a recommendation is based on your experience, say what you have actually used; if it is simply a link you have chosen to share, do not imply personal testing.
The same principle applies when a stream’s file or playlist is updated. If the channel runs a repeating loop, a viewer may hear a product recommendation at a particular point and then look for the link later. Keep the description current when you change products or remove a link. For technical context on keeping a continuous video loop running, see this guide to rotating videos without ending an always-on stream.
A description is not the only place where a viewer might encounter a link. YouTube’s help page explains where links are clickable in different live and video contexts, and notes that availability can depend on advanced-feature access and viewing mode. In particular, horizontal and vertical live viewing do not expose every link location in the same way. Check YouTube’s information about sharing links for the current details; clickability is separate from whether a disclosure is visible.
Disclose in the livestream itself
When the recommendation or endorsement happens in the stream, a description notice alone may not reach viewers who see the stream without opening its description. The FTC’s guidance says a video endorsement should be disclosed in the video, not just in the accompanying description. For livestreams, it recommends repeating the disclosure periodically because viewers may watch only part of the broadcast.
That matters especially for an always-on channel. Someone may arrive during a late-night bhajan loop, join a local news replay halfway through, or open a study stream after it has been running for hours. If a product recommendation is embedded in the programme, a notice at the beginning of the original broadcast may have passed before that viewer arrived.
Choose an in-stream format that is legible and does not obscure important content. You might add a readable text overlay to the video, include a short spoken notice when a host is present, or use both. A continuous, clear disclosure throughout the stream is a cautious option described by FTC staff. An overlay needs enough contrast and screen space to be read on a phone as well as a television or desktop display.
For a pre-recorded loop, the notice can be incorporated into the relevant segment or kept visible across the broadcast where it remains clear. If the stream contains no endorsement and the affiliate links are merely listed in the description, the appropriate approach can depend on the facts; do not convert guidance about endorsements into a claim that every affiliate link automatically requires the same on-screen treatment.
There is a practical trade-off. A persistent overlay is easier for late arrivals to encounter but can compete with lyrics, captions or a news ticker. A spoken disclosure preserves screen space but is easy to miss if a viewer joins between repetitions or has audio muted. Design the format around the programme and the way people watch it, while keeping the relationship understandable.
Repeat it for viewers who join later
A 24/7 stream has no single audience arrival time. A viewer can join at any point, so a disclosure spoken once at the opening is not a reliable way to reach everyone who hears a later recommendation. FTC guidance recommends periodic repetition for live endorsements, but it does not set a fixed interval. Do not present an invented schedule, such as a particular number of minutes, as a rule.
Instead, plan disclosure around the content. If a host discusses a product more than once, include the disclosure with those recommendation segments. In a loop, consider whether a notice remains visible through the relevant portion or whether the disclosure recurs as the loop reaches that segment. A persistent, clear on-screen notice may help viewers who join at different times; check that it remains readable and does not become easy to overlook as part of the background.
You can also make the spoken wording self-contained. For example: “This is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy through it.” That sentence tells a viewer both that a financial relationship exists and what action may result in a commission. Avoid an isolated “affiliate link” label if the audience may not know its meaning.
Test the experience as a viewer would: open the live stream after it has been running, use a phone, and see whether the notice is visible without searching. If you rely on captions, check that the wording is represented accurately. If you rely on audio, consider viewers who mute a continuous stream. A disclosure that exists in a production plan but is difficult to notice in normal viewing is not doing its job.
The operating method affects how easy these checks are. If a home computer must stay on to run a continuous stream, interruptions can make it harder to maintain a consistent programme and disclosure placement. This guide to moving an always-on stream from a home PC to a cloud service explains the operational trade-off; whichever method you use, review the actual stream rather than assuming the planned overlay or segment is present.
Distinguish affiliate links from paid promotions
An affiliate commission and a brand sponsorship are related commercial relationships, but they are not interchangeable labels. With an affiliate link, you may receive a commission when a viewer purchases through a link. A brand-paid placement, sponsorship, free product or other benefit may involve a different arrangement and should be described truthfully.
YouTube’s branded-content policy says creators must declare applicable branded content through the Studio control, which adds a platform label. YouTube also says the creator remains responsible for clear and prominent disclosure and applicable legal obligations. Review the current YouTube branded content policy and the paid promotion setting guidance in Studio. Use the platform declaration where its policy applies, but do not treat that label as a replacement for plain-language wording by affiliate links or for any other disclosure your circumstances require.
A commission-only link is not automatically the same thing as a brand-provided placement. Conversely, a stream may include both: a sponsor may pay for a segment while product links elsewhere earn commission. Make each relationship clear enough that viewers can tell what kind of connection is involved. If YouTube’s interface or policy changes, check the official help page rather than relying on an old screenshot or a creator forum post.
Disclosure duties can vary with the location of the creator, the audience and the arrangement. The guidance discussed here includes US FTC advice; it is not a determination of the rules that apply to every channel, including channels operated in India or watched in several countries. Check current official guidance relevant to your situation, and seek qualified advice if you need a legal interpretation. Disclosure does not remove other obligations relating to advertising, claims, consumer protection or platform policy.
Check placement on the actual stream
Before publishing or changing a loop, inspect both the description and the live picture. Read the description as a viewer: is the commission notice visible before the links, and is the wording accurate? Then join the stream partway through and check whether an in-stream notice can be seen and understood without opening another page.
| Placement | What it helps with | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| First lines of the description | Viewers who open the description can see the relationship before the links | Keep the notice ahead of links and long introductory text; do not assume everyone expands the description |
| Beside a specific link | Connects a product or service to its relevant link | Label only the links covered by the notice and keep the description current |
| Spoken notice in the stream | Gives context when a host makes an endorsement | Repeat it in a long-running broadcast and account for muted viewing |
| On-screen notice | Can reach late arrivals without relying on the description | Check legibility, contrast, placement and whether it obscures programme content |
| YouTube paid-promotion label | Declares branded content through YouTube’s platform control where applicable | Do not assume it answers every affiliate-link or other disclosure question |
Treat the table as a review aid, not a compliance checklist. Placement can fail in small ways: an overlay may be cropped by a viewing layout, text may be too small on a phone, or the description may be updated while the stream still shows an older recommendation. Look at the stream in the viewing modes your audience uses, including vertical mobile viewing if that is relevant to your channel.
For a continuous channel, the stream asset and the description are separate things to maintain. If you replace a video, change the loop order or adjust overlays, verify that the on-screen notice still appears where intended. A guide on monitoring a pre-recorded livestream running remotely covers operational checks that are useful alongside this disclosure review. Monitoring cannot establish that a disclosure is legally sufficient, but it can reveal that a planned notice is missing or unreadable.
Before you publish, ask someone unfamiliar with your setup to find the affiliate disclosure and explain what it means. If they have to infer that you may be paid, rewrite it. Then check again after the stream has started, because a correct description cannot confirm that the on-screen version is actually visible.
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FAQ
Is “affiliate link” by itself enough?
It may not tell a viewer that you can earn a commission if they buy. State the financial connection in plain language, for example: “I may earn a commission if you buy through this link.” Put that wording near the link and make sure it reflects your actual arrangement.
Is a disclosure in the YouTube description enough for a 24/7 stream?
Do not assume it is enough when you make an endorsement in the stream. FTC guidance recommends disclosure in the video or livestream as well as near the links in the description, and periodic repetition helps viewers who join later. The facts and applicable rules still matter.
How often should I repeat an in-stream disclosure?
The FTC recommends periodic repetition for a live endorsement but does not prescribe a numeric interval in the cited guidance. For a continuous stream, consider a clear persistent notice or repeat the disclosure in connection with recommendation segments, then test whether late arrivals can see it. Do not describe a chosen interval as an official rule.
Does YouTube’s paid-promotion label cover affiliate links?
The label is a platform declaration for branded content where YouTube’s policy applies; it does not automatically replace clear wording near affiliate links or every disclosure that may be required. Check the current YouTube policy and the rules that apply to your arrangement and audience.