Do You Need a Disclosure Policy?

Recently a client of mine asked me if I knew how to write a disclosure policy and if I thought she even needed one. I knew right away how to answer her first question and later in this post, I’ll tell you how to create one for your own blog.

But her second question – do I need one? – wasn’t quite as easy. So the answer I gave her was “It depends.”

First, let me explain what a disclosure policy is. You may hear the word “transparency” being tossed around the blogging world, especially when it comes to Big Name bloggers and sponsored posts. A disclosure policy is essentially a couple of paragraphs explaining how you handle reviews if you’re getting paid or compensated for writing them.

A disclosure policy will answer these questions for your readers:

• Are you getting paid or compensated (with free goods or services) for writing reviews?
• Do you mention in each review post if it was a paid or sponsored post?
• Does the compensation influence your opinion of the product or service you’re reviewing?

Depending upon your answers to those questions, having a disclosure policy isn’t a bad idea. Now, if you’re an A-List blogger, you definitely need one. But if you’re just getting started and you’re on what I call the LMNOP-List, consider how a disclosure policy will fit in with the reputation you’re hoping to build.

Do you want to be known as a completely honest, tell-it-like-it-is blogger? Then use your disclosure policy to let your readers know that your opinions aren’t being bought. Do you want potential sponsors know that they can expect a favorable review? Mention in your disclosure policy that you’ll work with them before posting any negative comments.

If you decide that you do want a disclosure policy, you may not have a clue about how to write one. Well don’t worry about that. Even with my legal background, I’d be hesitant to write one myself. The easiest way to do it is visit DisclosurePolicy.org and go through the Q&A process to have one created for you.

Once you have it, you can either include it in the footer of your blog, in a separate page or post, or as part of your Contact or About page.

Whatever type of policy you end up with, make sure its clear and that you adhere to it! You don’t want your sponsored posts coming back to bite you in the derriere. Just Google “Chris Brogan and Kmart” and you’ll see why.