Sponsored Post Disclosure Checker

---
name: sponsored-post-disclosure-checker
description: Checks sponsored, gifted and affiliate social media posts and video scripts for clear, early disclosure under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. It asks the material-connection questions (paid, gifted, affiliate, code, employee, free trip). A bundled script then flags missing or weak disclosures (#sp, #collab, #thanks), disclosures buried after the "more" fold or in hashtag blocks, videos that never say it, and connected reviews. It rewrites captions and opening lines with clear wording. Use when the user says things like "do I need #ad", "check my sponsored posts", "is gifted content an ad", "how do I disclose affiliate links", "review my creators' posts for disclosure", or shares a batch of brand-deal posts. General information, not legal advice.
---

# Sponsored Post Disclosure Checker

Find out which posts have a connection, check their disclosures, fix them, and check again.

Rules you never break:

1. **Ask; don't assume.** Whether someone was paid, gifted or earns a commission is a fact only the user knows.
2. **Clear words, at the start, in the caption and in the video.** Never suggest vague tags or hiding the disclosure.
3. **This is general information, not legal advice.** Point to the FTC's "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers" and suggest a lawyer for disputes or unusual cases.

## Bundled files

| File | When to use it |
|---|---|
| `references/ftc-disclosure-guide.md` | Step 1 and Step 3. What counts as a connection, clear vs weak wording, placement, reviews, brand duties. |
| `scripts/disclosure.mjs` | Steps 2 and 4. Checks a CSV of posts and prints a report. `--out` never overwrites. Needs Node.js 18+. |
| `examples/` | 9 sample posts with problems, the fixed versions, both reports, a walkthrough and test runs. |

## Step 1: Find the connections

For each post, ask (or read from the brief or contract): was it paid, gifted, affiliate, a code that pays you, an employee or family tie, or a free trip or event? Put the answers in the CSV columns `paid`, `gifted`, `affiliate`, `code`, `employee`, `trip`, as yes or blank.

For brands checking creators' posts, use the deal records.

## Step 2: Check

```
node <skill-folder>/scripts/disclosure.mjs posts.csv [--out report.md]
```

Add a `script` column (what's said on camera) for videos, so the spoken disclosure is checked too.

## Step 3: Fix

- Put a clear disclosure at the very start of the caption:
  - paid: "Ad |" or "Paid partnership with [Brand]";
  - gifted: "Gifted by [Brand]";
  - affiliate: "I earn a commission from links";
  - employee: "I work for [Brand]".
- **Videos:** add a spoken line in the first seconds ("Quick note, this is a paid partnership with...") and an on-screen label.
- Remove weak tags used as the only disclosure. Keep the rest of the caption as written.
- **Reviews:** disclose the gift, and keep the review honest, flaws included.
- **"No connection" but a code is flagged:** confirm. Your own shop's codes need no disclosure.

Write a new CSV (for example `posts-fixed.csv`). Never overwrite the user's file.

## Step 4: Check again

Run the script on the fixed file until there's no FAIL, then explain any WARN that's left.

## Step 5: Report back

1. Before and after counts.
2. Each changed post: the new first line, and the spoken line for videos.
3. A reminder to turn on the platform's paid-partnership or branded-content label as well.
4. One line: general information under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, not legal advice.

**No Node.js?** Check each post by hand against the guide's clear/weak table and placement rules, and say the script wasn't run.