Affiliate Disclosure
Last updated:
WorthBrief is a free publication, and one of the ways a publication like this can be sustained is affiliate marketing. This page explains exactly what that means here, in plain terms, so that a reader always knows whether a link is commercial.
The disclosure
WorthBrief may participate in affiliate marketing programs. This means we may earn a commission when a reader clicks certain links and completes a qualifying purchase. This does not increase the purchase price paid by the reader unless expressly stated otherwise. Affiliate relationships do not permit advertisers or affiliate networks to purchase favorable editorial conclusions.
What this means in practice
When you click an affiliate link and complete a qualifying purchase, the merchant or the affiliate network may pay WorthBrief a commission. That commission comes out of the merchant's margin, not out of your pocket: the price you pay is the same as it would have been if you had arrived at the merchant directly, unless we explicitly tell you otherwise.
A qualifying purchase is defined by the merchant or network, not by us. A click alone does not earn anything, and a purchase that is later returned typically does not either.
What affiliate relationships never buy
An affiliate relationship gives a partner one thing: the possibility that a reader may click through and buy. It does not give that partner:
- influence over editorial conclusions, ratings, or rankings;
- the right to approve, amend, or remove editorial content;
- priority placement in a comparison where the product does not merit it;
- protection from a negative assessment;
- any say in what we choose to cover.
If a product is a poor choice for a given buyer, we say so on the same page where an affiliate link may appear. That is the entire point of the arrangement being disclosed rather than hidden.
Where disclosure appears
Our disclosure is placed close to the content it relates to — near the relevant links, in the section that contains them, or at the top of the page where commercial links are present. It is never relegated to a footer alone, and it never appears only on this page.
Disclosure is written in plain language. A reader should not need to interpret a symbol, a footnote marker, or a vague phrase to understand that a link may earn revenue.
Advertising and sponsorship
Advertising and sponsorship are separate from affiliate links, and are labelled as such wherever they appear. Paid material is never presented as independent editorial judgement, and editorial content is never presented as advertising. The full separation rules are set out in our Editorial Policy.
Editorial standards still apply
Affiliate participation changes nothing about how content is produced. The same criteria, the same sourcing requirements, and the same editorial levels apply whether or not a link on the page is commercial. Testing claims are governed by How We Review Products and are never influenced by commercial arrangements. We do not use the word "tested" for a product we have not physically used, regardless of any partnership.
Questions
If anything about a link, a commission, or a partnership on WorthBrief is unclear, ask. Write to [email protected] with the page URL and the link in question, and we will explain it.