How to label a paid link in South Africa
If you are paid for a link, the people who follow it are entitled to know. Being open about it costs you almost nothing and protects the thing that made the campaign worth running in the first place.
Last updated 11 November 2026
South African consumer protection law requires that marketing does not mislead the people it reaches. An audience that believes it is reading a personal recommendation, when it is in fact reading a paid placement, has been misled, even if everything in the post is true.
This is not a technicality to be worked around. Disclosure is the thing that keeps your recommendation worth something: an audience that trusts you because you are open will still be there next year, and the one that catches you being quiet will not.
Where the disclosure goes
Disclosure has to be where the decision is made, not somewhere the reader has to go looking for it. Practically, that means:
- In the caption or description itself, before the link, not buried under a row of hashtags.
- In the video or the story frame, visibly, if the link is in a bio or a link sticker. A viewer should not have to leave the post to find out that you are being paid.
- On the page, near the link, if you run a blog or newsletter. A single line above or beside the link is enough.
- In the first sentence or two, not at the end of a long post. By the time a reader reaches the end, they have already acted or left.
What to actually write
Short, plain, in the language your audience speaks. Any of these do the job:
- Paid partnership with Campflow.
- This is an affiliate link, and I earn a commission if you sign up.
- Ad. I am paid for sign-ups from this link.
- I earn a commission on this. It costs you nothing extra.
Avoid vague substitutes. A tag that says "sp" or "collab" without explanation, a hashtag no one understands, or a single word in a second language, is not a disclosure. The test is whether an ordinary person reading the post at normal speed would understand that you are paid.
What you stay responsible for
Disclosure is one of several obligations that sit with you as the person publishing the content:
- Your own claims. Do not promise an income, a result, or a timeframe you cannot support. Campflow does not guarantee earnings, and neither should your post.
- Personal information. If you collect anything from your audience, POPIA applies to what you do with it.
- Your own tax. Commission is income earned by you, and how you declare it is your responsibility. Campflow does not withhold tax or give tax advice.
- The campaign rules. Disclosure does not override a banned method. A campaign that excludes incentivised traffic still excludes it, however clearly you label the link.
The creator agreement sets out what Campflow expects of you and what you can expect of Campflow. If you are unsure how the rules apply to your particular content, take advice rather than guessing; Campflow can tell you what the campaign requires, but it cannot advise you on your own legal position.