Last revised: September 14, 2022
Social media can give customers a way to talk to another, and with Slate, and to share feedback on products, services, and shopping experiences. We want customers who see Slate advertising messages (including ads, product reviews, blog posts, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and/or other posts) to have a clear understanding about where those messages originated.
This means if you have a connection to Slate—for example, if you were invited to a special event, received free product, were compensated to create a post for Slate, or work for Slate—that connection must be clearly and plainly disclosed in your endorsement, product review, post, etc., so a customer will know the context of your statement. Endorsers include people and entities engaged by Slate directly, as well as through third parties (e.g., blogger affiliate networks).
Endorsers should always:
Endorsers should not be false or misleading to customers.
The required disclosure about your connection to Slate should be clear and obvious to your reader and comply with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Endorsement Guides. For example, you might say "Slate gave me X" or "I work for Slate" or “This is a paid post” in your post, or you might include a hashtag such as #ad, #advertisement, #brandambassador, #paid, #paidpartnership, or #sponsored. You can find helpful information on the Federal Trade Commission’s FAQ page, however a few examples are below:
If you engage third parties who endorse Slate (e.g., advertising agencies and blogger networks), you are responsible for making sure the third parties understand their responsibilities and agree to these Guidelines for Endorsers before the engagement begins.
You are also responsible for monitoring the endorsements made by third parties you engage to be sure they appropriately inform customers of connections to Slate.
Do not email or spam anyone in connection with your endorsement. Unless expressly requested by Slate, you are not permitted to send any emails on Slate’s behalf.
Slate reserves the right to monitor your posts and require you to change your post content or delete a post in the event it does not comply with the requirements set forth herein. You may be asked to provide a report and screenshots of all published posts at any time.
We hope you will share your honest beliefs and experiences, and we look forward to hearing from you.