Affiliate Contracts with Berkley Sweetapple

ByHannah Clark

Sharing is caring!

SHOW NOTES: Episode 70

We are excited to welcome back Berkley Sweetapple, a business and trademark attorney, to talk all about the legal side of working with brands in terms of agreements and contracts. She specifically works one-on-one with bloggers, coaches, online course creators, and business owners. 

On today’s episode, we talk with Berkley about the legal side of working with brands which usually requires some sort of agreement or contract in order to work with them. 

We chat about how bloggers can work with brands, what a relationship with a brand could look like, and the importance of making sure you are protected as a business owner.  We talk about what affiliate disclosures are, why the Federal Trade Commision (FTC) requires you to have an affiliate disclosure your site, and that there are recommendations and rules for the disclosure placement on your site from both the FTC and the brands you are working with. 

Berkley shares why you should err on the side of caution and make sure you are clear about any links you share that are sponsored, the importance of being picky with affiliates and making sure you are working with brands that align with who you are and what your business is. She also shares what the difference between brand affiliates and sponsorships is.

We talk about understanding that there is no right or wrong in a contract as long as you are getting paid what you deserve, whether a blogger should hire an attorney to help understand what a contract is saying, and why it is important to be thinking about the legal side of working with brands even if you aren’t making any money yet.  

There is nothing to be ashamed of by working with a brand and making money as long as you are being real and authentic and you believe in the product or service that you are sharing about.  It is important to make sure you are adding value and protecting yourself. 

This was a great conversation with Berkley and we hope you take some of her knowledge and put some protection in place for your blog. We want to hear how this episode helped you! Let’s continue the conversation over on Instagram (@sparkmediaconcepts). We’d love to hear from you!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVERED:

  • How bloggers can work with brands
  • What a relationship with a brand could look like
  • The importance of making sure you are protected as a business owner
  • What affiliate disclosures are
  • Why the Federal Trade Commision (FTC) requires you to have an affiliate disclosure your site
  • There are recommendations and rules for the disclosure placement on your site from both the FTC and the brands you are working with
  • Why you should err on the side of caution and make sure you are clear about any links you share that are sponsored
  • The importance of being picky with affiliates and making sure you are working with brands that align with who you are and what your business is
  • What the difference between brand affiliates and sponsorships is
  • Understanding that there is no right or wrong in a contract as long as you are getting paid what you deserve
  • Whether a blogger should hire an attorney to help understand what a contract is saying
  • Why it is important to be thinking about the legal side of working with brands even if you aren’t making any money yet

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

MORE ABOUT THE ULTIMATE BLOG PODCAST:

Welcome to The Ultimate Blog Podcast! This podcast is for you if you’ve ever wanted to learn blogging basics so that you can start your own blog or if you have been a blogger for years but are struggling to grow or need inspiration and community.

Every Tuesday we will be sharing a new episode where we will cover topics from the basics of starting a blog, monetizing and growing your site, to finding the inspiration you need to keep going. You will also find guest interviews with experts on different blogging topics as well as interviews with bloggers who’ve been in your shoes.

Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper are bloggers themselves who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success and your own story.

We’d love to connect with you on our other platforms so please visit us at www.sparkmediaconcepts.com or follow us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts

This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, the hosts or guests of this podcast will receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *