FTC endorsement guide for founders

A short, practical guide for our video-first marketplace.

The basics

The FTC's endorsement rules say that paid endorsements must disclose the payment, that testimonials should reflect typical experiences, and that influencer deals need clear disclosure. On a crowdfunding marketplace, the rules apply to:

• Customer testimonials in your pitch video.
• Influencer or celebrity endorsements you feature.
• Press quotes — they need to be real, in context, and accurate.

What CompliantWriter watches for

Our AI scans your campaign copy and pitch video transcript. It flags:

• Undisclosed paid endorsements. "Sarah loved our product" — was Sarah paid? If yes, disclose.
• Atypical testimonials. "I lost 50 lbs in a month" — needs a "results not typical" disclaimer (and probably shouldn't be on a non-medical campaign).
• Forward-looking financial language. "You'll see returns" — not allowed in rewards/donation campaigns.
• Health / safety claims without citations. "FDA-approved" — only if literally true with a cited registration.

What you can do

• Use real customers, with their explicit consent on camera.
• Disclose any compensation: "Sarah received the product free in exchange for her review."
• Use specific facts, not vague superlatives. "Our product reduced my morning commute by 8 minutes" beats "Our product changed my life."
• If a press outlet covered you, link to the actual article — don't paraphrase out of context.

What you can't do

• Promise financial returns to backers.
• Make health claims without supporting data.
• Use stock-photo "customers" as testimonials.
• Generate fake reviews (yes, we check).

This is not legal advice. The full FTC endorsement guides are at ftc.gov.