Affiliate marketer insurance: media liability for affiliate marketers
Affiliate income comes from talking about other people's products, and that's exactly what draws claims. Media liability defends you when a brand says your review disparaged its product, your post misused its trademark, or your images weren't yours to use.
This guide explains where claims against affiliate marketers and review sites come from and how media liability works. Ready for a policy? Get a creator quote from CreatorSure.
Where claims come from
- Reviews and rankings that knock a product or a company.
- Product claims repeated from a brand's pitch.
- Brand names and logos in titles, URLs and ads.
- Product images pulled from a brand's site or someone else's review.
- Disclosure. The FTC expects clear disclosure of affiliate links, and your program terms can put that on you.
Sending deals by email? See newsletter insurance. Selling your own products? Read insurance for online stores.
Other coverage you need
- Cyber. You run an email list and store subscriber data (which CreatorSure covers).
- Professional E&O. You also write content or run campaigns for brands as a paid service (which CreatorSure covers).
When someone takes your work
Other sites copy your reviews, scrape your posts or lift your original photos. Fight Back helps pay for a lawyer, takedowns and demand letters to go after them.
Questions
Do affiliate marketers need insurance?
If you review, rank or compare products for money, yes. Brands watch what you say about them, and a claim over a post names you.
Does the affiliate program protect me?
No. Program terms protect the merchant and the network. Your content stays your responsibility.
Can a brand sue me over a bad review?
It can claim your review disparaged its product. An honest opinion is a defense, but you still have to raise it, and media liability pays for that defense.
Is using brand logos and product photos a risk?
Yes. Using a brand's trademark or images beyond what the program allows draws trademark and copyright claims. Media liability covers those claims.
Do FTC disclosure rules affect my coverage?
Clear disclosure keeps you out of trouble. Media liability covers claims over your content, so disclose every affiliate link and keep records.
Get a quote
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