Say what's true. Show who's paying.
A working reference for FTC rules, health claims, privacy and platform policies, with tools you can use on every page, video and email you publish.
Last reviewed October 3, 2026Five core rules
Most health marketing trouble comes from breaking one of these. Everything else on this page builds on them.
Disclose every relationship
Commissions, free products, discount codes and sponsorships all count as material connections.
- Put the disclosure where people see it before they click.
- Use plain words such as “I earn a commission if you buy.”
- Repeat it in every post, video, email or live stream.
- Don't rely on a platform label alone.
Claim only what you can prove
The FTC expects health benefit and safety claims to be backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence, generally randomized controlled human trials.
- Link the evidence, or the merchant's substantiation, beside each claim.
- Testimonials count as your claims, so don't repeat ones you couldn't prove yourself.
- Say less when you know less.
Don't diagnose, treat or promise
Disease claims, specific weight-loss results and guarantees are the fastest way to a takedown or an enforcement letter.
- Describe what a product is and how you use it.
- Never suggest stopping or replacing medication.
- Point to a clinician for any condition.
Protect health data
State laws can treat information tied to a person's health, including some tracking data, as sensitive consumer health data.
- Collect only what you need and get clear consent.
- Review the pixels and tags on health pages.
- Publish a privacy policy that matches what you do.
Follow each platform's rules too
Platforms often restrict more than the law does. Supplements and weight-management content are the usual flashpoints.
- Check the Policy Tracker before you build on a channel.
- Use the platform's disclosure tool and your own words.
- Expect age gating or approval in restricted categories.
Disclosure Builder
Pick where you're publishing and what your relationship is. Get wording you can copy, plus where to put it and what to avoid.
Where are you publishing?
What is your relationship?
Write “we” instead of “I” if you publish as MarketHealth. Only use “at no extra cost to you” if it's true for the offer.
Claim Checker
Paste your draft copy to catch risky health wording before it goes live. It flags patterns and suggests safer phrasing.
Your copy
Review
This checks wording patterns only. It can't tell whether a claim is true or substantiated.
Evidence and supplements
How much proof do you need, and how do supplement claims differ from disease claims?
Based on the FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance (December 2022), which applies to supplements, foods, OTC products, devices, tests and health apps.
Three kinds of health statement
| Type | Example | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Disease claim | “Lowers your blood pressure so you can skip medication.” | Claims to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent a disease are drug claims. Don't make them for supplements or everyday wellness products. |
| Structure or function claim | “Supports heart health.*” | Describes an effect on normal body function. Needs the standard disclaimer on labeling, and still needs scientific substantiation under FTC rules. |
| General wellness | “Helps you stay active with low-impact moves.” | Describes lifestyle use, not a health outcome. Lowest risk, but keep it truthful. |
Health data privacy
Health publishers collect more sensitive data than they realize, often through analytics, quizzes and ad pixels.
HIPAA usually isn't the issue
HIPAA applies to covered entities such as providers and plans, and their business associates. A typical affiliate publisher isn't one, but other laws still apply.
State consumer health data laws
Washington's My Health My Data Act, Nevada's SB 370 and Connecticut's consumer health data amendments cover health-related data broadly. Washington allows private lawsuits, while Nevada and Connecticut rely on attorney general enforcement.
Tracking is where risk hides
Pixels, SDKs and email tracking can reveal which health topics someone engaged with. Regulators and plaintiffs have focused on this kind of marketing technology.
Health apps and tools
If you build a tracker, quiz or app that collects personal health information, the FTC's Health Breach Notification Rule may apply even outside HIPAA. Get counsel's view before launch.
Practical steps for your site
- Audit every pixel, tag and plugin on pages about health conditions, and remove what you don't need.
- Get clear, opt-in consent before sharing health-related data with ad or analytics partners.
- Publish a consumer health data privacy policy if you collect that kind of data.
- Avoid building retargeting audiences from condition pages unless counsel approves it.
- Don't collect health details in quizzes or forms unless you need them, and say how you'll use them.
- Review your vendors' contracts, and honor access and deletion requests.
Operative dates: Connecticut's amendments took effect July 1, 2023, and Washington's and Nevada's laws became fully operative for regulated entities on March 31, 2024. Laws in other states, the EU, the UK and Canada may also apply.
Policy Tracker
What each regulator and platform requires for health content, with the date we last checked. Always confirm in the source before relying on a row.
| Policy | What matters for health content | Confidence | Source |
|---|
All rows last checked October 3, 2026 unless marked pending. Platform rules change often, so treat “Secondary” rows as a prompt to read the official policy.
Pre-publish checklists
Pick the type of content you're about to publish and tick every box. Your ticks save in this browser.
Templates
Starting points for the pages every health affiliate site needs. Edit the brackets and have counsel review before use.
Frequently asked
Quick answers to the questions we hear most.
MarketHealth Compliance Hub is educational content and doesn't constitute legal, medical or financial advice. Laws and platform policies change frequently, and nothing here guarantees compliance.
MarketHealth isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any platform named on this page. Some links on MarketHealth may be affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.