Testimonial

[meredith]

I had a really great exp. with a product I am going to market. The owner of the product wants to use my testimonial, photo etc stating specific results Im sure. I don't know how familiar he is yet with FTC guidelines.

If I am giving the testimonial how do new FTC rules apply if it is on his main product site if I am selling it. I of courses suppose I can no longer say how it worked for me ( due to FTC changes) b/c as an affiliate I would have no way of knowing average results and many may by and never use it....

I am not happy that I cannot sing it form the mountain tops when I like a product and state specifically what my results were - How is the FTC ruling not in some ways a violation of FREE SPEECH?
Any thoughts on how I can give a testimonial and what I should say or not say?

[Lynn Terry]

First, I recommend you read FTC Update (http://www.clicknewz.com/2061/ftc-update/) at my blog, including the external links and the discussion in the comment section. If you did in fact experience "atypical results" with this particular product, you'll want to qualify those results.

The example the FTC gave in their report was for a weight loss product. Saying "I lost 56 pounds in 4 months taking this product!" is not compliant with the guidelines. Saying "I lost 56 pounds in 4 months by exercising vigorously, eating only raw vegetables and taking this product" IS compliant. So qualifying any atypical results is important, so as not to be misleading, or not to misrepresent the actual results a reader can expect from the product.