disclaimer examples
Disclaimer examples, writing guide, and FAQ
A disclaimer tells visitors what your pages are not: medical advice, legal advice, a promise of investment returns, a warranty that prices stay fixed, and so on. It sits next to your privacy policy and terms, but it mainly limits how people rely on your content and sample materials.
Below is a U.S.-focused walkthrough—examples, where to post them, and common questions (including FTC endorsement rules for affiliates and testimonials).
Key Takeaways
Short checklist for U.S. sites that publish content, run affiliate programs, or show customer results:
- Say what you are not promising (advice, results, accuracy of third-party data).
- If you earn money from links or paid reviews, disclose the material connection—FTC endorsement guides apply nationwide.
- Health, finance, and legal pages usually need extra lines plus licensed professionals for personalized guidance.
- Keep footer, checkout, and app-store language aligned so customers do not see conflicting promises.
- Update the “Last updated” date when pricing, products, or claims change.
1. What is a disclaimer?
A disclaimer is the page (or footer blurb) where you spell out limits on reliance: not medical or legal advice, no guaranteed investment return, affiliate relationships disclosed, tools provided “as is,” and so on.
It is not the same file as your privacy policy (data collection) or terms of service (contract for using the product), but all three should tell the same story on facts users care about.
Common shapes a disclaimer can take
- Informational / editorial. Blogs, newsletters, and help centers: say the posts are general information, not professional advice, and point readers to primary sources.
- Samples and templates. Cover letters, contracts, or code snippets: state they are illustrative, may omit facts, and must be reviewed before real-world use.
- Tools and estimates. Calculators or AI-assisted drafts: note outputs are not audited, can be wrong, and are not a substitute for licensed review where regulated.
- Third-party and affiliate surfaces. When you link out or earn commissions, disclose the relationship. The FTC treats undisclosed paid endorsements as unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
What a disclaimer can—and cannot—do
A clear disclaimer helps users understand what you are selling and what you are not guaranteeing. It can also show you gave reasonable notice if a dispute arises.
It does not override U.S. federal or state consumer protection laws, licensing boards, securities rules, HIPAA where it applies, or advertising substantiation requirements. If copy is false or misleading, a disclaimer will not save it.
When teams usually prioritize a visible disclaimer
- You publish health, legal, tax, credit, or investing content that readers may treat as personalized advice.
- You run affiliate links, sponsored posts, or paid testimonials subject to FTC endorsement guidance.
- You collect payments, signatures, or sensitive data where a mismatch between marketing and legal text creates chargebacks or complaints.
- You syndicate feeds, AI summaries, or user posts where authorship or freshness is unclear.
This page is a U.S.-oriented overview, not legal advice for your company. Match any template to your state, industry, and facts before you rely on it.
2. How to write a disclaimer
Skim your draft in ten seconds: can a busy reader see what is not guaranteed? If not, shorten sentences, add subheads, and move warnings next to the claim they limit.
- Define the content.State whether pages are opinion, experience, aggregation, or official records. If users can post content, clarify whether you endorse it, how moderation works, and how to report issues.
- List what you are not promising.Call out domains where misunderstanding is likely—legal advice, medical diagnosis, revenue guarantees. Specific beats a vague “not liable for everything.”
- Match operations to words.If you claim weekly reviews, 24-hour support, or guaranteed uptime, your team must actually behave that way. Overpromising hurts you in disputes.
- Cover third parties and automation.Name ad networks, maps, AI summaries, or embeds; say who provides them, what data flows, and whether you stand behind their output.
- Governing law and venue.If you add a choice-of-law clause, confirm it fits your customers’ states and any consumer rules that cannot be waived.
- Readability and discoverability.Use short sentences and subheads; add a table of contents atop long policies; avoid burying critical limits in all-caps microtext. On mobile, ensure accordions still surface key warnings in one tap.
Keep the disclaimer accurate and aligned
Replace bracket placeholders with your real legal name, DBA, and URL. Delete clauses you copied from unrelated industries—they confuse readers and regulators.
Match the disclaimer to your privacy policy, cookie banner, and age rules on data, third parties, and who may use the product.
If you publish in Spanish or other languages for U.S. audiences, put material disclosures in that language too; machine translation alone is risky for regulated terms.
3. Three tips for writing a disclaimer
Three practical rules: tie language to real risk, write for a normal reader, and bring in specialists when a page touches health, money, or kids.
Tip 1
Name the risk, not the universe
A wall of “we disclaim everything” is easy to ignore. Swap it for the concrete limits on this page: stale pricing, unaudited metrics, sample code, or third-party APIs you do not control.
If the page could change someone’s medication, tax filing, or hiring decision, say plainly that you are not their clinician, CPA, or lawyer and tell them what to do instead (call 911, talk to HR counsel, etc.).
- Swap absolutes for scoped statements: “no warranty as to accuracy of benchmark figures on this chart,” not “never accurate.”
- Name the artifact: blog post vs. downloadable PDF vs. live tool—each may warrant its own one-line reminder at the point of use.
Tip 2
Plain English beats legalese
If a smart reader cannot skim it in under a minute, cut words. Short sentences survive mobile screens and translation better than nested clauses.
Put the warning where the risk happens: next to the buy button, above the calculator, or in the email footer that contains a performance claim.
- Lead with the risk: tell readers what not to do first (for example, do not delay emergency care because of an article).
- Use the UI: banners, tooltips, or checkouts next to the claim beat a lone footer link nobody opens.
Tip 3
Know when to bring in experts
Garden-variety blog copy is different from securities marketing, telehealth intake, or COPPA-facing kids’ products. Budget for licensed review when you cross those lines.
Log what changed (pricing, AI features, new affiliates) so your legal text does not drift from what the product actually does.
- Document scope: note which states, products, and monetization paths the disclaimer was written for.
- Re-check after launches: payments, chatbots, or identity checks often trigger new disclosure duties.
4. Where should a disclaimer go?
Put warnings where people act—footer for evergreen text, inline for calculators, checkout, or anything that can lose someone money or health.
Web: global entry points and high-risk templates
- Global footer + legal index. Link “Disclaimer” next to Privacy and Terms so power users, procurement teams, and press can find the canonical text. Keep URLs stable across redesigns.
- Hero or sticky notice on sensitive templates. Investment calculators, salary estimators, medical symptom lists, or “auto-generated contract” flows should surface a short, plain warning before inputs—not only after results render.
- Next to embedded third-party modules. Maps, market tickers, credit scores, or identity checks: clarify you do not control the upstream feed and that delays or errors may occur.
Conversion flows: signup, checkout, and paywalls
At signup or checkout, repeat the key limits in plain language beside the button, not only behind a “Terms” link. Regulators look at what a reasonable shopper saw before they paid.
Native apps, marketplaces, and offline artifacts
- In-app settings / About. Mirror the web legal hub; deep-link from onboarding if the app performs high-risk actions offline.
- Store listings and release notes. Summarize limitations where users discover the product; keep the canonical text inside the binary or support site.
- PDFs, slide decks, and printed leave-behinds. Add a cover or footer disclaimer on every page for materials that travel without your website chrome.
- Email and transactional messages. Compact footers for recurring sends; a stronger banner for one-off campaigns that include projections, promotions, or health tips.
Presentation, accessibility, and maintenance
- Readable typography. Avoid disclaimers only in 8px grey on grey; match body contrast guidelines and allow pinch-zoom on mobile web.
- Screen readers and accordions. If you collapse policies, ensure summaries are descriptive and expandable without loss of context for assistive tech.
- Versioning. Date-stamp major revisions; keep prior PDFs if you need an audit trail.
5. Disclaimer examples
Starters you can paste and edit. Swap in your entity name, state, and product facts.
The articles, examples, and links on this site are for general information only. They do not constitute legal, medical, tax, or investment advice. While we aim to be accurate, information may be outdated or not apply to your situation. We are not responsible for actions you take based on this content. Seek qualified professionals before important decisions.
Cover letter samples, templates, and writing notes here are for learning and inspiration. Names, companies, and metrics in examples are fictional. Do not copy wording to misrepresent facts. Hiring outcomes depend on many factors; we do not guarantee interviews or offers from using these materials.
Some pages include affiliate links: if you buy through them, we may earn a commission, usually without changing the price you pay. Under Federal Trade Commission (FTC) endorsement rules, we disclose material connections such as paid partnerships or free products we received for review. Third-party sites control their own content, privacy practices, and availability; we do not warrant them.
Our content supports general wellness education and is not a substitute for in-person care from a licensed clinician, physical therapist, or other qualified provider. If you have acute symptoms, chronic conditions, or take medications, do not rely on web articles alone. Assess your health before following exercise or nutrition guidance and involve your doctor when appropriate.
6. Disclaimer FAQ
Straight answers on U.S. practice—still not a substitute for advice on your specific facts.
Is a disclaimer legally binding?
In the U.S., a disclaimer is evidence of what you told users—not a blanket shield. Courts and agencies (including the FTC for advertising) look at clarity, placement, and whether your marketing matches reality. It helps, but it does not replace licenses, contracts, or sector rules where those apply.
Is a long paragraph that says “we are not liable for anything” enough?
Usually not. Judges and regulators push back on fine print or one-sided terms consumers cannot understand. Use short sections, plain English, and say what you are not promising (for example: not medical advice, no typical earnings claim unless supported). Put that language next to the risky content—not only in a hidden tab.
Can my website, blog, and app share the same disclaimer?
You can start from one base, but edit per channel. A mobile app may collect biometrics or location data your blog never touches; an e-commerce checkout needs shipping and returns language your newsletter does not. Align the disclaimer with your privacy policy, cookie banner, and age gate so they do not contradict each other.
How is a disclaimer different from a privacy policy or terms of service?
A disclaimer limits how people should rely on your content and limits certain liabilities. A privacy policy describes U.S. state privacy law notices (and cookie practices) for personal information. Terms of service are the contract for using the product—accounts, fees, termination, IP. Many sites host all three; keep them consistent.
Do I need U.S. Spanish (or other languages) on my legal pages?
There is no single federal rule that every site must translate, but California and other states have large limited-English populations; the FTC expects endorsements and material terms to be understandable. If you sell in Spanish ads, mirror critical disclosures in that language. Avoid raw machine translation for regulated wording.
When should I update the disclaimer?
Update it when your product, pricing, regulated claims, affiliate partners, or geographies change. Change the “Last updated” date and keep an internal file of older versions if you need an audit trail.
Back to home · cover letter examples library · industry-specific letter guides