If you do, the FTC says you're making an "ad claim".

An "ad claim" is a statement, express or implied, that's provable true or false regarding the superiority of the advertiser's product or service.

The challenge for marketers is that the FTC requires ad claims to be substantiated with "competent and reliable scientific evidence".

The FTC says you're making an "ad claim" if you post a "success story "testimonial. The claim: most purchasers can achieve the same results.

The catch: if you can't substantiate this claim, you must post a "generally expected results" disclosure in close proximity to the testimonial.

The FTC and 30 states including the District of Columbia enforce laws regulating Continuity and Auto-Renew Billing Plans (also known as "Negative Option" plans).

The FTC has been hyper-active enforcing the federal statute "ROSCA", particular against marketers who offer "free" trials that automatically upgrade to a continuity plan. Each of these laws requires very specific and conspicuous disclosures for consumers, including an easy way for consumers to cancel recurring charges.

The FTC’s “Biz Op” Rule applies if you're offering a to sell new business opportunities to consumers that provide consumers with "outlets, accounts, or customers".

The catch: the "Biz Op" Rule includes Internet outlets, accounts, or customers, including providing customers with websites and/or access to affiliate networks.

The FTC requires that your consumer reviews must be "independent", meaning that if you provide incentives to encourage consumer reviews, you must disclose that fact.

Failure to disclose incentives given in exchange for positive consumer reviews is grounds for an FTC Enforcement action.

The FTC defines Native Advertising as "content that bears a similarity to news, feature articles, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online".

The FTC's concern is "whether consumers can recognize what they are seeing is an advertisement or not". If reasonable consumers can't determine if the content is an ad, it's a deceptive marketing practice subject to an FTC enforcement action.

The FTC's Mail Order Rule applies to eCommerce marketers who sell and ship physical goods. The Mail Order Rule requires merchants to ship each order within the time advertised or, if no time is advertised, within 30 days.

If shipping deadlines cannot be met, the merchant must send the buyer a shipping delay notice that offers the buyer “an option either to consent to a delay in shipping or to cancel the buyer’s order and receive a prompt refund.”

Jonathan Otto, while attending a wedding at the Trump National Golf Club, used his smartphone to photograph President Trump dancing with the bride. Otto shared the photo with at least one wedding guest who posted it on Instagram.

The next day Otto was surprised to see that Hearst Communications had copied the photo off Instagram and published it on several of Hearst's news sites. Otto sued Hearst for copyright infringement claiming $4,000 in damages.

Deceptive practices by affiliate marketers are a top-priority concern of the FTC. In 2017, the FTC released a blog post warning consumers of the potential dangers of affiliate marketing.

The FTC: "Affiliate marketing is a good way to promote a product or service as long as the ad is truthful. The problem is that some dishonest affiliate marketers put out ads with exaggerated claims or misleading information to get people to click. They may say anything to get you to click on their ad because they have an incentive – getting paid."

Branding is a marketing practice for creating a name, symbol or design that is easily identifiable  to a specific marketer. Branding helps consumers identify and distinguish a specific product from other competing products.

Trademarks provide specific legal  remedies for brand owners to bring legal claims against marketers that illegally appropriate their branding features.

Influencers are persons who have developed a significant following on social media platforms.

Deceptive practices by influencers on social media are a top-priority concern of the FTC.

The FTC's concern: consumers may be confused if an influencer recommends or even mentions a brand's product without disclosing that the influencer has a "material relationship" with the brand, including any financial, employment, personal or family relationship.

The FTC requires: (i) influencers to disclose to disclose "material relationships”, and (ii) brands to manage influencers regarding the disclosure requirements.

Comparative advertising is a marketing strategy in which a marketer's product is presented as equal to or superior when compared to a competitor's product. Comparative advertising often involves a side-by-side comparison of the two products.

Comparative advertising isn't used exclusively by big, Fortune 500 companies.

Internet startups often use comparative advertising blended with content marketing for successful "ninja” marketing campaigns. Consider the successful launch of Dollar Shave Club.