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Creator Desk

The Black Friday link check: what to click, and what to take down, before 27 November

Six checks for every link you will share on Black Friday, each with the rule behind it and the date we read it.

Part of: Black Friday and Cyber MondayFor creators

Between Monday 23 and Thursday 26 November 2026, open every link you plan to share for Black Friday the way a follower would, and check six things: it lands on the item you named, that item is in stock, any price or discount you wrote is still true, any “was” price is the retailer's own, it still opens through your platform's own link, and a plain disclosure sits next to it. Fix or remove any link that fails one of them; for Amazon links, Amazon's Associates Program Policies also say a mention of a limited-time promotion has to come down as soon as that promotion ends.

A gift guide written in October meets a different shop in late November: items sell out, sale prices change by the hour and old links can open on the wrong variant. This page is the check itself, one link at a time, with the platform or FTC rule behind each step and the date we read it.

Numbered checklist of six link checks: it lands on the item you named, the item is in stock, any price you wrote is still true, a was price is the retailer's, it opens through your platform's own link, and a plain disclosure sits next to it.
Between Monday 23 and Thursday 26 November 2026, run all six checks on every link you will share; a link that fails any one of them gets fixed or comes down.Illustration: LinkToLooks

The check, one link at a time

Run all six on every link you will share. A link that fails any one of them gets fixed or comes down. Where the right-hand column says “our suggestion”, no platform rule we found requires it.

CheckHow to do itIf it failsRule behind it (checked 8 Oct 2026)
1. It lands on the item you namedOpen the link on your phone in a private window, signed out. Compare the product name, colour, size and capacity with what your post says.Swap the link, or change your words to match the item.Amazon Associates Program Policies (updated 14 April 2026): no inaccurate or misleading claims about a product. Their example: linking a 64 GB phone and calling it 128 GB.
2. The item is in stock in the version you namedPick the size or colour you mentioned and see whether it can go in the basket.Replace it with an item that is in stock, or say next to the link that it has sold out.No platform rule; our suggestion.
3. Any price or discount you wrote is still trueCompare the retailer's page today with the price or percentage in your post.Remove the figure or re-date it. On Amazon links, take a promotion mention down as soon as the promotion ends.Amazon Associates Program Policies (updated 14 April 2026): links and references to limited-time promotions must be removed as soon as the promotion ends; prices and availability may be shown only where Amazon serves the link that displays them or they come from the Creators API or PA API.
4. A “was” price is the retailer's, not yoursIf you repeat a “was $X”, check that the retailer's page still shows it today.Quote it only as the retailer shows it, with the date. Never work out a “was” price of your own.FTC Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, 16 CFR 233.1: a reduction from the advertiser's own former price is a legitimate comparison if that was the actual, bona fide price offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time. These Guides are written for the advertiser making the comparison; repeating its “was” price only as shown, with the date, is our suggestion.
5. It still opens through your platform's own linkCheck that the link you posted is the one your platform's link tool made, not a retailer address copied from the browser bar after a click-through.Make the link again in the platform's own tool.Our suggestion. On shortened links, Amazon Associates Program Policies (updated 14 April 2026): no link shortening service, button or hyperlink used in a way that makes it unclear you are linking to Amazon.
6. A plain disclosure sits next to the linkLook at the post as a follower sees it, before any “more” tap.Put a short disclosure beside the links, not only in your profile or at the end.FTC: the closer the disclosure is to the recommendation, the better; disclosures that need a MORE click or sit only in a profile are likely to be missed, and a disclosure should not be mixed into a group of hashtags or links. Amazon's Operating Agreement (updated 15 October 2025) also requires the statement “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
An open ring-bound planner at a week page with weekday headings and no dates, a pair of black glasses lying across it.
Photo: Jess Watters, CC0 1.0, via StockSnap

When to run it

For a large storefront, how to audit 500 links in an afternoon covers working through links in bulk, and can you change a link after posting covers swapping one that fails.

Disclosure wording the FTC calls adequate, and wording it does not

The FTC's answers to common endorsement questions (checked 8 October 2026) give three examples:

The FTC suggests wording such as “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” In a video, the disclosure belongs in the video itself as well as in the description near the links. Affiliate disclosure rules for creators covers the rest.

Frequently asked

When should I check my links before Black Friday 2026?

Black Friday 2026 is Friday 27 November, the day after Thanksgiving on Thursday 26 November. We suggest checking every link between Monday 23 and Thursday 26 November, and again after Cyber Monday on 30 November.

Do I have to remove a sale mention after the sale ends?

For Amazon Associates links, yes. Amazon's Associates Program Policies (updated 14 April 2026, checked 8 October 2026) say links and references to limited-time promotions must be removed as soon as the promotion ends.

Is “affiliate link” enough as a disclosure?

The FTC says people might not understand that “affiliate link” means you are paid for purchases. It says “paid link” right next to the link should be adequate (checked 8 October 2026).

Sources

Read next

How to build a holiday gift guide as a creator · The Q4 link calendar · Why affiliate links break

How this page was made. Researched and drafted with AI (Claude); checked by a separate automated pass on 8 October 2026. How we work

LinkToLooks Creator Desk — the linking desk’s pages for creators and influencers: how links, disclosure and payouts work on each platform. How we work · published 8 October 2026.