Affiliate Disclosure

How Affiliate Marketing Works

Affiliate marketing is a common, legitimate online business model where:

1. A publisher (us) writes about products we believe may interest our audience
2. We include special tracking links to those products
3. If you click one of those links and make a purchase, the merchant pays us a commission
4. The commission comes out of the merchant's marketing budget — not from your wallet
5. The price you pay is the same whether you click our link or go directly to the merchant

Networks We Work With

Midlife Review Journal participates in several affiliate programs and networks, including but not limited to:

• ClickBank: A digital marketplace for health and wellness products. We earn commissions when readers purchase ClickBank-listed products through our links.
• Amazon Associates: Where applicable, we may include Amazon affiliate links and earn small commissions on qualifying purchases.
• Direct partnerships: Occasionally we partner directly with health brands we believe in.
• Other affiliate networks: ShareASale, Impact, CJ Affiliate, and similar platforms where appropriate.

What Earning a Commission Looks Like

Commission rates vary by product and network, typically ranging from 4% (Amazon) to 75% (some ClickBank products). For supplements specifically, commission rates are often higher because product margins are higher and customer acquisition costs are factored into the merchant's pricing.

Important: this does not change the price you pay. You pay the same price you would pay if you found the product directly on the merchant's website.

Our Editorial Promises

Why We Use Affiliate Marketing

Running a website costs money — hosting, domain registration, research time, content creation, and editorial oversight all require funding. Most online publications make money through one of three models:

• Display advertising: Banner ads that often slow down sites and feel intrusive
• Subscriptions/paywalls: Charging readers monthly fees to access content
• Affiliate marketing: Earning a commission when readers buy products we recommend

We've chosen affiliate marketing because it keeps our content completely free for readers and aligns our incentives with reader satisfaction — if readers don't trust our recommendations, they won't buy, and we don't get paid. We believe this creates a healthier feedback loop than display advertising.

How We Choose Products

Not every product we encounter makes it into our articles. Our criteria for covering a product include:

• Real ingredients with research backing: We prefer products whose claims are grounded in published science
• Reasonable refund policies: Products with generous money-back guarantees show the merchant believes in their product
• Established merchants: We prefer merchants with track records of fulfilling orders and processing refunds
• Audience fit: The product must be genuinely relevant to women 40+, our core audience
• Honest marketing: We avoid products that make wild medical claims or use deceptive sales tactics

We have declined to write about many products that didn't meet our standards, even when commission rates were attractive.

Disclosure Standards

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we disclose affiliate relationships in the following ways:

• Article-level disclosure: A clear notice at the top of each article containing affiliate links
• Inline disclosure: When we link to an affiliate product within an article, we identify it as an affiliate link
• Site-wide disclosure: This page, linked from the footer of every page
• Social media: Where we share content on social platforms, we use #ad, #sponsored, or #affiliate tags as appropriate

What Affiliate Marketing Is NOT

Some readers misunderstand affiliate marketing. To clarify:

• It is not paid placement: Merchants do not pay us to write about their products. We choose what to cover.
• It is not sponsored content: Sponsored content is paid in advance regardless of sales. Affiliate income is performance-based.
• It is not deceptive: Our affiliate links are clearly disclosed and the price you pay is unchanged.
• It does not raise your price: Commissions come from the merchant's margin, not added to your cost.
• It does not share your personal data: Affiliate networks only know that someone clicked through and made a purchase. They typically do not share customer-identifying information with us.

Your Choices

You have several options when reading our content:

• Use our links: Support our work by clicking through and making purchases — this is how we stay free to read
• Visit merchants directly: Search for the products independently — the price is the same, but we won't earn a commission
• Use our content for research only: Read our reviews, then make your purchase decision separately

All three options are completely fine with us. We hope you find our content useful regardless.

FTC Compliance Statement

Midlife Review Journal complies with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR Part 255 — "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." This includes:

• Clear and conspicuous disclosure of material connections
• Honest representation of personal experiences
• No deceptive endorsements
• Appropriate disclaimer of typical results
• Transparent disclosure of paid relationships

Questions About This Disclosure?

If you have questions about our affiliate practices, editorial standards, or specific product reviews, please reach out:

Email: editorial@midlifereviewjournal.online
Website: midlifereviewjournal.online/contact

Thank you for reading Midlife Review Journal. Our commitment to transparency is what allows us to maintain trust with our readers. We take that responsibility seriously.