Affiliate Disclosure

Smarterhacks.com is committed to full transparency about how this website earns revenue. This Affiliate Disclosure explains our affiliate marketing relationships, how they work, and how they affect and do not affect our editorial recommendations.

Please read this page before relying on any product recommendations on this Site.

The Short Version

Some links on Smarterhacks.com are affiliate links. If you click one of these links and make a purchase, I may earn a commission — at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence which products I recommend or how I review them. I only recommend tools I have personally used or thoroughly researched.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based revenue model in which a website owner earns a commission by referring customers to a product or service. When you click an affiliate link on Smarterhacks.com and make a qualifying purchase, the merchant pays us a referral commission. The price you pay is not affected by whether you click an affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website.

Affiliate marketing is one of the primary ways Smarterhacks.com generates revenue. This allows us to publish free content without charging readers for access. Your purchases through affiliate links help support this site and allow us to continue producing independent, practical content for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Our Affiliate Partners

Smarterhacks.com has affiliate relationships with the following companies and platforms. This list is not exhaustive — we may add new affiliate partners as the Site grows. We will update this page when new material relationships are established.

  • Anthropic (Claude) — AI writing and reasoning tool
  • OpenAI (ChatGPT) — AI platform
  • Jasper AI — AI marketing content platform
  • ai — AI writing tool
  • Writesonic — AI writing tool
  • Notion — Knowledge management and productivity
  • Zapier — Automation platform
  • HubSpot — CRM and marketing platform
  • Beehiiv — Newsletter and email platform
  • Kit (ConvertKit) — Email marketing and automation
  • Canva — Visual design platform
  • ClickUp — Project management platform
  • AppSumo — Software deals marketplace
  • Gumroad — Digital product platform
  • Lemon Squeezy — Digital product platform

Commission rates, cookie durations, and program terms vary by affiliate partner and are subject to change. We do not control or guarantee the terms of any third-party affiliate program.

How We Identify Affiliate Links

Affiliate links on Smarterhacks.com are identified in the following ways:

  • Every post or page containing affiliate links includes a disclosure statement at or near the top of the content.
  • The disclosure language used is: “This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.”
  • Affiliate links may be formatted as standard hyperlinks, buttons, or comparison table entries. The presence of the disclosure statement at the top of the page covers all affiliate links within that page.

In our email newsletter, any issue containing affiliate links or product recommendations will include a disclosure statement at the top of the email.

Our Editorial Standards

Affiliate relationships do not determine what we recommend or how we write about products. Our editorial standards are:

  • We only recommend products we have personally used or thoroughly researched through testing, user reviews, and independent analysis.
  • We write honest reviews that include limitations, drawbacks, and “skip this if” guidance alongside strengths. A review with no negatives is not a trustworthy review.
  • Affiliate commission rates do not determine editorial rankings or recommendations. A product with a higher commission rate is not rated higher because of it.
  • If a product we have recommended changes significantly — in quality, pricing, or terms — we update our content to reflect the change, even if doing so reduces affiliate revenue.
  • We clearly distinguish between sponsored content and independent editorial content. At this time, Smarterhacks.com does not publish sponsored posts.

Our credibility with readers is the most valuable asset this Site has. We will not compromise it for an affiliate commission.

FTC Compliance

This Affiliate Disclosure is made in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, specifically 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The FTC requires that material connections between an endorser and a brand be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Our affiliate relationships constitute a material connection under FTC guidelines, and we disclose them accordingly on every page and email where affiliate links appear.

If you have questions about our FTC compliance or our affiliate relationships, please contact us at mark@smarterhacks.com.

No Additional Cost to You

Clicking an affiliate link on Smarterhacks.com does not increase the price you pay for any product or service. In some cases, affiliate links may include exclusive discounts negotiated with the merchant — in those cases, using our affiliate link may result in a lower price than going directly to the vendor.

We never inflate prices through affiliate links. The price you pay at checkout is the same whether you use our link or go directly to the vendor’s website.

Cookie-Based Tracking

Most affiliate programs track referrals using cookies — small text files stored in your browser. When you click an affiliate link, a cookie is set that identifies Smarterhacks.com as the referring source. If you make a qualifying purchase before the cookie expires, we receive a commission.

Cookie durations vary by affiliate program, typically between 14 and 180 days. If you clear your cookies, use a private browsing window, or purchase after the cookie expires, we will not receive a commission for that purchase.

Affiliate tracking cookies do not collect your personal payment information. They only track whether a qualifying purchase was made within the cookie window.

Results Disclaimer

Any income figures, results, or performance metrics mentioned in connection with affiliate products on this Site are examples only. There are no guarantees that you will achieve similar results. Individual results vary based on your specific situation, effort, experience, and market conditions.

We do not make income claims for tools we recommend. When we describe affiliate commission structures (for example, “Jasper pays 25% recurring commission”), we are describing the program terms, not making promises about what you will earn.

Changes to This Disclosure

We will update this Affiliate Disclosure when we add new affiliate partners or when material terms of our existing relationships change. The Last Updated date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

We recommend reviewing this page periodically, particularly if you are relying on Smarterhacks.com content to make purchasing decisions.

Contact Us

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, our editorial process, or this disclosure, please contact us:

Email: mark@smarterhacks.com

Website: Smarterhacks.com

Business: Focal Point Dynamic LLC

Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States