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Marketing Guidelines

Also known as: Promotional Rules, Marketing Manual, Affiliate Marketing Policy, Brand Guidelines

What is Marketing Guidelines?

Marketing guidelines are the broker's binding rulebook for how partners may advertise its products. They specify mandatory risk warnings, prohibited claims, approved logo and brand usage, and the channels and audiences you are allowed to target.

These rules exist because financial promotions are regulated. Under regimes like the FCA's financial-promotion rules or ESMA guidance, a broker is legally responsible for every promotion that reaches a consumer — including yours as an affiliate. If your ad breaches the rules, the regulator penalises the broker, so the broker pushes those obligations down to you through the guidelines and the partner agreement.

Key takeaways
  • The broker is legally liable for your promotions, so its rules are binding
  • Mandatory risk warnings must be as prominent as the offer
  • Words like guaranteed, risk-free and get-rich are prohibited
  • Using portal-supplied creatives keeps you compliant automatically
  • One serious breach can freeze commissions and terminate the account

Typical clauses include the exact risk-warning wording (for example, the FCA-mandated "CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage" plus the firm's client loss percentage), a ban on words like "guaranteed," "risk-free," or "get rich," a rule that risk warnings be as prominent as the offer, and restrictions on targeting minors or clients in prohibited countries.

Guidelines also govern brand assets: which logos and colours you may use, that you must not imply you are the broker itself, and that landing pages carry the broker's approved disclaimers. Because these documents change when regulation changes, treat them as a living contract you re-read before each campaign, not a one-time onboarding formality.

How it works

When you join a partner programme you accept the marketing guidelines as part of the affiliate agreement. The broker's compliance and affiliate-management teams monitor your creatives, landing pages and social posts — sometimes with automated ad-scanning tools, sometimes by manual review or in response to a regulator complaint. Approved creatives are usually supplied in the partner portal precisely so your promotions inherit compliant wording and disclaimers automatically.

If a review finds a breach, the broker typically issues a takedown request, withholds affected commissions, and for repeat or serious breaches terminates the partnership and may claw back earnings. Because the broker carries the regulatory liability, enforcement is strict: an unapproved "double your money" headline is not a stylistic disagreement, it is a reportable financial-promotion breach.

  1. Read the guidelines and agreement

    Review the marketing manual and the compliance clauses of the partner agreement before building any creative.

  2. Use approved assets

    Pull banners, widgets and copy from the broker's partner portal so mandatory disclaimers and branding are baked in.

  3. Add required risk warnings

    Place the exact mandated risk-warning text and loss percentage on every page and post, as prominent as the offer.

  4. Submit for approval where required

    Send custom creatives or landing pages to the affiliate manager for sign-off before going live.

  5. Monitor and update

    Re-check active campaigns when guidelines change and remove anything flagged in review.

Why it matters for partnership: Following the guidelines protects the broker's licence and your commissions — one non-compliant ad can get your whole affiliate account frozen. Partners with a clean compliance record win better rates, faster payouts, and exclusive promos.

Real World Example

An affiliate for an FCA-regulated broker like IG or CMC Markets adds the exact footer "CFDs are complex instruments... 74% of retail investor accounts lose money" to their review site and uses only portal banners. A competitor who ran a "guaranteed 90% win rate" TikTok ad had commissions withheld and the account closed after the broker's compliance scan flagged it.

Pro Tip

Build every landing page from the broker's approved banners, widgets and risk-warning snippets in the partner portal so compliance is automatic rather than something you retrofit later.

Common Pitfalls

Altering the broker's logo or dropping the mandatory risk disclaimer on a social post is a reportable financial-promotion breach that can freeze your commissions and end the partnership.

FAQ

Who is responsible if my affiliate ad breaks the rules?

Legally the broker carries the regulatory liability for promotions that reach consumers, which is why it enforces its guidelines on partners so strictly.

Do I have to include the risk warning on social media too?

Yes; the mandatory risk warning applies to every channel, including short-form video and stories, and must be as prominent as the offer.

Can I use my own wording instead of the broker's copy?

You can write original copy, but it must comply with the guidelines and usually needs approval; the safest route is starting from portal-supplied creatives.

What words are typically banned in broker marketing?

Terms implying certainty of profit such as guaranteed, risk-free, no-loss, or get-rich-quick are prohibited across virtually all regulated programmes.

Will one small breach get me terminated?

Minor first breaches usually get a takedown request, but serious or repeated breaches can freeze commissions and close the account.

Do marketing guidelines change over time?

Yes; they are updated whenever regulation or the broker's licences change, so you should re-read them before each new campaign.

Sources & further reading
Reviewed by the Revenika Editorial Desk Last updated

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