Supplement marketers: watch your mouth! Consider these legal tips for supplement marketing when wording promotional materials or prepare for the wrath of the FTC, because strict rules apply. If your language isn’t compliant with the FTC’s standards or the FDA’s, your company could be at risk!

Trade Show Marketing Materials

Are you thinking of taking your supplement company on the road to health and wellness trade shows? It’s a great way to market your products, but it’s also an easy to overlook FDA regulations when doing so. Most marketers focus on their exhibit booth size and convention floor placement rather than the rules that apply to exhibit booth content and product labeling. At marketing events, like trade shows, the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (which is a part of the FDA), has grown strict, targeting and enforcing exhibit booth content. This means, if you are planning on going to an event, like a trade show, you need to make sure all your bases covered.

If you are marketing supplements at a trade show, consider these legal tips:

• Make sure to present ANY AND ALL risk and safety information on booth panels
• Clearly label the ingredients, especially those that commonly cause allergic reactions (peanuts, soy, etc.) and if you are giving out free samples
• Label and present the full indication for use (this includes limitations, and must be based on accepted scientific evidence)
• Make sure to place all important disclosures prominently and somewhere highly visible- not to the side or the floor where someone might not be able to see it
• All phrasing in marketing materials/labeling must be based upon accepted scientific evidence

Here are some examples of phrases that the FDA may take issues with…

• “…lowers cholesterol levels…”
• “…lowers blood pressure in hypertensive adults…”
• “…reduces the risk of cancer in young adults…”
• “…clinically effective in treatment of acne…”
• “…protects against the risk of diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy…”
• “…slows the progression of prostate cancer…”

Make sure these phrases can be medically/scientifically substantiated!

Supplement Marketing on Social Media

With the speed and efficiency of social media, it’s not surprising that FTC regulations get overlooked. However, as easy as it is for you to post a gorgeous photo of your products or the results they may yield, it’s even easier for the FTC to spot a compliance issue.

If you are marketing on social media, consider these legal tips:

Make sure your post (both caption and photo) is truthful and not misleading. Make sure every claim made about your product within the post can be adequately substantiated with evidence, and do not use photos of celebrities or public figures without permission.

Influencer Marketing

If you are paying a social media influencer or public figure to endorse or promote your products on social media, it’s crucial that they discloses that the post is paid for. This can be done through hashtags. Examples of appropriate hashtags include: #ad, #paidpromotion, #paidpartnership, or #partnerhsipwith[insert company name].

Consult an Arizona Dietary Supplement Attorney

If you’re in need of a dietary supplement lawyer, look no further than RM Warner Law. Our attorneys know the ins and outs of dietary supplement marketing and influencer marketing. Whether you’re using an e-commerce business to sell your supplements online or you’re selling your supplements in stores, we can help. Get in contact today.