Not every ad offer is worth accepting

A few days ago, I received an email with an advertising proposal from a company that, at least on the surface, fits the topics I usually write about. I won’t name the company. I don’t want to give them publicity, positive or negative, and the name is not really the point.

The first thing that raised questions was the partnership terms. The company was not offering payment for the mention itself. Instead, they promised a reward for customers who came through a referral link.

There is nothing unusual about this model as such. But for the author, it means giving a company free access to your audience’s attention, while you only get paid if someone actually makes a purchase. The company, meanwhile, gets an extra mention and potential customers with almost no risk to itself.

Those terms did not work for me, but out of curiosity I decided to check whether it would even be possible to work with this company. So I asked Google what kind of company it was and whether it was safe to buy its services. Almost immediately, I found that the company is on the U.S. SDN list — the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

This is one of the most serious U.S. sanctions lists. A company’s presence on it can mean significant legal, financial, and reputational risks for anyone who works with it.

So what is the takeaway? Even if an offer looks relevant to your audience, and even if the company seems to have an interesting product, that is not enough. Before agreeing to any partnership, it is worth checking not only the terms and the size of the payout, but also the business itself: its owners, reputation, legal status, and any possible restrictions. Especially if you are effectively lending that company your name and your audience’s trust.

In general, it is better not to get involved with questionable companies — and especially sanctioned ones — for the sake of a quick profit. The money will run out sooner or later. Your reputation will remain.