Telling your audience you earn a commission is both fairer and more effective.
WHY DISCLOSE
In many jurisdictions it is a legal requirement for advertising and endorsements. Readers who discover an undisclosed commercial relationship stop trusting everything else you have written. Disclosure costs you almost nothing in conversions. Audiences understand that people are paid.
HOW TO DO IT
A short, plain statement near the recommendation. Something to the effect that if the reader signs up through your link, you may earn a commission at no extra cost to them.
Put it where it will actually be seen, not buried at the bottom of a long page.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Hide it in a terms page nobody reads Use vague wording designed to be technically true but unclear Claim the recommendation is impartial if the choice was driven by commission
THE PRACTICAL EFFECT
Disclosure paired with an honest recommendation reads as confidence. "I earn a small commission if you use this link, and I recommend them because I host my own sites there" is more persuasive than silence.
