Written by the Healthline Media Team. April 2021.
Healthline Media’s mission is to be your most trusted ally in your pursuit of health and well-being. We’re committed to bringing you authoritative, approachable, and actionable content that inspires and guides you toward the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. The content and experiences produced by Healthline Media are created under strict editorial and medical guidelines to ensure accuracy, currency, and clarity. Healthline Media is funded through the sale of advertising that appears on its properties, which include websites, apps, social media, and partner publications. Be assured that we’re absolutely inflexible about our editorial autonomy. Other than input about broad topic areas, we do not allow sponsors to influence Healthline Media’s editorial content. In some cases, Healthline Media may offer co-created or branded content in partnership with our sponsors, and/or present content created by our sponsors. This content is always clearly labeled, and is detailed in sections 5 and 6 below.
If you’d like to advertise with Healthline Media, contact us here. These are the specific guidelines we follow about the types of advertising we accept:
1. We review the ads.
We maintain sole discretion for determining the types of ads that will be accepted and displayed on Healthline Media properties. We reserve the right to reject, cancel, or remove any ads at any time and for any reason. We will provide prompt notice to the advertiser upon rejection, cancellation, or removal of any ad, along with an explanation. We also reserve the right to determine the appropriate placement of ads on Healthline Media properties.
2. We don’t endorse any advertised products or services.
Although products may appear on our site in the form of advertisements, under no circumstances shall our acceptance of any ad be considered an endorsement of the product(s) and/or service(s) advertised, or for the company that manufactures, distributes, or promotes these product(s) or service(s). In some cases, Healthline Media’s editorial team may rate or rank certain products or services. These ratings or rankings are determined solely by the editorial team(s) without regard to any financial or advertising relationship that may exist with companies that provide the product or services.
3. We will not accept certain types of ads.
We will not accept any ad that is factually inaccurate and/or, in our opinion, in poor taste. Pharmaceutical advertising is only accepted for approved indication(s) as determined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Advertised products must be in market and readily available. Healthline Media will not permit, at any time, the placement of any ad for harmful, illegal, or objectionable products or services. Ads must not contain fraudulent, deceptive, or offensive material, including material that misrepresents, ridicules, or attacks an individual or group on the basis of age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or disability. Ads should not contain defamatory, libelous, slanderous, or threatening information. Ads must not be related to alcohol, firearms, ammunition, fireworks, gambling, pornography, tobacco, political campaigns, or the simulation of news or an emergency. All ads must clearly identify the advertiser. Any ad that could be misconstrued as editorial content will be clearly labeled as an advertisement.
4. We clearly distinguish ads from editorial content.
In every instance, we maintain a distinct separation between advertisements and editorial content. All ads on Healthline Media properties are clearly and unambiguously identified as such. Clicking on an ad will take the user to an advertiser’s site or to a sponsor’s resource center hosted on a Healthline Media property. Sponsored resource centers are labeled as such, with the name of the sponsoring entity displayed.
5. We clearly distinguish between sponsored and non-sponsored content.
Healthline Media seeks sponsorships from trusted and credible research organizations, manufacturers, and other service providers. Sponsorships provide financial benefit to Healthline Media, but also benefit our users by providing current information on health services, medications, and treatments. Editorial content sponsored by an advertiser is subject to our editorial policy and is reviewed by our editorial staff and Medical Affairs team. When content (sponsored content, co-created content, or branded content) is provided by or influenced by a named sponsor, we take meaningful steps to ensure our users will not confuse that sponsored content with Healthline Media’s own original editorial content. Native advertising refers to links or ads within a piece of content that link to other content. Healthline Media may present advertising messages, advertisements, or sponsored posts in its social media channels.
6. Affiliate program (e-commerce links in Healthline Media content)
As part of the article creation process, our health and wellness editors will include links to relevant products they feel could be useful to our readers. While all products are chosen independently, we want you to know that Healthline Media may receive a payment if you make a purchase at the retailer’s site within 24 hours of clicking on one of the links we provide.
7. We clearly distinguish content that is part of a Partner program.
Occasionally Healthline Media will work with products, services, or organizations that align with our mission. Healthline Media vets these products, services, or organizations for quality and only presents what it feels is valuable to and in the best interest of our users. Healthline Media does not medically review the content and is not responsible for providing the products or services described on these pages. Any partner content of this type will be labeled with language that indicates it did not go through our standard editorial process and follows these Ad and Sponsorship Policy guidelines. In the instances where Healthline Media receives a payment when users purchase or sign up for the product or service, the page may also include this language: “Healthline and our partners may receive a portion of revenues if you make a purchase using a link above.” Partner pages may also include a “what’s this” link that takes users to a page that explains the nature of the partnership.