PulseAffiliate programme
How referral commission works, how to apply, and the advertising disclosure required under the stealth-marketing rules.
The affiliate programme lets you introduce Pulse on a blog, on social media, in videos or on comparison sites, and receive performance-based commission on sign-ups that come through your own link. This article covers how to apply, how applications are assessed, how commission works, and the advertising disclosure everyone taking part is required to make.
The “Disclosing that it is advertising” section of this article applies to both the affiliate programme and the referral programme. Posts recommending Pulse in return for a benefit or commission can be caught by the rules in either case, so the guidance on wording is gathered here.
How it differs from the referral programme
The affiliate programme and the referral programme are separate schemes. The referral programme is a way for Pulse users to pass a link to someone they know and receive a benefit; there is no assessment to take part. The affiliate programme is for people with a channel of their own: UNCHAIN, Inc. reviews the application, and commission is paid according to results.
From application to payment
Apply from the application page
Apply from the affiliate programme application page on UNCHAIN, Inc.'s website. You will be asked for details of the channel you run (blog, social account, video channel and so on) and how you plan to introduce Pulse.
Wait for the outcome
UNCHAIN, Inc. reviews your application and your channel. The outcome is sent to your registered email address.
Introduce Pulse with your own link
Approved applicants receive their own link. Whenever you publish, always include the advertising disclosure described below.
Confirmation and payment
A result is recorded when a new workspace is created through your link and a paid plan is taken out. Recorded results are confirmed after the confirmation period set by UNCHAIN, Inc., and confirmed amounts are paid together.
Fill in the URL of the application page, the name of the affiliate management service used, and the typical number of days until an outcome is sent, to match UNCHAIN, Inc.'s actual practice. Where an external management service is used, also state what information is registered with that service and what is shared with UNCHAIN, Inc.. Replace with the confirmed terms: the commission rate or unit price, the conditions for a result to count, the period until confirmation, the payment cycle, the minimum payout, the payment method, and the conditions under which a result is cancelled following a refund or chargeback. The consumption tax treatment of commission (whether amounts are tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive, and whether a qualified invoice is required) and whether withholding tax applies should be stated only after your finance team has checked them. Where payments are made to people living outside Japan, state those terms separately.
If your application is not approved
UNCHAIN, Inc. runs with a small team, so reviews focus on a limited set of areas. The main reasons an application is not approved are these.
- The application was incomplete and did not contain the information needed to assess it
- The contact email address did not match the business details given or the social media profile
- The proposed approach did not fit the areas UNCHAIN, Inc. is currently focusing its outreach on
- The main audience was in a region UNCHAIN, Inc. is not currently marketing to
If the content or audience of your channel changes, you are welcome to apply again. New applications are reviewed regularly. We are unable to give a detailed explanation of individual decisions.
Disclosing that it is advertising (please read)
When you introduce Pulse through the affiliate programme, you must make it possible for ordinary consumers to tell that it is advertising. This follows from the designation made under the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (designated 28 March 2023, in force from 1 October 2023) — the rules commonly known as the stealth-marketing regulations.
This provision prohibits representations concerning transactions in goods or services that are liable to mislead ordinary consumers and that are designated by the Prime Minister. On 28 March 2023 the Consumer Affairs Agency designated “representations where it is difficult for ordinary consumers to tell that the representation is that of a business”, in force from 1 October 2023. Under the operational guidance, affiliate programmes are characterised as arrangements “under which an advertiser pays an affiliate performance-based commission in accordance with conditions set in advance”, and introductions made on a performance-commission basis are treated in principle as representations of the advertiser.
How to display it
- Use one of “advertisement”, “promotion”, “sponsored” or “PR” (in Japanese: 広告, 宣伝, プロモーション, PR).
- Or make the benefit you receive clear, for example “I receive commission from UNCHAIN, Inc. for this introduction”.
- Place the disclosure where the reader sees it first, such as at the very start of the article or post.
- Make the text size, colour and contrast against the background at least equal to the body text.
Even where you use these words, the representation as a whole may still be judged not to make the advertising nature clear. Rather than inserting the word as a formality, make sure it can actually be read in the first place the reader looks.
Wording that is unlikely to pass
| What to avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| A small “PR” at the end of an article or post | It is only noticed by someone who reads to the end, and risks being judged a representation that is difficult to identify. |
| Slipping “#PR” into a row of hashtags | It is buried among the other tags and hard to notice, and may not be accepted as a disclosure at all. |
| Putting it behind “read more” or inside a collapsed section | A position that is invisible until expanded is not the first place the reader looks. |
| Putting it only at the end of a video description | It is not visible while watching, so viewers cannot tell. Display it at the start of the video itself as well. |
| Matching the background colour, or making it extremely small | A disclosure that is present but unreadable is not a clear disclosure. |
Guidance by medium
| Medium | Where to place the disclosure |
|---|---|
| Blog articles and comparison sites | Before the first paragraph of the body, at the same size as the body text, stating “advertisement” or “PR”. |
| Social media posts | At the start of the post text. Put it in the body, not in the hashtag section. |
| Video | State it on screen or in the audio at the start of the video itself, and also put it at the top of the description. |
| Email newsletters | In the subject line or at the start of the body. Also state the sender's details and how to unsubscribe. |
When no disclosure is needed
For exchanges that are not seen by the public — sending a link to a friend or colleague in a direct message, a chat or an email — this disclosure is not required. What the rules cover is representations in places ordinary consumers can view.
Claims that are not permitted
Do not make statements that are contrary to fact, or unsubstantiated claims of superiority, about Pulse's features, accuracy, pricing or comparison with other services. The accuracy of transcription and summarisation varies with audio quality, the number of speakers, background noise and the presence of specialist terms. Expressions such as “100% accurate”, “number one in the industry” or “used by N companies” require material showing a reasonable basis, so do not state figures you have not verified yourself.
These provisions prohibit representations that present the quality or content of a service as being significantly better than it actually is (misleading representation of superiority), and representations that lead ordinary consumers to believe that price or other terms are significantly more advantageous than they actually are (misleading representation of advantage). Where you mention pricing or a discount, state the plan it applies to, the period it is available and who is eligible alongside it.
Introducing Pulse by email
Where you introduce Pulse in a newsletter or direct mail, that email is an electronic message sent for advertising or promotional purposes. You must have obtained the recipient's consent to receive it in advance, and you are required to keep a record of that consent. Where a recipient notifies you that they do not wish to receive further messages, stop sending to them.
This provision limits the sending of email for advertising or promotional purposes to people who have notified their consent to receiving it, people who have given you their own email address, people with whom you have a business relationship, and similar. Paragraph 2 of the same article requires records evidencing consent to be kept, and paragraph 3 prohibits sending after a notice of refusal has been received. Article 4 requires the sender's name, the address for notices of refusal, a postal address and contact details to be displayed.
UNCHAIN, Inc. does not take email addresses of people registered through an affiliate from participants and send to them. Do not provide UNCHAIN, Inc. with the email addresses of prospects who have not yet registered.
Communication, and what happens on a breach
Legal responsibility under the stealth-marketing rules rests with UNCHAIN, Inc. as the advertiser. An affiliate is not themselves made the addressee of an administrative order. Because of this structure, UNCHAIN, Inc. communicates the disclosure rules to participants and reviews published content on an ongoing basis. When you register to take part, you agree to the disclosure rules set out in this article.
Where we find a post without a disclosure, or a claim contrary to fact, UNCHAIN, Inc. will ask you to correct it. Where it is not corrected, we may, as a measure under the programme terms, cancel the commission concerned and suspend your eligibility to take part in the programme.
If something is not working
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| No result is being recorded | Check that your own link is installed correctly and that the person you introduced has created a new workspace. |
| Commission is not being confirmed | A set period passes before results are confirmed. See the last step under “From application to payment” for the conditions. |
| You are unsure how to word the disclosure | Judge it by whether the place can be viewed by the public. If you are unsure, it is safer to include the disclosure. |
| The outcome of your application has not arrived | Check your spam folder, then contact us at tharada@the-unchain.com. |