Red lines and a pre-publish checklist

Some mistakes can be fixed with a better caption. Others can end your IB agreement, harm the people who trust you and, depending on the jurisdiction, break the law. This lesson sets out six red lines you should never cross, then gives you a checklist to run before anything goes live.

The six red lines

1. No income or profit guarantees

Never promise or imply that anyone will make money from trading, or from becoming an IB. Phrases to avoid include "guaranteed", "risk-free", "easy money", "double your account", "replace your salary" and any fixed monthly return. Implied promises count too: a video of cars and holidays next to your sign-up link suggests an outcome you cannot deliver. Most retail CFD accounts lose money, so any promise of profit is misleading.

2. No fake testimonials or screenshots

Never fabricate, edit or stage evidence. That includes:

• invented reviews or "client stories"
• edited account screenshots, or demo results presented as live
• paid actors presented as real clients
• genuine testimonials picked to give an unrepresentative picture

In some jurisdictions, testimonials in financial promotions are restricted even when they are genuine, so check before you use any.

3. No targeting of minors or vulnerable people

Leveraged trading is not suitable for children, and brokers will not open accounts for them. Use platform age controls and avoid content styled to appeal to under-18s. Never aim content at people in financial difficulty, for example "trade your way out of debt", or at people who have shown signs of a gambling problem.

4. No promoting unregulated brokers

Check that any broker you promote is authorised, using the regulator's own public register rather than the broker's website. Watch for "clone" firms that copy the name or registration number of a genuine firm. Also check that the broker is allowed to accept clients from the countries your audience lives in.

5. Never handle client money or logins

Clients should deposit and withdraw only through the broker's own official channels. You must never:

• accept money to "fund an account" on someone's behalf, in any currency or crypto
• ask for, store or use a client's password or login
• trade a client's account for them

Doing any of this could amount to a regulated activity, exposes you to accusations of fraud, and puts clients' money at risk.

6. No personalised advice unless you are authorised

General education explains how things work. Personalised advice tells a specific person what they should do. "Here is how position sizing works" is education. "With your savings you should buy gold now at 0.5 lots" is a personal recommendation, and in many jurisdictions giving it requires authorisation. Sharing trade calls or signals can also be a regulated activity in some places.

The pre-publish checklist

Run every post, video, email and advert through these ten checks. If any answer is "no" or "not sure", do not publish until you have fixed it or checked.

Using the checklist in practice

Suppose you draft a reel that shows three winning trades, mentions your link and ends with "Join me, the results speak for themselves." Running the checks:

• Check 1 fails: there is no risk warning.
• Check 2 fails: there is no disclosure.
• Check 4 fails: "the results speak for themselves" implies future profit.
• Check 5 fails: three winners alone are not a complete record.

That is 4 failures out of 10 checks, so the reel cannot go out. A compliant version might teach one concept, show the full month's record or none at all, state the risk warning on screen and aloud, and disclose the IB relationship next to the link.

Keep the checklist where you write, and use it for sub-IBs or team members too. Rules are only useful if they are applied every single time.

Key takeaways

• Never guarantee or imply profits or income, and never use words such as "risk-free".
• Never fake, edit or cherry-pick testimonials and screenshots.
• Never target minors or vulnerable people, and never promote unregulated brokers.
• Never handle client money, logins or trading, and never give personal recommendations unless you are authorised.
• Run every piece of content through the pre-publish checklist; if in doubt, do not publish.