Advertising Disclosure

How Affiliate Programs Work

Silken Mist participates in affiliate marketing programs. This means that when you click on certain links on our website and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant. These commissions help support our work in providing tea education and resources.

The presence of an affiliate link does not influence the price you pay. You pay the same price whether you use our affiliate link or navigate to the merchant directly. The commission comes from the merchant's marketing budget, not from your pocket.

Our Recommendation Policy

We maintain strict standards for recommendations:

• We only recommend products or services we genuinely believe will benefit our community
• All recommendations are based on our personal experience or thorough research
• The existence of an affiliate relationship never influences whether we recommend something
• We clearly identify affiliate links when they appear in our content
• We decline affiliate partnerships with products that don't align with our values

Types of Affiliate Partnerships

We may maintain affiliate relationships with:

• Tea vendors and suppliers we trust and use in our own practice
• Equipment manufacturers whose products we've tested personally
• Educational resources and books related to tea culture
• Travel services for tea region experiences

Financial Transparency

Affiliate commissions typically range from 5% to 15% of the sale value, depending on the merchant and product category. These commissions are paid by the merchant and never affect the price you pay. We receive payment only when a purchase is completed through our affiliate links.

What Constitutes Sponsored Content

Sponsored content refers to any material on our website that has been created in exchange for compensation from a brand, company, or organization. This can include articles, reviews, videos, or other content formats.

All sponsored content on our website is clearly labeled as such. We use designations like "Sponsored," "Paid Partnership," or "In Partnership With" to ensure transparency. You'll see these labels prominently displayed at the beginning of sponsored content.

Editorial Independence

While we accept sponsored content opportunities, we maintain editorial control:

• We only partner with brands whose products or services we've evaluated and found valuable
• Sponsors do not dictate the content or our opinions
• We retain the right to include honest assessments, including limitations or drawbacks
• Sponsored content must align with our values and be genuinely useful to our audience
• We decline sponsorship opportunities that conflict with our educational mission

Brand Partnerships

We occasionally enter into partnerships with tea producers, equipment manufacturers, or cultural organizations. These partnerships may involve financial compensation, free products for review, or collaborative content creation. All such relationships are disclosed clearly when relevant content appears on our website.

Content Authenticity Guarantee

Whether content is sponsored or not, our commitment to authenticity remains constant. We share genuine experiences, provide honest assessments, and prioritize your trust over any financial relationship. If we wouldn't recommend something to a friend, we won't recommend it here, regardless of compensation offered.

Display Advertising Networks

We may use third-party advertising networks to display ads on our website. These networks serve advertisements based on your browsing history and interests, a practice known as behavioral targeting or interest-based advertising.

Common advertising networks we may work with include Google AdSense and similar services. These networks use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activities across different websites to show you relevant advertisements.

How Behavioral Targeting Works

When you visit our website:

• Advertising networks may place cookies on your browser
• These cookies track your interests based on websites you visit
• The networks use this information to show you personalized advertisements
• No personally identifiable information is collected without your consent

Cookie Usage for Advertising

Advertising cookies help display relevant ads and measure their effectiveness. These cookies are set by our advertising partners and track your interactions with advertisements across multiple websites.

You can manage your cookie preferences through our Cookie Policy page or through your browser settings. Disabling advertising cookies will not prevent you from seeing ads, but the ads may be less relevant to your interests.

Ad Personalization Practices

We work with advertising partners who respect user privacy. Personalization is based on general interests and browsing patterns, not on sensitive personal information. Our partners follow industry standards for data protection and user privacy.

Managing Advertisement Preferences

You have several options for controlling the advertisements you see:

• Adjust cookie preferences on our Cookie Policy page
• Use browser settings to block third-party cookies
• Install browser extensions that block advertisements
• Opt out of interest-based advertising through industry opt-out tools

Opt-Out Procedures

To opt out of interest-based advertising:

• Visit the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page
• Use the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out tool
• Adjust Google's ad personalization settings in your account
• Enable "Do Not Track" in your browser settings

Please note that opting out doesn't mean you'll stop seeing ads. It means the ads you see will be less personalized to your interests.

Data Collection for Advertising

Information collected for advertising purposes may include:

• Pages you visit on our website
• Time spent on different pages
• Links and ads you click
• Device and browser information
• General location information based on IP address

This information is typically aggregated and anonymized. Personal identifiers like names and email addresses are not shared with advertisers without your explicit consent.

Your Rights Under Privacy Regulations

Depending on your location, you may have additional rights under regulations like GDPR or CCPA, including the right to access data collected about you, request deletion of your data, or object to certain types of data processing. Contact us to exercise these rights.