The Biggest "Don'ts" In Working with Authors on Calli

Getting hired for campaigns on Calli is a fun way to work with authors, while getting gifts - and maybe money too!

But! There are a few hard‑line rules every content creator needs to know before hitting “post.” Break them and you risk takedowns, lost income, serious damage to the author you're working with, and even getting banned from Calli.

Follow them and you’ll build trust with readers, authors, and Calli alike.

Below are the five biggest "don'ts" to keep on your radar.

Rule One
Don’t Call It a “Review” (or Use Review Language)
Posts arranged through Calli are sponsored endorsements, not reviews.

Here’s why that matters:

• Platform Rules: Amazon, Goodreads, and most retailers have a zero‑tolerance policy for compensated reviews. Labeling sponsored content as a “review” can get the post (and sometimes the book) pulled. Imagine the hurt this causes an author!
• Reader Trust: “Review” signals an impartial opinion. A paid or gifted collaboration is not impartial. Calling it one erodes credibility, and it erodes the authenticity that Calli requires.
• Legal Risk: Using “review” for sponsored content can violate the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, which require truthful, non‑misleading claims.

Safer Alternatives

• Book Feature
• Book Spotlight
• Book Talk
• Book Recommendation
• Sponsored Read

Use neutral nouns like feature or spotlight and verbs like discussing or sharing, not reviewing or rating.

Rule Two
Don’t Skip the Disclosure. Ever!
The FTC (U.S.) and equivalent bodies worldwide require influencers to clearly and conspicuously disclose paid and gifted relationships. Calli’s Terms of Service mirror those rules.

What “clear and conspicuous” means:

• Put the disclosure at the beginning of the caption, before readers have to click “more.”
• Use plain words like #ad, #sponsored, or for gifted campaigns, #gifted. Avoid burying the disclosure in a block of tags.
• On video platforms, the disclosure must be in the visual overlay within the first few seconds.
  

Pro tip: Always pair your platform’s “paid partnership” toggle with a written disclosure.

Rule Three
Don’t Bury or Abbreviate Your Disclosures
Hiding “#ad” in a hashtag cloud or using abbreviated language like “spon” can still get you flagged. The rule of thumb:

If a 13‑year‑old can’t tell it’s sponsored in under three seconds, the disclosure isn’t clear enough.

Spell it out! Keep it short! Place it early!

Rule Four
Don’t Post Before the Contract Is Locked
The Calli workflow protects you with an agreed‑upon brief and escrowed payment. If you jump the gun and post early, you may:

• Miss key talking points or disclaimers required by the author.
• Lose leverage if payment issues crop up.
• Void Calli’s protections if a dispute arises.

Wait until the campaign shows “Funded” in your dashboard and you’ve reviewed the brief. Then create away. For gifted only campaigns, still wait until the brief has been fully executed by you and the author.

Rule Five
Don’t Forget to Track & Report Your Results
Authors want to know what impact their spend had. Failing to provide metrics can hurt repeat business, for both you and Calli. At a minimum, be ready to share:

• Reach/views
• Likes, saves, shares
• Number of comments, and any standout comments like, "can't wait to read!"
• Click‑throughs (if posting links)

Calli will soon offer the ability to directly integrate with your Instagram and TikTok accounts to automatically pull these stats, but until then, screenshots or just typing out these statistics to an author in the chat work fine.

Your Checklist for Every Sponsored Book Post

1. Label it clearly: Start with "Paid partnership with @AuthorName #ad," or "Gifted partnership with @AuthorName #gifted."
   
2. Skip “review” language: Use feature or spotlight or recommendation instead.
   
3. Stick to the Campaign Brief: Verify payment is funded in Calli before starting work on your post, and when in doubt, ask the author questions!
   
4. Disclose early & in multiple formats: Caption plus overlay for video.
   
5. Deliver metrics: Send performance data to the author via Calli messages.