SUBSTACK DISCLAIMER TEMPLATE (First Edition)
🎈 Write freely to capture hearts and subscribers 🎈
Contents:
1. Why You May Need a Disclaimer
3. Reduce Risk like an IT Business
Hey there,
My name is Noemi Apetri and I am an ex-tech lawyer that left her leadership job in IT to take charge of my life and career. In my 12+ year legal career, I’ve helped several businesses grow safely and securely from start-up, to scale-up, then to IT Unicorn—Now? I bring that same expertise to Substack solopreneurs that want to build
a portfolio career
create multiple income streams &
a personal brand that withstands the next work reorg or financial crisis.
So if you are a Substack creator that wants to build a solid business here, you can start HERE! Get yourself a legal disclaimer from below.
Next Step?
Join the Me Time community where we meet to work on our business. Because we are the CEOs of our own life and Substack!
Rooting for your success,
Ex lawyer and Business Coach
Noemi
Warren Buffet said it best:
Self‑development is “THE BEST investment by far” because
skills can’t be taxed or “inflated away.”
1. Why You May Need a Disclaimer:
If you're a Substack creator and you:
Give advice (wellness, diet, fitness, business advice, investments, crypto, education, coaching, astrology predictions, etc.)
Offer paid content, downloads, coaching sessions,
Offer product recommendations in your podcasts…
If you share advice via personal experiences that others may act on…
...then you probably need terms and conditions for your Substack publications (they are called Publisher Terms in your Settings).
As a minimum, if you are too overwhelmed for now to create T&Cs, at least slap your legal disclaimer in strategic places!
2. What’s a Disclaimer?
A disclaimer is a first step to limit your risk (legal liability) by clarifying that your content is for informational purposes only and not professional advice.
Here’s my disclaimer: This article is provided FYI only and is not intended as legal or professional advice, its goal is to inform and empower Substack creators to think about and start managing their risk. Ideally, run your drafted disclaimer and especially T&Cs by a legal professional in your jurisdiction that may advise on local requirements.
Ok now you know. Here is my Disclaimer Guide is below!
Just a Disclaimer? Is it Enough?
You may already know the answer! but if you don’t…..
A disclaimer is not enough, but it's a start. It’s better than nothing at all!
3. Reduce Risk like a Proper Business
Below, I’ve created a graphic showing actions that reduce legal risk, and as you can see, Disclaimer is the first step.
Look at the diagram above.
I will show you how companies manage risk. Simplified version. We’re not going all out corporate here. We are dreamers that want to build something of our own on Substack.
On the vertical axis is the possible risk in percentages of doing business on Substack.
On the horizontal axis there are actions you take to reduce your risk.
A little note on risk.
Risk is never going to be 0. That’s not possible.
But you can reduce risk by mitigation actions.
You choose how much risk you are comfortable taking.
You weigh in the benefits with the cost and effort you need to put in to achieve those benefits.
As you can see, a bit of risk is mitigated via Disclaimer.
It only works if you actually add them! just reading the info here is not enough!
f you want to be covered at a very good level, consider adding Publisher Terms to your publication. Chat GPT can help… but it’s not enough. You can see more details in this article.
Noemi's paid subscribers get a full guide to Publisher Terms in their inbox including Noemi’s template T&Cs for Substack - with usages for several types of subscribers and Office Hours subscribers can book if they have questions.
Better yet? You would also check your terms with a local lawyer in your jurisdiction (from the country/state you live in) and tell them the jurisdictions of your subscribers to further reduce risk.
Pro tip: It’s Good to come with drafted terms, like Noemi’s template, so then the lawyer will not charge you thousands of dollars for them to draft it from scratch!
Finally, ideal risk management: On top of everything else I mentioned, take on an insurance Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI or E&O insurance).
4. Short Disclaimer Templates
(Pick the one that best suits you or get inspired to create your own!)
✅ For General Use:
Disclaimer:
“This content is for informational purposes only. It does not and should not be considered professional advice. Information shared here is current at the time of publication, but may become outdated with time. Please verify details before relying on them. Use your own good judgment and consult a qualified expert before acting according to the information I provide.”
Note!
This post has been paywalled. Below you will find more disclaimer templates for specific niches on Substack and, as importantly, where to place Disclaimers!
My paid Subscribers also get access to me 1:1 for my office hours and can work with me to get a custom disclaimer that fits their business like a glove.
Looking forward to working with you!