Two liability lines, one episode
A wellness episode carries two separate liability lines, not one. The first is what your guest says about their own body, protocol, or product while the mic is open. The second is what you say when you read the sponsor's ad copy for a supplement, device, or program. Different speaker, different exposure, same show.
Both lines run through the same underlying test: is there a reasonable basis, competent and reliable evidence, behind the claim about to leave someone's mouth on your show. The FTC applies its health-claims substantiation standard to whoever is functioning as the advertiser at that moment, guest or sponsor. The difference is who counts as the advertiser on each side, and what you can do about it before the episode goes out. Screening a guest's authority catches the confident talker with no research behind them; it does not catch a credentialed guest making one claim past what their own research actually supports. Health-claim vetting is a narrower, sharper check.
| Side | Who's the advertiser | What has to back the claim | Your move before air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest's claim about their body or protocol | The guest, in that moment | A study, clinical data, or documentation tied to the exact claim, not just the category | Ask for the source, read it yourself, soften or cut what it doesn't cover |
| Sponsor's claim in your host-read ad | You, reading the script | The same substantiation standard, requested from the sponsor before you record | Decline to read a line the sponsor can't back with something you can actually check |
Side one: what a guest says about their own body or protocol
A guest recommending a protocol, a supplement, or a device crosses into an advertising claim once it reads as more than opinion. "Try harder, sleep more" is opinion. "This reversed my thyroid numbers in six weeks" is a claim that needs a study behind it. The FTC's substantiation standard does not care who is speaking.
Not every guest sentence needs a source. The line between a personal account and a claim is whether the guest is describing what happened to them, or promising it will happen to your listener. The table breaks the common wellness-guest claim types apart so you can tell which one you're hearing in real time.
| Claim type | Example on air | What actually substantiates it |
|---|---|---|
| Personal account | "This helped my energy and my sleep" | Framed as one person's experience, not a promise. No study required. |
| Disease claim | "This reversed my prediabetes" | A claim tied to a named condition needs research on that condition, not a testimonial |
| Comparative claim | "This works better than what my doctor gave me" | A named comparison needs a study that actually compared the two, not an opinion |
| Outcome and timeframe claim | "This produced dramatic weight loss in under a month" | A specific outcome tied to a specific window needs a study behind that exact combination |
Side two: sponsor claims read in your voice
When you read a sponsor's script for a supplement or wellness program, you become the advertiser saying the claim, not a guest repeating it. FTC endorsement rules hold hosts, not just brands, responsible for a claim they deliver on air. Ad craft is a separate skill; this section covers what you're allowed to say.
- Ask the sponsor for the specific document behind the line you're about to read, not a general "clinically proven" claim with nothing attached to it.
- Read the source yourself before you record, the same way you'd check a guest's claim. A script from the sponsor's marketing team is not itself evidence.
- Keep your discretion. A host-read ad is written by the sponsor and delivered by you; you can decline one specific line without declining the sponsorship.
The pre-air verification protocol
One protocol covers both sides because the test is the same: ask for the source, read what it actually says, and decide before the mic is live. Four steps, run every time a claim beyond opinion is about to air, whether it comes from a guest's mouth or a sponsor's script.
- Before you book the guest or approve the read, name the specific claim in one sentence. Vague claims hide the check you actually need to run.
- Ask for what backs it: a study, clinical data, or the product's own label, tied to that exact claim, not the category it sits in.
- Read the source yourself. Confirm it supports the specific sentence someone is about to say, not just the general idea behind it.
- Decide: air it as written, soften it live to what the source actually supports, or cut the line and move on. Say which, and why, out loud on the call before you record.
The claims that end a booking or a script
Some claims do not survive the protocol, they skip it. A handful of phrasings are hard stops regardless of what documentation shows up, because no single study covers what the sentence promises. Learn to hear these live and cut them before they leave the room.
- Cures, treats, or prevents a named disease, tied to a product with no approval to make that claim
- Outperforms or replaces a specific named prescription drug
- Guarantees a result or claims to eliminate a health risk entirely
- A specific outcome and timeframe stated as fact with no named study behind that combination
What you keep on record after it airs
The protocol is only worth running if the answer survives the episode. Write down the claim, the source you checked, and the call you made, attached to the guest or sponsor it came from, not left in a message thread you'll never find again.
Pod Green Room keeps that record on the guest's card inside your guest pipeline, next to the booking notes and the release status. Pod Green Room stores the same call against the sponsor's file in your sponsor tracking, so the claim you cleared for the first read is still the claim you check against every renewal after it. Neither record depends on you remembering which email thread it lived in.