Editorial Disclosure

How sponsored essays work on Niva Living, who pays for what, and why you can trust the reviews anyway. Last updated 2026-05-29.

The 30-day rule

I do not write a review — sponsored or unsponsored — of a product I have not personally used for at least 30 days in my apartment. Most of what I write about lives here for 60 days or more before the essay goes up. Several sponsorships have been declined because the timeline did not allow this.

How sponsored essays are labeled

When an essay is sponsored, you will see all three of the following before you have to scroll:

1. The brown horizontal "sponsored" strip at the very top of the page above the masthead.
2. The "Sponsored Review" kicker tag in small caps directly above the article title.
3. The sponsor box partway through the article, set inside a cream card with the sponsor name and a single call-to-action link.

If you do not see all three of those signals, the essay is not sponsored and there is no commercial relationship between me and any product mentioned.

Money

Sponsored essays pay Niva Living either as a flat sponsorship fee, as an affiliate-commission arrangement on sales generated through the sponsor link, or both. The sponsor does not see the essay before publication. The sponsor cannot demand revisions after publication except to correct a factual error about their own product (price, materials, specs, etc.). I retain editorial control of the text in every case.

What sponsorship cannot buy

A positive review. There are several products from sponsors who paid for slots whose essays were never published because, after 30 days of using the product, I would not in good conscience recommend it to a friend. The slots were refunded. Future sponsors should assume the same will happen if their product does not earn the review.

FTC compliance

All sponsored content on Niva Living is disclosed in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides (16 C.F.R. Part 255). Sponsored links use the rel="sponsored" attribute. Affiliate-commission relationships are disclosed in the sponsor box.

Contact

Questions about this disclosure, a specific essay, or a sponsorship inquiry: niva@nivaliving.com.