Don’t Say That
Don’t Say That! is the #1 podcast dedicated to keeping marketers compliant and up-to-date on all the rules, regulations and trends they need to protect themselves and their businesses from government intervention. Hosts Greg Christiansen (20+ year FTC-focused attorney) and Anik Singal (21+ year digital marketer turned “FTC Expert”) help you navigate and simplify marketing compliance in 2024…
Episodes

Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
Finding the RIGHT attorney could make or break your business if the FTC comes knocking.
Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way.
In the latest "Don't Say That!" episode, Greg and I break down EXACTLY what you need to look for when hiring an FTC compliance attorney. We cover…
The shockingly small number of true compliance experts in the country...
Key questions to ask to separate the real deal from the wannabes...
Why that cheap general practice lawyer is a disaster waiting to happen...
How much you should really be investing to protect your business...
And the catastrophic costs of cutting corners on compliance…
Look, I get it.
Spending 5-figures on legal fees feels like a punch in the gut. But let me tell you, it's NOTHING compared to the 7-figure nightmare of an FTC lawsuit. I'd rather spend $50K now than lose everything later.
So please, don't make the same mistakes I did. When it comes to FTC compliance, you NEED the best of the best in your corner.
Your business, your livelihood, and your sanity are on the line. Don't trust them to some discount lawyer who doesn't know the ins and outs of the law.
Tune in now to learn how to find the right attorney to keep your marketing on the up-and-up. Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.
Listen now!

Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
Welcome back to “Don't Say That!” In today's episode, Greg and I are diving into a topic that's extremely relevant even if you've NEVER been sued by the FTC or a state AG - life after settling.
As someone who's still early in my "parole" after my own FTC settlement, I had a lot of questions for Greg about what to expect in the coming years.
My goal here is SIMPLE.
I want everyone to understand just how much it SUCKS to get sued by a regulator. Because let me tell you, it doesn't just end when you sign that settlement. So many people have told me, "Well it was a rough year or two, but you're back now, right? It's in the past!" Nope. It’s NEVER in the past. And I'm learning that the hard way.
In this episode, Greg breaks down exactly what's required in the years after settling, like…
Having to file annual compliance reports detailing your business activities for the next 10 YEARS…
Potential further scrutiny and information demands if the FTC thinks you're hiding something…
The ripple effects an FTC action can have on things like payment processing, banking, and licensing…
How an entire "enforcement division" will be watching you like a hawk…
And why it feels like you've got a scarlet letter following you around…
Look, I'm telling you, whatever money you're making right now - I know you're living the high life and loving it. But it is NOT worth it. I was making millions a year and I'm telling you, it ain't worth it.
So please, learn from my mistakes. Get compliant NOW, before it's too late.

Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
Two massive new regulation changes were just announced. And if you’re not up to date on them, you could be marketing non-compliantly.
And no, unfortunately not knowing the rules is NOT a defense. I know from experience.
In today’s episode, Greg unpacks the 2 latest HUGE regulatory changes that were just announced and explains EXACTLY what they mean for you and your business. He goes deep on…
The FTC's new policy extending key rules to ALL business-to-business marketing calls…
Tightened requirements around recording and storing phone orders…
The agency's focus on preventing AI impersonation in sales and support interactions…
Heightened scrutiny of Amazon course sellers and "plug-and-play" business models…
And the rise of privacy complaints and class-action suits over outdated policies…
We go through what these ACTUALLY mean for you, from disclosure requirements for AI chatbots to the risks of promising "passive income" from ecommerce stores.
The key takeaway?
Documentation and transparency have never been more critical for staying out of legal crosshairs. Fail to adapt, and your next customer conversation could become a costly mistake.

Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
Testimonials are EVERYWHERE. After all, they’re one of the best tools marketers have at their disposal. There’s just one problem…
So many of them are completely non-compliant.
In today’s episode, Greg and I sat down to discuss the biggest problems marketers are overlooking when it comes to their testimonials. The biggest problem according to Greg? Now having a reliable method to track customer results.
And that’s just the start. During our conversation we also covered…
The 3 steps marketers need to take to ensure their testimonials are compliant…
Case Study: the brilliant surveys and check-ins BeachBody uses to collect client data…
How to structure incentives for customers to share progress updates…
Why bringing in third-party survey firms can bolster your credibility…
And exactly how to structure your testimonials going forward to make sure they’re compliant…
Don’t run another testimonial without checking out this episode first!

Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
Greg is back on the pod this week and we’re tackling one of the biggest questions we keep hearing from YOU. How exactly do we handle refunds, conditional refunds and guarantees?
If it seems like EVERYONE has a guarantee these days, you’re right. But here’s the thing - most people are going about creating guarantees and issuing refunds ALL WRONG…
Greg zeroes in on some of the most common compliance failures around refunds like:
Not granting mandatory minimum 3-day "cooling off" periods…
Failing to properly disclose your customers’ refund rights upfront…
Having "no refund" policies in violation of FTC and state laws…
Improper conditional refunds based on difficult criteria…
Using refund agreements to suppress negative reviews…
Greg also walked me through allowable refund scenarios, especially when it comes to low-priced physical products.
As you’ll see in this episode, handling refunds the RIGHT way is almost always a better choice than facing compliance issues down the line!
Check out this episode ASAP…

Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
Alright, I’m BACK with part 2 and picking up exactly where I left off last week. Today, I’m covering 8 more SHOCKING truths I learned during my 18-month investigation from the FTC.
This week, I’m diving deep into some of the more complex legal codes that very few marketers know anything about. Heck, I knew nothing about them either. Until I was forced to confront them.
Another big topic from this episode? The 2 RISKIEST types of marketing right now, in my opinion.
There are so many important takeaways in this episode. I also covered…
The dangers lurking in one-to-one sales calls and recurring revenue programs…
The crippling business impacts of an investigation (beyond just fines)...
The extensive financial records and other crazy info the FTC demands immediately…
Why even implied earnings claims face harsh scrutiny…
And the steps you need to take to legally share student success stories…
Check it out!
Don’t forget, if you want a FREE compliance assessment from Greag’s team and mine, just go to https://naoac.com/audit

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/auditI’m flying solo in today’s episode, so I thought I would give you guys a DEEP DIVE into the 15 most shocking truths I discovered when I was sued by the FTC.
In the episode, I go point-by-point through the BIGGEST surprises I faced in those 18 months dealing with the FTC. I had heard from friends and colleagues what it was like, but man, did I have some eye-opening realizations.
In this 30-minute episode, I went DEEP into…
The 3 legal mechanisms the FTC uses to completely discredit all of your creative “workarounds”...
Why even just a few BBB complaints can trigger full FTC investigations…
The initial financial records regulators demanded first (and what that reveals)...
How mandated refund periods and disclosures work (and often don’t)...
Why you MUST substantiate even basic background claims and credentials…
The careful tightrope walk to framing legitimate personal success stories and statistics…
And because this is such a heavy topic - I decided to break this into 2 episodes. So this is part 1 coming your way today. Stay tuned for part two and seven more non-obvious lessons about the regulators to come!
Don’t forget, if you want a FREE compliance assessment from Greag’s team and mine, just go to https://go.naoac.com/audit-check

Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
In today’s episode, we’re covering another extremely COMMON violation that so many marketers make. It’s all about inflated bonus stacks.
And while most marketers use these - it’s also one of the BIGGEST targets for the government right now.
Value stacking may seem harmless on the surface, but trust us, the government doesn’t think so. In this episode, we cover a ton of ground, including…
Why claiming value that FAR exceeds the actual price is so dangerous…
The proof you need to actually use price values in your bonus stacks…
The clever “loophole” I’ve been using to legally showcase premium bonus values…
Why even some major retailers’ bonus overpricing tactics don’t apply…
And the danger of completely fabricated bonus valuations
One of the biggest areas where we see these violations is in MENTORING access. So we broke that down and explained the common violations and how people can start marketing these in a compliant way.
Here’s the deal. While almost all value stacks are non-compliant right now, Greg and I show you EXACTLY how to make yours compliant with a few quick changes.

Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
There’s a harsh truth when it comes to TESTIMONIALS in marketing…
Almost all of them are non-compliant. Don’t get me wrong, most people aren’t trying to break the rules. But hardly anyone knows how to make sure their testimonials are actually compliant.
That’s where Greg comes in.
In today’s episode, Greg lays out the exact guidelines for properly structuring powerful yet fully compliant client stories in your marketing.
Greg first reveals the core “4 Commandments” required for any testimonial:
How to create proper consent forms for every client…
The concrete proof needed to substantiate even the most innocent claims……
How to ensure that the “net impression” you give is actually legit…
And how to properly disclose extraordinary results from clients.
To prove just how dangerous non-compliant testimonials can be, we dove deep into one specific industry that’s rife with violations: crypto trading.
The conclusion? Virtually no one follows the FTC’s rigid requirements (yet).
In this episode, we also went deep on…
The forbidden practice of “cross-pollinating” testimonials between offers…
Why even validated claims need extensive framing for context…
The brilliant system BeachBody uses to systematically collect client transformation data…
The good news? While most aren’t using testimonials properly right now, Greg shows how a few quick fixes can solve your issues. Check it out!

Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
If your company does $500,000+ a year in revenue and you want a FREE Compliance Assessment on your marketing, go here: https://naoac.com/audit
It’s amazing how few marketers realize the mistakes they’re making…
In today’s episode, 20+ year FTC pro Greg Christiansen goes IN-DEPTH on the 5 key areas where he sees regulators focusing most of their attention right now.
No one knows more about what the FTC is doing than Greg. And he broke down the 5 most common mistakes he sees people getting slammed for by the government.
Some of the biggest mistakes?
Unsubstantiated or false earnings claims in ads and testimonials…
Not securing proper consumer consents and opt-ins…
Deceptive continuity program disclosures…
Overstating product investment requirements…
Grossly inflating bonus package values…
Greg brought a TON of specific examples for each of these areas, and how these mistakes end up triggering government intervention.
If you don’t protect your business against these 5 proven legal liabilities, you leave the door wide open for FTC enforcement or other devastating legal action. Get clarity and answers you need in this info-packed episode now!