The first step in writing a disclaimer is taking the time to think about what you need to say in order to protect yourself from possible lawsuits. The information in your disclaimer will depend on what type of product or service for which you need the disclaimer. When you begin to write a disclaimer, you should keep it short and to the point while making sure all the necessary information is included. There is no real way to know if it would stand up in court as something to protect you unless you let an attorney look it over. After you have written and proofread the document, take it to a lawyer to make sure it can protect you legally.
If you need a disclaimer for a blog or website that provides information, you may need to let your readers know that you are not offering professional advice. It might be best to make it clear that if they take the advice you offer, it is at their own risk and you will not be held responsible for the outcome. If people are allowed to post comments to your blog or website, you could write a sentence or two explaining what you will do with their comments. Some blogs and websites use positive customer or reader feedback as testimonials, and it might be a good idea to point that out if you plan to do that. If your blog or website has advertisements on it that are sponsored by a company you are not affiliated with, you may need to write about that in your disclaimer to protect yourself from any negative repercussions that may result if someone accesses the advertiser's website from your site.
It is usually necessary to write a disclaimer for printed advice that may appear in a newspaper or magazine. This type of disclaimer should typically be written in a similar manner to what you would put online. You may need to let people know that your opinion is your own and you won't be held responsible for what actions they take as a result of your words. When you have a website or shop that sells a product, you can include information in your disclaimer that releases you from being held liable for a person's experience with the product.
When you write a disclaimer, it may also be important to consider people who may access the products or information you offer who reside in countries outside your own. There could be a chance that you may write something that would be considered defamatory to a person's religion, culture, or political ideas without realizing it. Write a disclaimer that includes a sentence or two releasing you from being held liable for any statements or comments you might make that could be considered offensive to someone from another country.
