Advertising policy

1. How advertising works on Trustcut

Trustcut sells two kinds of advert, both for a flat fee per week. Featured placement lets a barber or barbershop show its own profile in a labelled block at the top of a city page. Sponsorship lets a brand, supplier or local business show an advert at the foot of the blog or the barber search. There is no commission and no price per click.

Every advert is labelled Ad in words wherever it appears. Adverts are always shown apart from the normal listings, and they never change how barbers and barbershops are ranked, rated or reviewed (see section 4).

2. What cannot be advertised

• Anything illegal. Goods, services or activity that are unlawful in the United Kingdom, or that help someone break the law.
• Tobacco and vapes. Cigarettes, cigars, vapes, e-liquids, nicotine products and anything made to look like them.
• Alcohol. Alcoholic drinks and the businesses that sell them.
• Gambling. Betting, casinos, lotteries, poker and similar services.
• Weapons. Firearms, knives sold as weapons, knuckledusters and anything else designed to cause harm. Professional barbering tools are fine.
• Medical and hair loss claims. Claims to treat, cure or prevent a medical condition, including hair loss, and any advert for prescription-only medicines such as minoxidil or finasteride.
• Misleading or unsubstantiated claims. Guarantees, superlatives such as the best or number one, and results or savings that cannot be shown to be true. The advert must match what you actually offer.
• Fake ratings or reviews. Star scores, review counts or testimonials that are invented, paid for or cannot be checked.
• Competitor bashing. Naming or running down other businesses or booking platforms.

3. Rules for every advert

• Every advert is labelled Ad, in words, wherever it appears.
• Adverts must be honest, legal, decent and truthful, in line with the UK Advertising Codes (CAP and BCAP).
• The headline must be 5 to 60 characters, in sentence case, with no emoji.
• The image must be yours to use, at least 400 by 200 pixels, and show what you are advertising. Images are checked automatically and read by a person before you can pay.
• The link must be your own website, starting with https. Shortened or redirecting links are not allowed.
• We review every sponsor advert before it can be paid for. We may refuse an advert, and we explain why.
• We may take down an advert at any time if it breaks this policy or the law. If you had paid for it, we refund the days it did not run.
• Featured placement promotes your own Trustcut profile. Your profile must be published and in good standing.
• Adverts are sold for a fixed price per week. Trustcut does not promise any number of views, clicks, bookings or sales.

4. Paid placement and ranking

Paying for an advert does not buy a better position in the normal listings. Search results, city page listings, ratings and the order of reviews are decided without reference to who has paid, and they are the same whether or not anyone is advertising. A Featured card appears in its own block marked Ad, above the listings, and the same profile still appears in the listings in its normal place. Sponsors are never mixed into the listings or the review lists.

5. Review, refusal and takedown

Sponsor adverts are read by a person before they can be paid for, so an advert that is refused never costs anything. We tell you why. We may take down any advert at any time if it breaks this policy or the law; if you had paid, we refund the days it did not run.

6. Views, clicks and results

Views and clicks are counted by Trustcut. They are approximate and Trustcut does not guarantee reach. We count without cookies, and we do not count the advertiser, the owner of a promoted profile or Trustcut staff. We sell space for a set time. We do not promise, and you cannot buy, any number of views, clicks, bookings or sales.

7. Questions

Talk to us before you book through the contact form. Ready to book? Advertise with Trustcut.