Really, the view hasn’t changed. You have to have an affiliate disclaimer according to the FTC. In terms of where you put it, you kinda have to figure it out. Ideally, it would be as close to the link and front-and-center as possible, but you’re right… it looks like hell.
In the end, it is good to consult the actual law right from the FTC:
https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-staff-revises-online-advertising-disclosure-guidelines/130312dotcomdisclosures.pdf
In it, it does say:
Disclosures that are an integral part of a claim or inseparable from it should not be
communicated through a hyperlink. Instead, they should be placed on the same page
and immediately next to the claim, and be sufficiently prominent so that the claim and the
disclosure are read at the same time, without referring the consumer somewhere else to obtain
this important information.
So, it is what it is.
In the end, I probably need to do a better job of in-post notices for posts which have affiliate links. I wouldn’t make it a standard part of the template, but instead make it in context when I create the actual posts. I am currently in the middle of a massive content audit, so will pay more attention to this as I go.