Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for advertising and reaching potential customers. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook ads allow businesses and individuals to promote their products, services, causes, events, and more. However, not all Facebook ads achieve their desired results and some may even be rejected by Facebook for violating their advertising policies. This raises the question – is it okay to delete rejected Facebook ads?
Why Would Facebook Reject an Ad?
There are several reasons why Facebook may reject an ad:
- The ad does not comply with Facebook’s Advertising Policies – This includes restrictions on the promotion of certain products like tobacco, weapons, illegal drugs, as well as policies around transparency, prohibited content, and hate speech.
- The ad contains misleading claims – All claims made in Facebook ads must be truthful and able to be substantiated. Exaggerated or misleading statements will cause an ad to be rejected.
- The ad targets a restricted audience – Certain types of targeting like age, gender, ethnicity, political beliefs, etc. are restricted by Facebook’s non-discrimination policy.
- Prohibited content – Inappropriate images, offensive language, sensational content, or copyrighted material without permission will also lead to Facebook rejecting an ad.
- Low quality or disruptive content – Low-quality ads with spelling errors, distorted images, symbols, and spammy content are likely to get rejected.
- Unapproved lead generation – Promoting contests, giveaways or lead generation forms requires Facebook’s pre-approval.
So in summary, most Facebook ad rejections stem from violations of Facebook’s advertising policies, misaligned targeting, or objectionable creative content. These rules are in place to protect Facebook users from inappropriate, misleading, or low-quality ads on the platform.
Should You Delete Rejected Facebook Ads?
If your Facebook ad gets rejected, you have a few options:
Option 1: Delete the Ad Entirely
Deleting the rejected ad completely is the simplest option. This cleans up your ad account and ensures you aren’t spending any more money on an non-compliant ad. However, it also means throwing away any work put into creating the ad creative and copy. You’ll have to start again from scratch if you still want to advertise on Facebook.
Option 2: Edit the Ad to Comply with Policies
In some cases, you may be able to edit the rejected ad to meet Facebook’s guidelines. For example, removing exaggerated claims, changing prohibited targeting, or swapping out inappropriate images. This allows you to salvage your work on the ad copy and creative. Be sure to closely review the rejection notice to understand exactly why your ad was rejected before attempting edits.
Option 3: Pause the Ad
If you want to take more time to understand why your ad was rejected and appeal Facebook’s decision, pause the ad instead of deleting it. This stops the ad from continuing to accrue spend while you determine next steps. Pausing also preserves your work just in case your appeal is successful or you’re able to edit the ad to pass approval.
Option 4: Appeal the Rejection
You can appeal Facebook’s rejection decision if you believe it was made in error. The appeal process involves:
- Clicking the “appeal rejection” button in Facebook Ads Manager
- Selecting a reason for your appeal from the available options
- Providing additional details to support your appeal
- Submitting your appeal for Facebook to review
However, appeals are not always successful, so you may still end up needing to edit or delete your ad if the rejection holds. Only around 25% of Facebook ad appeals are overturned.
Pros of Deleting Rejected Facebook Ads
Here are some potential benefits of deleting rejected Facebook ads:
- Immediately stops any wasted ad spend on non-compliant ads
- Lets you move on and create new ads that align with policies
- Cleans up your Facebook Ads Manager account
- Removes content that violates Facebook’s rules from your ad account
- Saves you time from trying to edit or appeal an irredeemable ad
Cons of Deleting Rejected Facebook Ads
Some possible downsides of deleting rejected Facebook ads include:
- Loss of any time and money already invested in creating the ad
- Missed opportunity to edit the ad to meet policies, if possible
- Limiting your options if you think the rejection was a mistake
- Having an incomplete view of your ad history and performance
- Need to rebuild creative assets and ad copy from scratch for new ads
Best Practices for Managing Rejected Facebook Ads
To make the most out of a Facebook ad rejection situation, keep these tips in mind:
- Carefully review rejection notices to understand the specific policy violation
- Delete any ads with major policy issues or prohibited content
- Consider pausing and editing ads with minor issues to meet policies
- Only appeal rejections if you have a valid basis and can provide clear supporting details
- Archive rejected ads for your records before deleting
- Learn from policy-violating ads to avoid repeating mistakes
- Study Facebook’s Advertising Policies thoroughly before launching any new ads
Conclusion
In most cases, it is advisable to delete outright rejected Facebook ads that contain prohibited, misleading, or offensive content. However, ads rejected for minor policy issues like targeting or exaggerated claims may be worth editing and re-submitting for approval. Be sure to archive rejected ads for your records before removing them. Most importantly, thoroughly review Facebook’s Advertising Policies and learn from any violations to avoid future rejections. With knowledge of the rules and attention to compliance, you can successfully advertise on Facebook.