Facebook ads are a great way for businesses to reach potential customers, but sometimes ads get rejected for various reasons. Getting your Facebook ad rejected can be frustrating, but understanding why it was rejected is the first step to creating compliant ads that get approved.
Common Reasons for Facebook Ad Rejection
There are several common reasons why Facebook may reject an ad submission:
- Violating Facebook’s Advertising Policies – Facebook has strict guidelines around advertising content, targeting, and delivery. Violating any of these policies is the most common reason for rejection.
- Misleading or False Information – All claims and content in Facebook ads must be truthful and accurate. Ads cannot be misleading to users or contain false or unsubstantiated claims.
- Restricted Content – Certain products, services and content are prohibited from advertising on Facebook. This includes adult content, recreational drugs, weapons, and other restricted items.
- Improper Targeting – Facebook prohibits discriminatory or improper targeting practices. Targeting users based on sensitive categories like race, ethnicity, political beliefs, health conditions, etc. will get ads rejected.
- Unapproved Images/Videos – All images and videos in Facebook ads must be properly licensed and adhere to Facebook’s content guidelines. Using unapproved creative assets will lead to rejection.
- Spammy Content – Repetitive, low-quality, or spam-like ad content is prohibited. This includes clickbait headlines, disruptive ad formats, and other types of spammy content.
Policy Violations That Lead to Rejection
Understanding Facebook’s Advertising Policies is crucial for launching compliant ads. Here are some specific policies that commonly lead to rejection when violated:
Misleading Claims
All claims made in Facebook ads must be substantiated and free from deception. Some examples of misleading claims that aren’t allowed include:
- “Secret” or unproven health claims
- Claims that incite panic, like exaggerated claims around public health issues
- Get-rich-quick schemes
- Claiming something is “free” when it isn’t
- Bait-and-switch promotions
Targeting Restrictions
Facebook prohibits inappropriate targeting of users. Some examples of targeting restrictions include:
- Targeting minors for prohibited products/services like alcohol or gambling
- Targeting users based on health conditions or disabilities
- Using lookalike audience targeting for sensitive categories like ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation
- Targeting users who have expressed disinterest in your business or ads
- Targeting tragedy victims or survivors
Improper Usage of Facebook Brand Assets
Facebook’s trademarks and brand assets can only be used with proper authorization in ads. For example:
- Don’t use “Facebook” in the name of your ad account or Page
- Don’t suggest endorsement or sponsorship from Facebook without permission
- Don’t use Facebook logos without following branding guidelines
How to Appeal a Rejected Facebook Ad
If your ad gets rejected by Facebook, you can take the following steps to get your ad reviewed again and potentially overturned:
- Check the rejection reason – Understanding why your ad was rejected is crucial for launching a successful appeal.
- Edit your ad – Make necessary changes to ensure your ad complies with all policies based on the rejection reason provided.
- Request appeal – You can request an appeal in Ads Manager by providing more context and an explanation of changes made.
- Add compliance details – Provide specific details showing how your updated ad complies with Facebook policies that led to initial rejection.
- Include relevant documentation – Any documentation, like legal clearance for regulated products, can help support your appeal case.
- Follow up if needed – If your appeal gets rejected again, seek clarification from Facebook ads support on specific changes needed for approval.
Best Practices for Avoiding Rejection
Here are some proactive tips to help you launch compliant Facebook ads and avoid rejections in the first place:
Carefully Review All Policies
Reading Facebook’s Advertising Policies cover to cover may seem tedious, but is essential for understanding compliant ad practices. Pay extra attention to sections around restricted content, targeting practices, ad formats, and creative assets.
Use Facebook’s Policy Checklist
Facebook provides an Advertising Policies Checklist that summarizes key policies in an easy checklist format. Reviewing this regularly is an easy way to spot potential areas of non-compliance before submitting ads.
Seek Legal or Compliance Approval
If advertising heavily regulated products and services, consider having your legal team or compliance officer review ad content and targeting approaches prior to launching campaigns.
Test All Assets Before Scaling Campaigns
Start by testing new images, videos and copy on small ad sets before deploying assets at scale. This allows you to resolve potential violations early before investing heavily in rejected assets.
Use Clear Messaging with Supporting Claims
Avoid exaggerated messaging and hyperbolic claims that could be interpreted as misleading. All ad claims should be factual, accurate, and supported with clear evidence.
Conclusion
Understanding why Facebook rejects certain ads is key for successfully navigating its advertising policies. By avoiding common violations around misleading claims, improper targeting, unauthorized branding, and restricted products, you can develop compliant ads that get approved. Appeals are possible when rejections do occur, but require a thoughtful approach focused on addressing policy violations directly. With a combination of due diligence around Facebook’s guidelines and proactive testing, you can minimize frustrating rejections and keep your ads running smoothly.