Building a Facebook ad campaign is no easy feat.
It takes hard work, creativity, and dedication to craft your best Facebook ad ever.
Few things feel more satisfying than publishing your Facebook marketing efforts.
But, what happens if Facebook disapproves your ads?
When it comes to advertising on Facebook, the site provides users with many options to follow when an ad is initially rejected.
The most important thing for an advertiser to remember when it comes to Facebook ad approval is that they have to be willing to edit their content.
Just by making a few simple changes, Facebook could allow you to publish your content.
Your Two Options for Facebook Ad Approval:
If your campaign gets disapproved, you can choose between two courses of action.
The first is to make changes to your Facebook advertising.
The second is to appeal directly to Facebook’s ad disapproval decision department.
Edit Your Ad
To edit your ad for Facebook approval, there are three quick steps to follow:
1. Read the details surrounding your ad’s disapproval. You can find these in the email sent to your advertising account.
2. Adjust your ad according to these details. This may mean you have to change the text itself, or simply the photo or call to action. Ensure that all aspects are in line with Facebook’s ad policies.
3. Submit your changed ad for review after saving all changes.
Appeal the Decision
If you decide to make an appeal regarding your Facebook ad’s disapproval, you must complete an Appeal a Decision form.
Afterwards, the site will evaluate your submission to see whether they were mistaken in their original disapproval.
You can request a second look if you feel that Facebook’s reasons for rejecting your campaign don’t clearly follow suit with their advertising policies.
To avoid having your Facebook advertising nixed in the first place, be sure to acquaint yourself with Facebook’s Advertising Policies and Prohibited Content.
If you aren’t already familiar with the platform’s community standards, this is also a good chance to review those.
Facebook Ad Policies In Action
When it comes to advertising on Facebook, there are hundreds of ways to make your ad stand out.
This doesn’t mean they need include any controversial content that goes against Facebook ad policies.
A few of the major categories of prohibited content that can cause Facebook ad disapproval include:
- Personal attributes
- Personal health
- Sensational content
To help you understand the differences between these, we’re looking at the “do’s and dont’s” of each.
Personal Attributes
There’s a fine line between promoting a product that’s intended for a certain audience and asserting or implying attributes.
Personal attributes refers to features like race, ethnic origin, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
This Facebook ad policy is particularly tricky for services like dating apps, medical companies, and any other business that is hyper-focused on specific demographics.
Luckily, there are ways to work within the guidelines and achieve Facebook ad approval.
Even if you mention gender identity, religion, or ehtnicity within your ad, there are ways to phrase it that will get approved.
Terms like “Date Jewish singles!” and “[insert business name] Gay Cruises!” are both examples of approved content.
In contrast, don’t use phrases like “Are you Jewish?” or “Are you gay?”
The key here is to promote your brand or product clearly within the Facebook ad.
Personal Health
Facebook ads for fitness, weight loss, diet, and other health-related items have to be both accurate and positive.
You can’t cause people to feel worse about themselves or show results that are inaccurate.
Doing so will lead to Facebook ad disapproval.
To stay within the guidelines of this Facebook ad policy, avoid before-and-after images and non-compliant negative imagery.
Examples of compliant imagery include someone eating a salad instead of stepping on a scale.
Another is a picture of someone drinking a protein shake versus a before-and-after image of someone who used a protein supplement.
Additionally, keep in mind personal health Facebook ads are restricted to audiences 18 years and older.
Sensational Content
Sure, it’s important to grab consumer attention with your Facebook ad.
What this doesn’t mean, though, is showing images that are violent, shocking, or disrespectful.
Avoid images that are gory, depict threats or acts of violence, or are otherwise shocking in nature.
You have enough to say about your product or service to convince people they need it without reverting to sensationalist Facebook advertising tactics.
If you’re in a field that deals with auto repairs, for example, don’t show an image of a car accident.
Instead, show an image of on of your employees talking with a customer or working under the hood.
Keep content positive and accurate to stay within the guidelines of Facebook ad policies and get approval.
Ways to Avoid Facebook Ad Disapproval
Updates on Facebook mean that advertisers are having to adjust copy that may have been approved even just a few years ago.
The user experience is the most important thing on the platform, which today is more true than ever.
Therefore, protecting these audiences from potentially harmful or annoying content is Facebook’s top priority.
Building a better understanding of what may put a pause your Facebook ad campaign will help you avoid the headache all together.
Here are the 10 most common reasons why your ad experienced Facebook ad disapproval, and how to avoid them:
1. The ad content is determined to be inappropriate:
Anything that is lewd, discriminatory, or that contains bad language (or poor grammar!) will be rejected by the site. Be sure to take a critical eye to your campaign and err on the safe side.
2. Your landing page includes low quality or disruptive content.
Facebook has been making efforts to prevent sites from redirecting users to low quality pages.
3. The landing page is non-functional.
If you try to direct viewers to a landing page that doesn’t work or is full of things like broken links, Facebook will veto your ad campaign. Before you attempt to launch, go through your landing page with a developer to make sure everything is running properly.
4. Third-party infringement is not allowed.
Violating any third-party trademarks or copyrights will instantly cause Facebook ad campaign disapproval. The site has tools that allow users to report the use of someone else’s intellectual property, so it’s in your best interest to avoid using copyrighted or trademarked materials.
5. Ads that encourage illegal or unethical behavior are not allowed.
Any Facebook ad campaign that seems to support illegal actions, products, or services will be banned. For example, if your goal is to direct users to a torrenting or illegal streaming service, your ad will not get Facebook ad approval.
6. It promotes goods or services that are forbidden by Facebook.
This list is extensive: tobacco, drug and drug related products, weapons, ammunitions, explosives, surveillance equipment, payday loans, unsafe supplements, and counterfeit documents are all prohibited. Including any of these within your ad campaign in a promotional manner will result in your Facebook ad disapproval.
7. It contains controversial content to boost financial gain.
Including potentially jarring, confronting, or shocking images, like those of car accidents or gun violence, will get your Facebook ad campaign banned. If you’re relying on this type of shock factor, you may want to rethink your campaign.
8. It contains disruptive animation that plays with or without interaction.
If you choose to include video within your ad, be sure that it doesn’t run before users click into it. Otherwise, Facebook will categorize it as disruptive to the user experience and reject your advertisement.
9. The landing page doesn’t match the promoted ad content.
Avoid using sensationalized images or copy that have nothing to do with the page you’re attempting to promote. Doing so will not only get your ad disapproved by Facebook, but will alienate potential customers.
10. The content is misleading or false.
Including things like offers, claims, or techniques that are not verified or are deceitful goes against Facebook’s guidelines. Instead of declaring that your good or service will help customers “lose 30 pound in 3 weeks,” think about advertising “helpful tips to help you lose stubborn weight.”
When it comes to advertising on Facebook, keeping these ten rules in mind can help you get your ad content published in a timely manner.
As Facebook strives to make it’s ads and Pages more transparent, it’s more important than ever that you follow their guidelines to get the most out of the platform.
Changes to Facebook advertising policies are not uncommon.
As you run Facebook ad campaigns, check regularly on the rules and regulations to make sure you adjust content accordingly.
Even if you experience Facebook ad disapproval, don’t worry: it’s not the end of the world.
With a few simple adjustments or a direct appeal, you can have your campaign up and running before you know it.
