Meticulously, you’ve created a Facebook ad for your next campaign: picked the perfect image, made a great offer, wrote and wrote until your headline was perfect. But after you submitted it to Facebook for review, you logged into Ads Manager and saw this:
A pause in your campaign can detract from revenue goals. And until you resolve the issue with your ad, your campaign will continue to generate no traffic.
So, when your Facebook ad is disapproved, what have you done to violate guidelines? According to Facebook, it could be any of the reasons below. Though there are 65 here, rest assured that most advertisers will not find themselves impeded by many.
65 Reasons Facebook Ads get disapproved
When reviewing your ad, both algorithms and human evaluators will look at different factors to ensure you’re following platform guidelines. According to Facebook, most ads are typically reviewed in 24 hours. Before your ad can run, Facebook staff review targeting, content, and positioning, in addition to your ad’s landing page. Though Facebook differentiates between “prohibited” content and “restricted” content, and problems with your creative or targeting, all and more can get your ad disapproved.
Here are 65 reasons your Facebook ad could be disapproved:
Prohibited content
1. You violated Community Standards
Your ads cannot violate Facebook’s Community Standards. Before you start running ads, familiarize yourself with those guidelines, because your ads won’t run if they don’t adhere to them. The same goes for Instagram. If you’re running ads on the platform, they cannot violate Instagram Community Guidelines.
2. You promoted illegal products or services
Your ads can’t promote illegal products, services, or activities. Facebook especially mentions that, when targeting to minors, your ads can’t promote products, services, or content that are inappropriate, illegal, or unsafe, or that exploit, mislead, or exert pressure on the target audience.
3. You discriminated against a particular group
Your ads can’t discriminate or encourage discrimination against people based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, disability, medical or genetic condition.
4. You promoted tobacco products
Your ads can’t promote the sale or use of tobacco products, or the use of paraphernalia. That includes electronic cigarettes, vaporizers, or any other products that simulate smoking:
5. You promoted drugs in your ad
Your ads can’t promote sale or use of illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs:
6. You’re advertising unsafe supplements
Your ads can’t promote the sale or use of unsafe supplements. Whether or not they are “unsafe” is determined solely by Facebook staff.
7. You advertised weaponry
Your ads can’t promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition, or explosives (and that including ads for accessories that allow you to modify weapons).
8. You’re selling adult products or services
Other than ads for contraceptives and family planning, you cannot promote the sale or use of adult products or services. If you’re going to run ads for contraceptives, they have to be centered on contraceptive features of the product and not its sexual advantages, and they must be targeted to audiences over 18.
9. You’re promoting adult content
Your ads can’t contain adult content, which includes nudity, depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative. Also prohibited are ads that imply you can meet, connect with, or view someone in a sexualized context.
10. Your ads infringe on third-party rights
Your ads can’t contain content that violates any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other personal or proprietary rights.
11. You’re advertising clickbait
Your ads can’t contain shocking, sensational, disrespectful, or excessively violent content.
12. You’re calling out an audience’s personal attributes
Your ads can’t feature content about an audience’s personal attributes. That means you can’t make direct references to a person’s race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, medical condition (including physical or mental health), financial status, membership in a trade union, criminal record, or name. Here’s an age example:
13. You’re spreading false information
Your ads can’t contain any information that’s been proved false by third-party fact-checkers or similar organizations. If you repeatedly post false information, you could have restrictions placed on your advertising account.
14. Your content is controversial
Your ads can’t feature content that exploits controversial political or social issues for commercial purposes.
15. Your post-click landing page doesn’t work
Your ads can’t direct people to non-functional landing pages. This includes landing page content that interferes with a person’s ability to navigate away from the page.
16. You’re enabling deceitful practices
Your ads can’t promote products or services designed to enable a user to engage in deceitful activities.
17. You’re cursing or using poor grammar
Your ads can’t contain profanity or bad spelling and grammar. You can use symbols, numbers, and letters, but you can’t do so with the intention of beating Facebook’s review process:
18. You’re depicting features that aren’t functional
Your ads can’t contain images that portray nonexistent functionality. For example, you can’t include fake play buttons, notifications, or checkboxes/multiple choice options in the design of your ad. Everything you portray must work as shown:
19. You can’t use sensationalized before and after images
Your ads can’t use before and after images or images that contain unexpected or unlikely results. Ad content must not imply or attempt to generate negative self-perception to promote diet, weight loss, or other health-related products:
20. You’re promoting payday loans, paycheck advances, or bail bonds
Your ads can’t promote payday loans, paycheck advances, bail bonds, or any short-term loans intended to cover expenses before the next payday. Short term loan refers to a loan of 90 days or less.
21. You’re advertising an MLM opportunity
Your ads promoting job opportunities have to fully describe the opportunity in detail. Get-rich-quick opportunities aren’t allowed, nor are MLM positions.
22. You’re promoting penny auctions
Your ads can’t promote penny auctions, bidding fee auctions, or similar business models.
23. You’re misleading visitors with your content
Your ads can’t feature deceptive, false, or misleading claims related to effectiveness.
24. Your content is misleading or low quality
Your ar and post-click landing page e cannot deliver an unexpected or disruptive experience. That means misleading ad positioning, or delivering visitors to poor-quality landing pages can get your ad disapproved.
25. Your ads contain malware
Your ads can’t contain spyware, malware, or any software that results in an unexpected or deceptive experience.
26. Your ads contain animations that begin on their own
Your ads cannot contain audio or flash animation that plays automatically, and that ad can’t expand within Facebook once it’s clicked.
27. You’re promoting deceptive offers
Your ads can’t promote offers using deceptive or misleading practices, like scams meant to acquire personal information nefariously.
28. You’re trying to beat the system
Your ads can’t use tactics intended to circumvent Facebook’s ad review process or other enforcement systems. This includes techniques that attempt to disguise the ad’s content or destination page.
29. You’re advertising prohibited financial offers
Your ads can’t promote financial offers that are routinely associated with misleading or deceptive practices.
30. You’re trying to sell human body parts
It’s one of the things you might consider common sense. It’s not. To echo Facebook: Your ads can’t promote the sale of human body parts or fluids.
Restricted Content
31. You’re not complying with alcohol guidelines
If your ads promote or reference alcohol at all, they have to comply with all applicable local laws, required or established industry codes, guidelines, licenses and approvals, and include age and country targeting consistent with Facebook’s targeting guidelines and applicable local laws.
In some countries, ads promoting or referencing alcohol are prohibited. That includes but is not limited to Afghanistan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Egypt, Gambia, Kuwait, Libya, Lithuania, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
32. You’re advertising a dating service without prior approval
If you’re advertising an online dating service, you need to get approval from Facebook beforehand. You also have to follow specific dating requirements and dating quality guidelines, which you can find here.
33. You’re promoting real money gambling without prior approval
If you’re promoting or facilitating gambling of real money, skill games, or real money lotteries, including online casino, sportsbooks, bingo, or poker, you have to get prior written approval from Facebook. These ads must target people 18 years or older who are in jurisdictions where permission has been granted.
34. You’re targeting your lottery illegally
If you’re a government running ads for a lottery, the ads have to be in compliance with the law in the area they’re targeted, and target only the people in the are where that lottery is available.
35. You’re promoting the sale of prescription drugs without approval
If you’re running an ad for an online or offline pharmacy, you can only do so with prior approval from Facebook.
36. You’re promoting over-the-counter medicine without legal compliance
If you’re advertising over-the-counter medicines, they must comply with all applicable local laws, required or established industry codes, guidelines, licenses and approvals, and include age and country targeting criteria consistent with applicable local laws.
37. You’re promoting subscription services with negative options
If you’re advertising a subscription service or promoting anything that includes negative options, automatic renewal, free-to-play conversion billing products, or mobile marketing, you’re subject to our subscription services requirements.
38. Your financial service ad is not detailed enough
If you’re advertising credit card applications, or financial services with accredited institutions, you have to provide detailed disclosures of fees, including APR percentages, transaction fees, interest rates and the physical address of the entity offering the product on the ad’s landing page. These ads have to be targeted to people 18 years or above, and they should not directly request the input of a person’s financial information, including credit card information.
39. You’re not crediting a third party brand
If you’re promoting branded content, you have to tag the featured third party product, brand or business partner.
40. You’re creating ads about social issues, elections, or politics without compliance
If you’re running ads about social issues, elections or politics, you have to comply with all applicable laws and the authorization process required by Facebook.
41. Your disclaimer for ads about social issues, elections, or politics, does not comply with additional guidelines
As well as complying with Community Standards and Advertising Policies, the disclaimer you submit for your ad about social issues, elections, or politics, has to comply with additional guidelines presented to you during the ad authorization process.
42. You’re advertising cryptocurrency products and services without consent
If you are advertising products related to cryptocurrency trading or related products, you need prior written permission.
43. You’re advertising drug and alcohol addiction treatment without approval
If you’re running addiction treatment ads in the USA, you have to be certified with LegitScript and submit an application to Facebook for permission to run your campaign.
44. You’re targeting weight loss products to people younger than 18
You’re running ads for a weight loss product or service; it has to be targeted to people 18 years or older.
Video Ads
If you’re running Facebook video ads or other dynamic ad types, they may also be disapproved for the following:
45. Your content is disruptive
Your videos and other media can’t be overly disruptive, using tactics like flashing screens, for example.
46. Your ad contains mature content
If you’re creating a trailer for TV shows, video game trailers, or other content intended for mature audiences, you need prior written permission from Facebook, and you need to target only people who are age 18+. Additionally, any excessive depictions of drugs and alcohol, profanity, violence and gore, or adult content, will get your ad disapproved.
Targeting
47. Your ads discriminate by targeting
Your ads can’t use targeting parameters to discriminate against, harass, provoke, or disparage users or to engage in predatory advertising practices.
48. Your custom audience isn’t compliant
If you’re creating a custom audience to target to, it has to comply with these terms.
Positioning
49. Your ad is irrelevant to what it’s advertising
Your ad isn’t All ad components, including any text, images or other media must be relevant and appropriate to the product or service being offered and the audience viewing the ad.
50. Your ad is inaccurate
Your ad has to clearly represent the company, product, service, or brand that it’s promoting.
51. Your post-click landing page does not match
The products and services promoted in an ad must match those promoted on the post-click landing page, and that landing page can’t offer or link to any prohibited or restricted product or service.
52. You have too much text in your ad images
If you include text in the image of your ad, it can’t be excessive. If it is, it could result in minimized reach, and it may not run at all. It’s best to use little or next on your ad images if you can manage it.
10. Lead Ads
If you’re creating a Lead Ad, doing any of the following can get your ad disapproved if you do not obtain written permission by Facebook beforehand.
53. You’re requesting account numbers
Your ads can’t request account numbers, like frequent flyer numbers, loyalty card numbers, or cable or telephone account numbers.
54. You’re requesting criminal history information
Your ads can’t request information about criminal or arrest history.
55. You’re asking for financial information
Your ads can’t request financial information, like bank account numbers, routing numbers, credit or debit card numbers, credit scores, income, net worth, or debt amount.
56. You’re requesting government-issued identifiers
Your ads can’t request government-issued identifiers, like Social Security, passport, or license numbers.
57. You’re asking health Information
Your ads can’t request health information regarding physical or mental health, medical conditions or disabilities, or treatment for any of those things.
58. You’re requesting insurance Information
Your ads can’t request insurance information like policy numbers.
59. You’re trying to determine political affiliation
Your ads can’t request anything to do with a user’s political affiliation.
60. You’re asking for information about race or ethnicity
Your ads can’t request any information regarding race or ethnicity.
61. You’re asking about religion
Your ads can’t request anything to do with religion or philosophical beliefs.
62. You’re requesting sexual orientation
Your ads can’t request anything about sexual orientation, including information about sexual activity.
63. You’re asking custom questions unnecessarily
Your ads can’t request similar information that you could use a Template Question to request.
64. You’re asking for information about trade union membership
Your ads can’t request information about trade union membership status.
65. You’re requesting usernames or passwords
Your ads can’t request usernames or passwords.
Resolving the problem with your disapproved ad
Often, when disapproving an ad, Facebook will give you a good idea of where you went wrong. You’ll have to edit the ad to resolve the problem, then send it in again for review.
If you believe, however, that your ad was wrongfully disapproved, you can appeal to Facebook here:
Growth Marketer, Chris Grundy, says the process can be even faster than the initial approval process, and that if you don’t make your point the first time, it’s always worth trying again.
Don’t get your Facebook ad disapproved
Getting a campaign to run on Facebook is more than just about the ad. It’s about creating a great landing page experience, too. If you don’t, Facebook will disapprove your ad.
Not only that, but it’s in the best interest of your campaign. Every ad needs its own dedicated post-click landing page to continue personalization throughout the campaign. The more relevant your content is, the more likely you are to convert your visitor. Learn how to create high-converting, Facebook-approved post-click pages with an Instapage demo.
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