Facebook's ad policy is strict, and all ads are carefully checked. Even a well-written, clean vaping ad will not be allowed because Facebook does not support the sale of tobacco products.
Facebook checks ads for certain words and phrases that violate the policy, and will often reject ads that contain them, even if the ad doesn't actually violate any ad rules.
Before you launch an ad campaign on Facebook, keep in mind that you should be very careful in creating ads there. Overly targeted or misleading ads will be rejected by the platform.
To avoid tagging your ad, check its copy, and make sure that it doesn't violate the ad placement rules. Then request a manual view and describe in detail why you think the ad meets the requirements. Your ad will be checked by a Facebook moderator. If it is approved, it will start working. If not, you will get feedback about which policies the ad violates.
In fact, rejecting ads is one of the biggest challenges during the promotion of a business on Facebook.
What happens if you see this message? You will get a checkbox in your Facebook account and your ads will not be displayed until you fix them. If you receive several warnings like that, Facebook may block your advertising account. In this case, there are, of course, workarounds, but it is better to be careful and not get into this situation.
Avoiding these problems is as easy as following the tips below. Just remember: tips will not apply equally to everyone. Some Facebook advertising accounts, namely those that have more advertising history, can get away much easier than newcomers or not very active advertisers. This is why many accounts are finding it increasingly difficult to get their ads approved.
You, to You, Your
Ok, let’s deal with the first case. Here is an example of an ad: "Are you a busy mom, working hard, and you don't have time to cook for your family?"
Facebook doesn’t appreciate the ads which speak too directly, or openly affect the pain of the target audience.
Just as Google's algorithm knows which keywords you type to get your page higher in search results, Facebook's algorithm knows when you use too many "you" or "your" words to directly call out viewers on the Internet. Although sometimes ads with the words "you" or "your" may pass, in most cases such ads can cause problems, so it is better not to use those words.
Just keep in mind that Facebook wants your ads to merge with your news feed and not differ much from the posts created by your friends.
Don’t panic, we will figure everything out. A good idea is to use stories, reviews, and personal experiences to ensure that your ads are not rejected. Delete as many "you" or "your" references from the text as possible. The ad that we gave as an example above can win if you rewrite it like this: "Dinner is ready! Fast food delivery for busy families."
It Becomes Too Personal
Facebook does not approve of touching upon someone’s personality. Here we mean direct or indirect mention of race, religion, age, etc. Facebook will block ads with the questions "do you practice Christianity?" or "Are you over 30?", as they indicate the personal characteristics of the target audience.
Sensitive Content
Another example: "Tired of diets that do not give the promised result? Do you want to easily lose 20 kg, not counting calories?"
Oh, sensitive topics are strongly forbidden in 2022. Be careful with the health, weight loss, cosmetics, anti-aging products, dietary supplements - they all fall under the "sensitive topics" label and they are closely monitored by Facebook.
It is simple enough to avoid using pain points or "negative" words such as diet, weight loss, fat, depression, anxiety, stress, fear, shock, fright, etc.
The solution is pretty clear: use positive language instead of negative (this advice is applicable to any sphere of life). Focus on what you want people to feel after using the product. For example, instead of "Lose 10 kg this summer!" try "Feel easy, be in shape this summer. Join my free fitness class!»
Earn Million in One Hour
It’s becoming hot — catch the next example: "Get $3 000 within the next month! Join my free webinar to learn how to do this."
Facebook doesn't like offers to get rich quick and "earn", schemes, opportunities to work from home, and big — or even small — claims that may not be available to everyone. Facebook is addressing this issue in accordance with its policy.
Always check this out: if a message sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true.
Be very thoughtful using any words on the topic of earning money or working from home, because otherwise your ads may be banned or even lead to your account being blocked. The best way to avoid this is to use a description of your offer advantages in your ad.
So: "Earn a six-figure sum and work for yourself with this innovative technique" will turn into: "Learn the 5 most important habits that every successful entrepreneur needs to keep in mind." This text does not seem to be a scam and is likely to play well with the Facebook algorithm.
Cursing Words
Profanity is not a good idea over here. Even if it's just a word or two, Facebook won't skip it.
Family is really significant for the Facebook community. Therefore, this social media prevents cases when a child who is next to a parent may see a bad word in an ad. The use of sexual images, explicit topics, and intimacy is also prohibited.
Solution: try to make your ads in a way that you can safely show them to your child. People try to circumvent these rules and attract the attention of the audience by adding spiciness. But remember that Facebook can read between the lines, even if you use groups of characters "&% #% @% #% $ &", and such ads will quickly be blocked.
Corona Words
Facebook does not want us to take advantage of the circumstances. But it is pretty messy because if we do not talk about Corona, we may be considered “insensitive” — seems like we do not care about what is happening in a marketplace. So, we need to notice an elephant in the room but in a way that makes Facebook happy.
The recipe here is the following: do not use the words “Pandemic, Corona, Coronavirus, infection, anxious, disease”. They are overused, so Facebook blocks ads with such content. Likewise, avoid the following phrases: “confirmed case, positive case, social distance”. It is ok to use them separately though.
How to speak about the biggest problem of recent years? Here are some substitutions for the words mentioned before: write “stuck at home” instead of “Corona”, “chaos” instead of “anxious”, “trying times” instead of “pandemic” and “well-being” instead of “health”. People will understand you anyway.
Do you manage to avoid Corona words?
51 votes
Don’t Be Aggressive
If you use mostly capital letters and exclamation marks, you will definitely not be liked by Facebook. For example, the ad "STOP!!! DO not PASS BY, you DEFINITELY NEED to come HERE!!!”. It a priori implies aggression, and it seems as if you are shouting at the network users. Use capital letters only when they are really necessary, or to emphasize significant words. Try not to use exclamation marks, but if you need to emphasize the importance of your intentions, you can use emojis.
The Word “Facebook”
Here’s one word you should avoid, with ONE exception.
You don't want Facebook to suggest any relationship or collaboration between them and your company.
Copyright Infringement
Don't use text (or pictures of course) that violates a third party's privileges.
When you see a great ad headline, landing page copy, etc., let it inspire yours. Don't swipe that over.
Tobacco, Drugs and Weapons
It comes without saying that advertising such products is prohibited on Facebook. So, it is better to avoid the words “cigarettes, vaporizers, guns, ammunition, explosives” etc.
Forbidden Topics
Let’s now emphasize the general topics you should avoid in your ads if you are looking for eco-friendly content that will attract subscribers. They are not prohibited, but they are highly flammable — they are very likely to ignite a discussion:
- Politics,
- Religion,
- Sex minorities,
- Gender identification,
- Conspiracy theories,
- Feminism and body positivity.
Much depends on the content delivery and the overall orientation of the page. These topics are undesirable for the business and public accounts, whose purpose is the promotion of products or services. Here you need positively colored content that works to attract and retain subscribers. Humor is allowed, but cynicism should be avoided. Even if the post itself is not negative, it may appear in the comments, because people may have radically different views on the listed topics.
Toxic comments in business publics are not beneficial at all. People come here for the specific purpose of learning more about the product, not letting off steam. And the dirt in the comments can easily ruin a carefully constructed promotion strategy. Another thing is entertainment communities, where content on the verge of a foul works well for promotion.
Conclusion
If you are too lazy to remember all the rules on Facebook, remember the main principle: advertising must be ethical. If you think that your publication might offend, deceive, or mislead someone, then it probably won't work. In addition, It can be useful to use Facebook's ad Library for inspiration from your competitors or similar industries that succeeded.
If you think that you did everything correctly and your ad was rejected by mistake, you can contact Facebook using the following form.
