It can be frustrating when you put your blood, sweat, and tears (okay maybe that was a little much) into a Facebook advertisement only to receive a sad notification saying that your ad was rejected. You ponder to yourself, why? I did everything right…didn’t I? Well, Facebook bots have clever ways of detecting false or illegal ads or misleading information on their platform but, sometimes they just get it wrong.
Reasons for rejection when it comes to your ads can range from derogatory material being included in the wording or imagery to targeting your demographic too tightly. For example, in some industries, if you would like to advertise on Facebook you can but, can’t limit the age range or target specific interests. What is worse is that although AI can be quite useful in advertising to make sure that what is being advertised isn’t a scam, and that it’s promoting a legitimate company, as a robot sometimes the context of what you are advertising is misunderstood. That misunderstanding is what leads to an ad being flagged as being against their regulations and being rejected in the advertising system even though it’s completely within the rules. Because of these issues, many business owners get totally fed up with trying to advertise through the platform or they get rejected too many times and Facebook restricts their business from advertising altogether.
We quite often get calls from clients running their own ads, boosting posts etc. looking for help because the ads they are trying to run keep getting rejected or that their account for some reason has locked them out and they don’t have access to their business pages anymore. We hear tons of stories about the silly things that Facebook (or Meta) thinks violate their rules and regulations when really it was a simple mistake made by one of their bots. If you don’t intend to pull a fast one on Facebook and you’re not trying to sell illegal things online or break the rules intentionally usually you can appeal their decision and an actual human will review the ad to approve it for you. If it does in fact meet their standards they will quickly shift your ad back into active mode and you’ll be good to go.
To help eliminate your frustrations as a business owner who is just trying their darndest to get their name out there and promote their business, we’ve put together this spiffy little guide that should help you figure out what their reasoning might be and what to do if/when an ad does get rejected. And, if you straight up just don’t want to deal with running your own ads anymore, we totally get it. Give us a call at 705-242-8964 and we’ll be happy to take the reigns when it comes to managing your campaigns, crafting your creative, and more.
NOTE: This guide is a bit of a what NOT to-do list which covers many common issues in relation to advertising on Facebook though it’s not possible to cover all the issues you might run across. If you need assistance from Meta directly you will need to request support by visiting the Meta Business Help Center.
1. Avoid calling out personal attributes.
Personal attributes are things that speak to or imply someone’s personal characteristics, traits or intentions. This includes information such as a person’s race, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation/practices, gender identity, disability, medical condition (physical/mental), financial status, voting status, membership in a trade union, criminal record or name. Even if you’re using these descriptions in a positive light, Facebook bots use keyword detection and may calculate that you are targeting a group of individuals in a demeaning way even if you are not.
These are a few examples of what copy is good and bad in Facebook’s robotic eyes:
GOOD: “Find sexy singles today.”
BAD: “Meet other singles near you!”
GOOD: “LGBT Dance Clubs”
BAD: “Are you part of the LGBT community?”
Good: “We have financial services to cover every financial need.”
BAD: “Broke? Bankrupt? Check out our services.”
It all comes down to the context of the individual words being used and whether that usage implies potential negativity toward personal attributes. In fact, your best bet is to try and not hyper-target your advertising copy to a specific person. Instead, use the targeting settings within your Facebook ad campaign to reach the customers you want to show your ads to. You don’t have to yell at them specifically to get their attention. If your product or service aligns with their interests and they are interested in your product or service they will engage with your ad.
2. Watch out for possible Third-Party Infringement.
Ads can be taken down or rejected if Facebook predicts or someone reports the ad as a copyright concern. It could be violating the rights of a third-party including that party’s privacy, trademarks, publicity or other personal and propriety rights. It’s also important to make sure you have permission to use any images you have included in your ads. You can’t just take any image from Google and drop it into your ad. That will put you in hot water every time. If you’re referring to “Facebook” in your ad that is very likely to get rejected as well. If you have to mention them make sure to always capitalize the “F” and have Facebook in the same font and size as the words beside it.
A good example of what might cause your ad to get rejected when it comes to third-party infringement would be if you are a reseller of brand names. Say you bought a pair of NIKE shoes at a warehouse outlet and you want to sell them online through your Shopify store. If you were to write “NIKE” anywhere in your ad, your ad will likely get rejected because you aren’t an authorized vendor of NIKE. So, avoid anything trademark related and let the product photos do the talking.
3. Poorly executed ads.
A positive user experience is number one for Facebook. They want everyone to enjoy the platform and not be bombarded by unprofessional ads. You must not promote products, services, schemes or offers using deceptive or misleading practices and claims. For example, saying, “We will cure your illness” is misleading as it may not be true. Saying “We can help cure your illness” is more reliable for the brand and doesn’t give the customer false hope. Facebook is also not the place for “clickbait.” Don’t promise an impossible outcome on behalf of your business and don’t promote unrealistic ideas just to get attention.
IMPORTANT: Check your grammar! If your ad includes grammatically incorrect sentences, spelling mistakes or unusual formatting, Facebook may reject that ad. These mistakes also cast your business in a negative light and can be considered unprofessional, lazy or even cause a potential customer’s view of your business to become negative. Customers want that “WOW” factor. You want your ads to be slick, professionally designed, direct and to the point. That being said, don’t use “shock” factors overly in your advertising. The more over-the-top the ad is, the more likely it is to be rejected. Any graphic content will be taken down as will any aggressive, flashing lights. An ad that looks “too busy” is likely to be removed from the platform.
Poor photo quality.
An image is worth 1000 words and is a core selling factor within your advertising campaign. Images help catch a user’s eye as they scroll through Facebook. If your ad looks too much like an ad, or if it looks too much like any old post, it’s unlikely that your audience will stop scrolling and pay attention.
Images with a “play” button or a “click for more information” button aren’t allowed and likely will be rejected. If you want to use a video in your advertising upload it directly into the campaign. Or, if you want the ad to link to a specific page of your website use the link feature when building your ad. When someone clicks anywhere on the image or on the call to action button they will be taken to your link. No need to put a button on the actual image itself.
If you offer personal services like a fitness coach, or a health and wellness provider or are promoting a product or service that would relate to a person’s wellbeing do not use photos with before and after shots. These promote body dysmorphia and may have negative impacts on users. Having a photo of a very fit person is okay but when you zoom in on their stomach, it can promote negative self-perceptions in relation to diet, weight loss or other health-related products.
What to do if Facebook rejects your ad.
If your ad has been rejected by Facebook you should have an option to appeal the decision. Facebook will send you a notification saying that your ad has been rejected. Often times they will also send you a hot link in the email or notification to their rules and regulations which you can read through to see if there is something you have done to break their rules. If you find that your wording, imagery, or industry goes against their rules, you need to modify the ad to fit within their allowed parameters and then you can try publishing your ad again. Or, if you feel your ad complies without any changes you can simply click the request a review button and they will have someone review it. If the human that reviews your ad decides that your ad does not meet the rules they will not approve your ad. If they reject it again you must modify the ad and try again.
IMPORTANT: Be careful how many times you try to publish the same ad without substantial changes because if your ads are rejected too many times your ad account and/or Facebook page can get banned from advertising together for consistently breaking their rules.
If your page or ad account does get restricted from advertising you typically only have one chance to appeal their decision before they mark their decision as final. If their decision is final they will stop allowing you to appeal the decision and there will be little hope of them unrestricting your account. This is why it’s more important than ever to work with an experienced Facebook advertising professional when advertising on Facebook.
If you’re wanting to advertise on Facebook and want to avoid the hiccups or if you’re looking to get better results from your advertising on Facebook, call us! At 3SIXTYMarketing Solutions, we can assist you with creating your ad, analyzing your target audience, and optimizing your campaign to get you the best return on your investment possible. We’ll even help you measure your marketing’s effectiveness and reach by reviewing all statistics that come from your advertising campaigns and are associated with your social media profiles. To get started give us a call today at (705) 252-4180 or click here to set up a virtual consultation with us! We can’t wait to help you take your business to the next level.
