As a consumer on Facebook, you see ads all the time— but what determines which ads get aired? The platform has rules to make sure ads meet their standards, and they’re strictly enforced. You may find your Facebook ad was rejected and not understand why— but we’ve got you covered.
How to Know Your Facebook Ad Was Rejected
The first step to fixing your ad rejection is knowing your Facebook ad was rejected in the first place— which isn’t as obvious as it may sound. Facebook puts all ads through a couple of automated reviews before they publish. If the algorithms determine the ad fails one of their guidelines or restrictions, the ad will be rejected.
The problem is that Facebook isn’t going to alert you if they reject one of your ads— which means the best way to stay on top of the status of your ads is to stay on the site after you publish an ad to see if it passes the automated checklist to go live. Clicking the Ads Manager button on your Facebook dashboard will take you to a page where you can see the status of all your ads in one place.
Why Your Facebook Ad Was Rejected (It Might Not Be What You Think)
Facebook’s ad content policies are in place to maintain compliance with laws, to ensure Facebook users have a pleasant experience using the platform, and to guarantee that consumer interactions with the ads are consistent. All of these factors play a part in whether or not your ads are approved or not, but in the end, the most frequent reasons for ads being rejected are these:
- The images in your ad have too much text in them or aren’t related to the ad copy
- The text or images in your ad are copyrighted
- Your ad copy has poor grammar or uses all caps
- Your ad copy is targeted too specifically to a certain group of people
- The ad makes unrealistic promises or misleading assertions
- The display URL in your ad doesn’t match the destination page
- Illegal or restricted content for target groups, ie: selling alcohol to people under 21
- Ads intended to discriminate or provoke
- Use of other companies’ brand assets such as color or logo
- Ads using screenshots of the Facebook user interface
- Requests for sensitive information such as health data or criminal history
Additionally, there is some content Facebook has completely prohibited from being advertised on their site, including the following:
- Cigarettes and other tobacco products and accessories
- Prescription drug ads
- Weapons or ammunition
- Nudity or other adult content
- Misinformation or intentionally misleading content
- Multilevel marketing and other predatory business practices
Luckily, when ads are rejected, you do get hard data about why the algorithm rejected them, right there in the Ads Manager. You’ll see a red icon and message explaining in detail what rule the ad broke, so you should be able to tell right away how to fix it. If an ad is rejected for multiple reasons, you’ll see a separate notice for each one, and you’ll need to acknowledge each one and confirm you’ve fixed the problem. Once that’s done, simply resubmit your ad and watch it go live!
Social Media Services with My Content Co
My Content Co knows how to create relevant, engaging, and timely digital content, just like you know how to grow your small business. We specialize in creating websites, blogs, social media posts, and newsletters that are consistent with your brand. Partner with us to keep your Facebook advertising up to date so that you can get back to doing what you do best – running your business. Visit us online or contact us today at 410-324-3934 to get started.