Many businesses try to run their own Facebook ad campaigns. After a while, they realise that they’re losing time and money. Then they hop on a consultation call with a PPC marketing company like us. One of the first questions we hear is this, ‘Why was my Facebook ad rejected’?
Unfortunately, there’s no one answer to that question. Facebook has a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to advertising. What may have been rejected on one campaign may be accepted on another. That’s depending on the specific details involved.
There are some general reasons though. We’re going to run you through those today.
Why was my Facebook ad rejected – Advertising on Facebook 101
Facebook ads have the highest ROI amongst all paid advertising platforms. It’s no wonder that over 3 million advertisers use the platform. Now imagine the sheer volume of ads that Facebook has to review each day.
Certainly no cakewalk. So, they use automated programmes and algorithms to filter out ads that don’t follow the set of advertising rules and regulations. These are AI-powered programmes with astute accuracy. That said, sometimes they can get it wrong.
So, the first thing to do is to review why Facebook rejected the ad. Did you accidentally violate any of their advertising policies? Were you trying to advertise disallowed products or services on the Facebook ad platform? More on this below.
Here’s how you can find out the reason.
Open Facebook Ad Manager. Select the Ad level display. Now click on ‘Edit’ on the rejected advertisement and see the reason.
What’s against Facebook’s advertising policies
Before you start to wonder why was my Facebook ad rejected, you should review Facebook’s Advertising Policies in detail. To be honest, it’s not easy. Facebook has been tightening its grasp on what’s allowed and what’s not. So their list of prohibited content is constantly expanding.
That said, there are a few obvious ones that you need to be aware of. Illegal content for certain demographics and age groups. For instance, showing alcohol ads to people under the legal age in their country of residence. Also, the following:
- Ads that infringe on copyright
- Discriminatory ads
- Ads that request sensitive information
- Cryptocurrency, drugs, tobacco, weapons, MLM, weight loss products, adult ads, malware or misleading ads
- Poor wording or grammar
- Too many images or too much text
As we said, this is just a brief list. The actual one is much longer. So, it’s important to be aware of Facebook’s advertising policies before creating your ad.
Other common reasons why your Facebook may reject your ad
Okay. So you’ve looked through the above list and you’re positive that you are not in violation of any of Facebook’s Advertising Policies. Then what could be the reason for Facebook rejecting the ad?
There’s more as we said. Here are some of the common ones that we’ve come across.
Why was my Facebook Ad rejected – Poor or redirected Landing Page
Does your ad copy leads to a landing page? Ensure that the page is well-designed and relevant to the ad. Sometimes people click on an ad and it redirects them to a completely different page. Facebook will reject the ad. The reason? They believe that the ad is misleading the user.
Facebook will also reject landing pages that are poorly designed or riddled with errors. Some Blackhat marketers use redirection scripts to hijack the system. If Facebook detects this, it will suspend your Ad account permanently.
Too much text
Facebook generally rejects image ads with too much text. This is because it wants the user to focus on the image and not the text. They believe that users are more likely to click on an ad with a strong visual. So, if your ad has too much text, you know why. Sometimes, they don’t reject it right away. Sometimes, the reach will be severely limited.
Initially, they had a Facebook Text Overlay tool that showed you exactly how much text to use. But that tool’s been discontinued. It’s an indicator that Facebook has relaxed the rule. Having said that, it might still be a smart idea to use 20% text on images within the ad. Anything more might limit the visibility of the image.
Low-quality images
Low-quality images in your ads get the Facebook rejection hammer. The images should be high-resolution and of good quality. Ads with blurry or pixelated images are not likely to make the cut.
Wrong placement
Incorrect placement of your ad can also lead to rejection. For instance, if you place an ad on a page that doesn’t belong to your target audience, Facebook will reject it. This is because they want the ads to be seen by people who are likely to be interested in them.
Why was my Facebook Ad rejected – Unrealistic claims or images
Facebook may reject the ad if it contains unrealistic claims or images. For example, an ad that shows a person losing a lot of weight in a very short time span. Dietary supplement ads like these are likely to be rejected straight away. That’s because it’s not believable. So, make sure that your ads are realistic and don’t contain any false information.
Appealing against an incorrect rejection
So now you know some of the common reasons why Facebook may reject your ads. But what do you do if you think that the rejection was incorrect?
Facebook allows you to appeal for a review. Reviews generally take up to 24 hours. But may take more time in some cases. Head to the Account quality page. Select the Ad or Ad set that didn’t make it. Click on ‘Request review’ and hit ‘Submit’. Now keep an eye on the Account quality page for an update.
If the review is successful and they approve the ad, it will automatically start displaying. So, it’s important that you keep an eye on the status. But there’s a possibility that they may reject it again. Unfortunately, then there’s no way to re-appeal. It means you cannot run that ad permanently.
Are appeals really effective?
Well, there’s no clear consensus. When you submit an appeal, you expect a manual review. But Facebook uses a mix of AI and manual input to review appeals. This means, that there’s a distinct possibility that a real person may never see your appeal.
That said, you should not submit for a re-appeal unless you are absolutely sure that the rejection was incorrect. Because it is a single shot. If Facebook rejects the ad again, it stays rejected.
Why was my Facebook Ad rejected – Our set of best practices
It’s frustrating when your Facebook rejects your ads. But it’s important to remember that Facebook has a set of guidelines that all ads must adhere to. We have created winning creatives for our clients for years. Our Facebook Ad team has a set of best practices that we follow.
It’s not something that’s written out there in a guide. It’s something we learned and honed on the job. If Facebook is frequently rejecting your ads, this might help you.
Be aware of industry-specific restrictions
Facebook strictly prohibits some verticals. But there are others that are in a grey area with heavy restrictions. Facebook does not completely prohibit these. But there’s a thin line that you shouldn’t trespass while promoting these.
For example, Facebook does not allow ads that promote the sale of firearms. But they do allow ads for gun safes and other shooting accessories in most parts of the world. So, make sure you are aware of these restrictions before creating your ad.
Why was my Facebook Ad rejected – Don’t mislead
That’s not so hard, is it? Use clear and concise language in your ads. Make sure that the claims you are making are true. Clickbait is a strict no-no. Facebook is very strict about this. They frequently reject ads for misleading people.
Don’t use fake URLs to get your ads approved. Design landing pages with the same look and feel as your website. Make sure that the offer on the landing page is true to what you promised in the ad.
Use quality creatives
Sometimes you may have no answer as to why was my Facebook ad rejected. Maybe you should evaluate the creatives. Facebook is very strict about the quality of creatives. They must be high quality and relevant to the offer.
They will reject your ad if your creatives are not up to the mark. So, make sure you use high-quality images and videos in your ads. And, most importantly, don’t use copyrighted material without permission.
Why was my Facebook ad rejected – Don’t use Facebook’s brand assets
Facebook’s brand assets are strictly off-limits. You cannot use them in your ads without prior written permission from Facebook. For example, you cannot use the ‘like’ button in your ad creatives. Nor can you use the Facebook or Instagram logo.
Our Thoughts
At Rockstar Marketing, we believe that you can minimise ad rejections. A successful Facebook ad campaign is all about understanding the platform. Your PPC team should be aware of its guidelines. Facebook has policies that change dynamically. It’s tough to stay in Facebook’s good books all the time.
Especially if you are also handling a million other things. Are you’re still not sure why your Facebook ad was rejected? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’ll be more than happy to help.
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