Facebook and Instagram ads are a great way to grow your business. They can help you gain more followers, drive traffic to your website, increase brand awareness and sell your products online. One of the most frustrating things about Facebook ads is that many ads get rejected. Seriously, ad rejection is an issue that even the most experienced marketers deal with.
So, the question then is, how can I avoid it and what can I do to fix it. To help you avoid the headache of rejections and get your ad up and running if it is rejected we have put together this blog.
Special Ad Categories
Let’s start with on of the most common reasons ads are rejected, Special Ad Categories. Special Ad Categories is a part of Facebook and Instagram Ads that is often ignored. However, for many businesses this is something to pay attention to and could be the reason that your ads are getting rejected.
So, who needs to worry about special ad categories? Anyone who is creating an ad related to Employment, Housing, Credit, or Politics. For example, if you are running an ad promoting an open position at your store, showing off a new home listing, or offering loans you need to select a Special Ad Category.
Facebook pays a lot of attention to these categories so that people can not discriminate in who they sell homes to, try to hire, offer financial services to, and the types of political content shown. One more thing to note, if you are trying to run political ads there is a longer approval process one must go through.
Knowing all this you might be wondering, what can I do? Luckily, it is very simple to choose a Special Ad Category. All you have to do is select the category your ad falls into… seriously, that’s it!
Product Issues
Another common reason for Facebook ad rejection is product issues when creating your Facebook ad you’ll want to make sure there aren’t any errors related to the product you are advertising. This will help avoid any future rejections.
Some details you’ll want to pay attention to during the creation process are: provide accurate information throughout the ad, add correct links that lead to real websites (make sure the links are not broken!), grammatical errors (correct spelling & limit the amount of special characters used) and to be mindful of the amount of text you’re adding. Your end goal should be an easy to read ad that will grab someone’s attention within seconds.
A helpful tool you can use to prevent grammatical errors is Grammarly.
Sensitive Information
Facebook has policies in place that will reject ads when they violate restricted content rules and will automatically be rejected when they include any prohibited content.
The restricted content is permitted, however, you will need to make sure that you follow the rules related to that specific restriction. This is usually based on the area you are living or advertising to.
Here are some restricted content examples:
Alcohol
Dating
Gambling & Gaming
Subscription Services
Branded Content
Ads About Social Issues, Elections or Politics
To read the full list and learn more about Facebook’s restricted content, please click here.
Prohibited content is banned from being shared on Facebook. If this content is in your ad, it will be rejected.
Here are some Prohibited content examples:
Illegal Products or Services
Discriminatory Practices
Tobacco and Related Products
Unsafe Substances
Weapons, Ammunition, or Explosives
Misleading Claims
To read the full list and learn more about Facebook’s prohibited content, please click here.
Discrimination
Facebook ads are prohibited from discriminating against individuals or groups of people. When creating an ad, you need to make sure it lacks the following information per Facebook’s guidelines: “Ads are discriminatory when they deny opportunities to individuals or groups of people based on certain personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family/marital status, disability or medical or genetic condition." Ads created under the Real Estate, Employment and Credit will need to ensure their audience is inclusive and reaches all individuals and groups of people.
How to fix:
Instead of selecting one gender identity, select “All”
Target your ad to all individuals of the eligible age
Do not exclude certain post codes from your ad that would limit groups of people access to housing, job opportunities and/or credit
Make branded marketing videos and images
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