Why is it So Difficult to Get Ads Approved on Facebook?

For better or worse, Facebook is the most popular social-media platform, and, as such, the channel that most companies choose to advertise on. However, as many professionals have undoubtedly noticed, it’s become extremely difficult to get certain ads approved on Facebook. Indeed, anything from “before-and-after” pictures, to imprecise ad-text phrasing can spark a slew of rejections from Facebook’s advertising center. Marketers are now faced with two questions: why is it so hard to get Facebook ads approved, and (more importantly) how can avoid you avoid Facebook ad rejections? We’ll answer both below:

Why is Facebook Clamping Down?

It’s not that difficult to determine why Facebook is becoming more selective of its ads and (subsequently) protective of its users’ experience. After all, given the amount of legal trouble Mark Zuckerberg and co. have experienced in the preceding 18 months, it only makes sense for the company to change some its policies. What’s more, by prioritizing user privacy and experience, Facebook is attempting to make amends with individuals who have lost trust in the platform.

What Disqualifies a Facebook Ad?

The bad news for marketers is that seemingly anything can trigger a rejection from Facebook’s ad-screening process. (On that point, the process Facebook use to screen ads is one part automatic, one part manual. And this setup creates even more confusion!) Some criteria for advertising on the platform is obvious; you can’t, understandably, post adult content on Facebook Ads. Nor can you sell illegal items. However, other stipulations are much more subtle. For instance, Facebook will reject an ad that it deems to make assumptions about a person’s identity –– their race, gender, age, religion, lifestyle etc. This can get pretty confusing On Facebook’s own site, it states that an ad containing the phrase “Date Christian singles!” is acceptable, but that “Meet other Buddhists” is not. For a full list of Facebook’s prohibited content, click here.

Is Facebook Advertising Still Worth it?

Though advertising on Facebook is certainly more of a headache now than it once was, it’s still an extremely viable method for small businesses to increase their digital exposure and boost sales. And that’s especially true for companies that specialize in new tech developments, like speech recognition technology or call tracking services, for instance.

The key to building a functional and profitable Facebook ad campaign depends on mastering Facebook’s new advertising protocols. It may be wise for small business owners without much experience in this regard to hire a social-media marketing firm for assistance. In the meantime, avoiding sensationalized content, graphic images or language, and prioritizing the user within your ad text will help you avoid dreaded rejection notices.