How to Approve My Facebook Ad

You’ve crafted the perfect ad creative, written compelling copy, and zeroed in on your ideal audience. You hit “Publish” on your new Facebook ad campaign and wait for the results to pour in. Instead, you get a notification that dashes your hopes: “Your ad wasn't approved.” It’s a frustrating and all-too-common experience for advertisers. This guide will walk you through why Facebook ads get disapproved, what to do about it, and how to get your campaigns approved and running.

Understanding the Facebook Ad Review Process

Once you submit an ad, it enters Facebook’s Ad Review System. This process examines every part of your ad - including the text, image or video, audience targeting, and even the content on your landing page - to ensure it follows their Advertising Policies. Here’s a quick breakdown of what happens behind the scenes.

Automated and Manual Reviews

Initially, an advanced AI system automatically reviews your ad. It scans for common policy violations, flagging anything that seems to break the rules. This is why many reviews happen within minutes. However, in some cases, an ad may be sent for a manual review by a human team. This can happen if the AI is uncertain about your ad's content or if you request a second look after a rejection.

How Long Does It Take?

Most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, though it can often be much faster. During busy periods or when an ad requires a closer look, the review might take longer. If your ad is "In Review" for more than 48 hours, it's worth checking its status in your Account Quality dashboard.

Top 9 Reasons Facebook Disapproves Ads

Getting your ad rejected can feel arbitrary, but it usually comes down to a specific policy violation. Let's look at the most common reasons ads get flagged.

1. Unsupported Claims & Misleading Information

This is one of the biggest hurdles for advertisers. Facebook wants to protect users from deceptive practices. Your ad is likely to be disapproved if it contains:

• Exaggerated Results: Claims like "Triple your income overnight!" or "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!" are red flags. Your ad and landing page must set realistic and verifiable expectations.
• "Get-Rich-Quick" Schemes: Ads that promise large financial returns with minimal investment, particularly in areas like multi-level marketing or cryptocurrency, are heavily scrutinized and often rejected.
• Misleading Buttons or Functionality: Images that include fake “play” buttons, checkboxes, or anything designed to trick a user into clicking will be rejected.

2. Targeting Personal Attributes

Facebook’s Personal Attributes policy is nuanced but crucial to understand. You cannot create ads that imply you know someone's personal characteristics. The rule is you can target an audience based on interests or demographics, but you can’t call them out on it in your ad copy.

• Don’t Do This: "Suffering from back pain? We can help."
• Instead, Do This: "Our ergonomic chairs provide all-day support for your back."

The first example directly addresses a personal health condition, while the second focuses on the product's benefits without making assumptions about the viewer. You're talking about your product, not the user's specific problem.

3. "Before and After" Images

Ads featuring "before and after" images are almost always disapproved, especially in the health, wellness, and beauty industries. These images are seen as setting unrealistic expectations and can negatively impact a user's self-esteem. Avoid images that show specific results that are unlikely or unexpected, such as those related to weight loss, hair growth, or cosmetic procedures.

4. Landing Page Issues

What’s on your landing page matters just as much as what's in your ad. The review system checks to ensure the user’s experience after the click is safe, relevant, and not disruptive. Common landing page issues include:

• Lack of Functionality: A broken link, a 404 error page, or a page that is still under construction will get your ad rejected.
• Doesn't Match the Ad: The product, service, or offer on your landing page must directly correspond to what you promised in your ad. A bait-and-switch will lead to rejection.
• Disruptive Content: Pages cluttered with excessive pop-ups, obtrusive ads, or autoplaying videos that detract from the user experience are not allowed.
• Not Mobile-Optimized: A huge portion of Facebook users are on mobile, so your landing page must be easy to navigate on a smaller screen.

5. Restricted Content Categories

Some industries and products are not banned outright but fall under a "Restricted Content" category. Running ads in these areas often requires special permissions or adherence to stricter guidelines.

• Alcohol: Ads promoting alcohol must comply with local laws and target users of legal drinking age.
• Dating Services: Requires written permission from Meta and has very specific rules about creative and targeting.
• Financial and Insurance Services: Ads for loans, credit cards, or insurance often get extra scrutiny to protect users from predatory practices. You need to be transparent about fees, interest rates, and all associated terms.
• Weight Loss and Health Products: This category is heavily moderated to prevent unsafe claims. You must avoid focusing on negative self-perception or promising miraculous cures. Focus on healthy lifestyles rather than dramatic, quick-fix results.

6. Prohibited Content

This is the straightforward stuff. There are certain categories Facebook prohibits entirely to maintain a safe platform. Pushing the boundaries here is the fastest way to not only get an ad rejected but also get your ad account disabled. These include:

• Weapons, ammunition, or explosives.
• Tobacco and related products.
• Illegal drugs or unsafe supplements.
• Adult products or services (with some exceptions for non-sexual family planning).
• Content that infringes on third-party copyrights or trademarks.

7. Use of Facebook or Instagram Brands

You can mention "Facebook" or "Instagram" in your ad text for context... but you can't use their logos or represent your brand in a way that implies an official partnership or endorsement. Always write "Facebook" with a capital "F," and don't make it the most prominent feature of your ad creative.

8. Low-Quality or Spammy Text

Your ad copy should be professional and easy to read. Ads that look like spam will not be approved. Watch out for:

• Excessive punctuation!!!!!?!?!?
• ALL CAPS TYPING
• Grammatical errors and misspellings
• Using symbols or unconventional characters to obscure words (like Fr€€ or S@le)

9. Sensational or Shocking Content

Facebook aims to provide a positive user experience. Ads that use shocking, disrespectful, or violent imagery will be rejected. This also includes clickbait language designed to provoke a strong emotional reaction just to get a click. Keep your content respectful and straightforward.

Ad Disapproved? Here's Your 4-Step Action Plan

It’s frustrating, but an ad disapproval is not the end of the world. Follow these steps to resolve the issue and get back on track.

1. Read the Rejection Notice: Facebook will typically email you and provide a notification in your Ads Manager that explains which policy your ad violated. This is your starting point. Don't just dismiss it - read it to understand why your ad was rejected.
2. Review Your Ad and Landing Page: Go back and analyze every component of what you submitted. Look at the ad copy, the image/video, and the audience targeting. Most importantly, check your landing page. Compare everything against the policy Facebook cited in the rejection notice. The problem is often subtle, like a single problematic phrase or an image that implies an unrealistic outcome.
3. Edit the Ad or Create a New One: Based on your review, fix the problem. You have two options:
4. Request a Manual Review (If You Disagree): If you’ve read the policy carefully and genuinely believe the automated system made a mistake, you can request another review. Go to your Account Quality dashboard, select the rejected ad, and click the "Request Review" button. In the pop-up, you’ll have a chance to briefly and politely explain why you believe your ad meets the policies. A real person will then review your ad, and this decision is usually final.

Final Thoughts

Navigating Facebook’s Ad Policies can feel like walking through a minefield, but the system is designed to create a better experience for users. By understanding the common pitfalls, focusing on clear and honest communication, and ensuring a seamless experience from ad to landing page, you can dramatically increase your approval rate and spend more time optimizing your campaigns.

Once your ads are approved and running, the real work begins: tracking performance to understand what moves the needle. Pulling data from Facebook Ads, Google Analytics, and your e-commerce platform can quickly turn into a time-consuming manual task. We built Graphed to simplify this process. We let you connect your data sources in just a few clicks and use simple, natural language to get instant answers. You can ask for dashboards like “Show me my top-performing Facebook campaigns by revenue” and get a real-time report in seconds, helping you make smarter decisions without the spreadsheet drudgery.