How to Comply with Facebook Ad Rules
Having your Facebook ad rejected can feel like a punch in the gut, especially when you're not sure which rule you broke. One moment you're ready to launch, and the next you're staring at a "not approved" notification that leaves you confused and frustrated. This guide will walk you through the most common Facebook ad rules, why they exist, and how to stay compliant so you can keep your campaigns running smoothly.
Why Does Facebook Have So Many Ad Rules Anyway?
It can feel like Meta's ad policies are designed to make your life difficult, but they primarily exist for one reason: to protect the user experience. Meta is juggling the interests of three groups:
Users: They want to see relevant, interesting content without feeling scammed, targeted, or unsafe. A bad user experience means people leave the platform.
Advertisers (You): You want to reach your target audience and get a return on your investment.
Meta: They want to keep both users and advertisers happy so their business can thrive.
If the platform became flooded with deceptive, low-quality, or offensive ads, users would stop scrolling. No users mean no audience for advertisers. The rules, as strict as they seem, are in place to maintain this balance and ensure the ads people see are trustworthy and high-quality.
The Most Common Reasons Facebook Ads Get Rejected (And How to Fix Them)
Facebook's advertising guidelines can be separated into two main categories: Prohibited Content (things that are never allowed) and Restricted Content (things that are allowed with specific rules). But beyond those, there are several nuanced policies that trip up marketers every day. Let's break them down.
Prohibited Content: The Absolute "Don'ts"
This is the easy part. These are the categories that are flat-out banned from the platform. Trying to advertise these will not only get your ad rejected but could also lead to your ad account being disabled. The list includes but isn't limited to:
Illegal products or services
Tobacco and related products
Unsafe supplements (as determined by Meta)
Weapons, ammunition, or explosives
Adult products or services (with some exceptions for family planning and contraception)
Deceptive business practices or scams ("get rich quick" schemes)
Multi-level marketing schemes
The takeaway: If your product or service falls into one of these categories, Facebook Ads isn't the right channel for you.
Restricted Content: The "Be Careful" Categories
Restricted content isn't banned, but it requires advertisers to follow specific rules, often related to user targeting and local laws. This is where many businesses need to tread carefully.
Alcohol: Ads must comply with all local laws and industry codes. This means strict age-gating and targeting only to countries where it's legally permissible.
Online Gambling and Gaming: You need written permission from Meta and must target only approved locations with proper age restrictions.
Financial and Insurance Products: Ads for credit cards, loans, or insurance services must be transparent about fees, interest rates, and the institution's contact information. You can't request sensitive financial information directly in the ad.
Weight Loss Products and Plans: You must target users who are 18 or older. The messaging must be realistic and not promise miracle cures.
Ads About Social Issues, Elections, or Politics: These require a specific authorization process and a "Paid for by" disclaimer.
The takeaway: If you operate in a restricted category, read the specific policy page for your industry very carefully before creating your ads.
Personal Attributes: The Most Common Mistake Marketers Make
This is arguably the policy that trips up the most well-intentioned advertisers. Facebook's policy on personal attributes states that you cannot call out or imply that you know a user's personal characteristics. This includes race, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, financial status, or criminal record.
Your ad copy should focus on your product or service, not on the user's identity.
Here’s how this plays out in practice:
Not Allowed: "Struggling with debt? Our financial planning service can help you get back on track."Why it's wrong: It directly calls out the user's negative financial status ("struggling with debt").Better: "Take control of your finances. Our service helps you plan for a brighter financial future."
Not Allowed: "Are you a new homeowner?"Why it's wrong: It implies you know their homeownership status.Better: "Protect your new investment. Our products are perfect for new homeowners."
Not Allowed: "Finally, a dating app for Christian singles."Why it's wrong: It directly references the user's religious affiliation.Better: "Find matches who share your values. Join a community built on faith and shared beliefs."
The solution is to frame your copy around the solution you offer, not the personal problem or characteristic of the person you're targeting. Speak to their needs without making them feel singled out.
Misleading Claims and Sensationalism
Your ads must not contain deceptive, false, or misleading claims. This applies to both the ad itself and the claims made on your landing page. If there's a disconnect between your ad's promise and what your landing page delivers, your ad will likely be rejected.
Things to avoid:
Exaggerated Results: "Lose 30 pounds in 15 days!" or "Triple your income overnight!" Claims must be realistic and achievable. Use of testimonials is fine, but they shouldn't represent "typical results" if they're extraordinary.
"Before and After" Images: These are often flagged, especially in the health, fitness, and beauty niches, as they can imply unrealistic results and prey on insecurities. Focus on showing a person happily using your product instead.
Fake Scarcity or Functionality: Don't use fake countdown timers that reset every time the page loads. Avoid images with "play" buttons or fake notification icons that don't actually work. This is considered low-quality and deceptive.
Clickbait headlines: Phrases like "You won’t BELIEVE this one simple trick..." might get clicks, but Meta sees them as a poor user experience. Be straightforward and clear about what you're offering.
Non-Functional Landing Pages
The approval process doesn’t stop at your ad. Meta's bots crawl your landing page to ensure it provides a good user experience and is directly relevant to the ad.
Here’s what they look for:
The page must work. No 404 errors, broken links, or incredibly slow load times.
Relevance is mandatory. If your ad promotes hiking boots, the landing page should be about those hiking boots, not your homepage or a page about summer sandals.
Avoid disruptive elements. Landing pages with aggressive pop-ups, pop-unders, or intrusive ads are often rejected. The path to your offer should be clear and unobstructed.
Clarity and honesty. Your landing page must clearly deliver on the promise made in your ad creative.
What to Do When Your Ad is Rejected
First, don't panic. Ad rejections happen to even the most experienced advertisers. Here’s a simple process to follow:
Read the Reason for Rejection: Facebook will provide a notification telling you which specific policy your ad violated. While sometimes the reason can be a bit generic, it’s always your first clue.
Review Both Your Ad and Landing Page: Objectively read your ad copy, look at your image/video, and then go through your landing page experience as a new user would. A misleading headline on your landing page could be the reason your ad was rejected.
Edit and Resubmit: If you spot the mistake (like a piece of copy that violates the 'Personal Attributes' policy), the fastest solution is often to edit the ad, fix the issue, and resubmit it for review.
Request a Review: If you've reviewed the policies and genuinely believe your ad is compliant and the rejection was an automated error, you can click the "Request Review" button. This sends your ad to a human reviewer. Briefly and politely explain why you believe your ad follows the rules. This process can take a day or two. Do not abuse this feature, only use it when you're confident there's been a mistake.
Final Thoughts
Staying compliant with Facebook's ad rules might seem intimidating, but it all comes down to creating a positive and trustworthy experience for the end-user. By focusing on clear, honest copy, providing value, and respecting user privacy, you'll not only avoid ad rejections but also build more effective and resonant campaigns.
While you focus on creating compliant, high-performing ads, we handle the part that usually comes next: the overwhelming task of tracking results. Instead of losing hours to spreadsheets, you can use Graphed to connect your advertising accounts and instantly see what’s working. Get a clear view of which campaigns drive sales, your true ROI, and how different creative is performing in real-time, freeing you to focus on strategy instead of manual reporting grunt work.