12 Facebook ads policies you need to know

Have you ever received a notice of violation Facebook’s advertising policies, with your ad not approved or your account locked? What exactly did you violate? Read on and MONA Media find out the details of the Facebook's advertising policies covered below, so you can avoid these needless mistakes.

What is Facebook's advertising policy?

Facebook advertising policies are the rules Facebook sets, and every advertiser posting content on the platform has to follow them. When you submit an ad, Facebook checks it against the criteria in the policy and decides whether it can run. The review is strict.

That is why, before running ads on Facebook, every account needs to know Facebook's current ad policy rules well, so ads are not rejected and the account is not locked.

-> Read more: What is VPCS? Tips for running ads for VPCS products on Facebook

How Facebook reviews ads against its policy

If you want to publish an ad from a personal account, you need to wait 24 hours or more for Facebook to review it. Facebook usually looks at two things when it reviews any ad:

• Landing page content: Facebook checks that the landing page is working and that its content matches the product or service in the ad.
• Ad content: Facebook checks that the images, text, layout and ad objective meet the criteria in the policy.

Once the ad has been reviewed, Facebook sends you the result. If your ad meets the rules, it can start running on Facebook right away.

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12 Facebook advertising policies you need to know

Writing "Facebook" in the wrong format

You are using Facebook to run ads and promote your brand, so you need to respect the platform in your own ad copy. Facebook will not approve any post that writes the word "Facebook" incorrectly. Ads are only allowed to run when they write "Facebook" correctly, with a capital F.

Common variations such as fb, FB, facebook, Facebok,... all count as policy violations and will not be approved. When you write ad copy, spell and format the platform's name correctly. You should also avoid posts that use the Facebook logo alongside images that break the ad policy.

Before-and-after ads

Before-and-after ads are common in beauty businesses such as spas and cosmetics. Photos showing a customer before and after using a product or service work well on the customer's psychology. However, this is one of the formats Facebook prohibits in ads.

The platform treats these images as attacks on or defamation of an individual and bans them from Facebook ads entirely. Keep this in mind so your ad account is not disabled.

>> Learn more: How to fix a disabled Facebook Ads account

Sensitive 18+ images

Sensitive 18+ or indecent images are not allowed in ads under Facebook's advertising policy. Facebook is not alone: other social networks ban this kind of content too.

Ads that deliberately show too much skin are also restricted because they violate Facebook policy. Get your images right before you run ads so the approval process goes smoothly.

Offensive content

Be careful with sensitive words in your ad. Words that Facebook often flags as violations include: chest, bust, weight loss, fat loss, sex, erectile problems, hemorrhoids... Ads containing vulgar or sensitive words like these will not be approved.

If you try to get around the rules with offensive content and someone reports it, your campaign will be stopped immediately and your account locked.

->See now: Words banned in Facebook ads you need to know

Facebook ad policy on brand copyright

Facebook does not allow any account to run ads containing content or images related to famous brands, because that is trademark infringement. This is common with accounts selling hand-carried fashion or authentic-goods ordering services, and those ads will not succeed on Facebook.

Using celebrity photos

Another Facebook ad policy violation is using images of celebrities such as actors, singers, footballers and athletes to promote products or services. Products printed with a celebrity's image cannot be advertised on Facebook.

Violent images

Ads containing violent images or firearms are also rejected under Facebook's ad policy. In Vietnam, some products such as nunchucks and batons are sold for self-defense, but they are still classed as violent products. Even with a legitimate business purpose, store owners cannot advertise these items on Facebook.

Discriminatory content

Facebook's ad policy has added a rule against discrimination in ads, for example in housing, job and credit ads. According to the platform, factors such as gender, age and postal code can directly lead to discrimination. When you run these campaigns, audience targeting is restricted.

Content with guarantee wording

Facebook takes the view that "nothing is absolute", so posts with guarantee wording such as: guaranteed cure, guaranteed improvement, 100% complete cure, absolutely... are reviewed very closely by Facebook. 

Posts with this kind of language usually take Facebook a long time to approve. Even if the ad passes review, it is soon scanned again. So keep these words out of your ads.

Cigarettes and related products

Cigarettes, e-cigarettes and related products fall under content that Facebook reviews "extremely strictly", because these products are labeled as harmful to health.

Many shops selling these items still try to "get around the rules" and slip past Facebook's review. But given the strict policy and Facebook algorithm today, MONA still advises against advertising tobacco products, so Facebook does not remove the ads or lock the account.

Sensational content

Posts with sensational elements such as:

• Bloody or frightening images,...
• Violent or disturbing images that affect viewers psychologically,...

All fall under Facebook's banned content list. Think carefully before uploading this content if you don't want your account locked.

Broken or non-working landing page

Facebook ads usually include a link to the advertiser's landing page or website to increase traffic and conversion rate. If the link is broken or the page is down, Facebook will not approve the ad.

What to do when Facebook rejects your ad

When Facebook rejects an ad, what you do depends on the case. Here are some common, useful solutions MONA has put together for you:

• Edit the ad: After review, Facebook emails you the details of the violations in your ad. Use the standard criteria in the policy to fix the ad so it isn't rejected again.
• Send an appeal to Facebook: If you changed the content but the ad still isn't approved, or you disagree with Facebook's reason, you can send an appeal. However, in a trademark infringement case, no number of appeals will be accepted and your account will still be penalized.

In short, Meta has set out Facebook’s advertising policies that users must follow to keep the social network healthy. If you use the platform and plan a Facebook Ads strategy for your product or service, learn these rules and follow them so your ads are approved easily. We hope the information shared here MONA Media is useful to you.

>> See more:

• Words banned in Facebook ads
• What happens if you owe Facebook for ad spend?