Why is Meta rejecting your ads? Reasons and fixes
Running ads on Meta platforms (like Facebook and Instagram) is a powerful way to reach your target audience (as we’ve proven here, here, and here!).
But sometimes, ads get rejected. It can be incredibly frustrating and confusing.
At Trapeze Media, our creative teams and paid ads specialists work together closely while conceptualising ad assets to ensure all the visuals we feature in our Meta campaigns have a minimal chance of getting rejected.
Below, we’ve explained some of the most common reasons why ads get rejected, so you can start troubleshooting and getting your campaigns back in action.
Violating Meta’s Advertising Policies
Meta have detailed advertising policies that cover a wide range of topics, including prohibited content, restricted content, and community standards.
Here are some key common causes of ad rejection:
Prohibited Content: Ads that promote illegal products or services, discriminatory practices, or deceptive and misleading claims are not allowed.
Restricted Content: Content related to alcohol, gambling, weight loss, and financial products may have additional restrictions, and often require special permissions.
Community Standards: Your ad should not promote content that is considered hateful, violent, or inappropriate.
How to fix: Review Meta’s advertising policies and ensure your ad’s wording, visuals, and linked-to landing page comply with these stipulations.
For example, when we worked on Meta adverts for our client Maximiles — a market research business who incentivise people to take part in surveys in exchange for rewards — some of our ads were being flagged for ‘promoting gambling’. We fixed the issue by avoiding certain prohibited language, e.g. instead of “receive prizes,” we used “earn rewards.” We also ensured that the landing pages our ads were pointing to matched the terminology of the ads, and that they had the legally-required privacy policy and company address included in the website footer.
Issues with special ads categories
Choosing the right category for your ad campaign is an important part of following Meta’s advertising standards. When you create a campaign, you’re required to specify if you are running an ad to promote a ‘special ad category’ — these categories have specific requirements, such as:
For ads about social issues, elections, or politics, disclaimers about who authorised and funded the ads
For ads about credit, employment, or housing opportunities, more restricted audience targeting tools, to help protect people from unlawful discrimination
Using a ‘special’ ad category may limit your targeting options during the ad creation process. For instance, while running a lead-gen campaign to recruit new staff for a care home we were working with, we had to be mindful that our Meta ad campaigns fell under both the ‘housing’ and ‘employment’ categories, so we had to be particularly strategic in how we reached the right audiences while also adhering to Meta’s non-discriminative targeting restrictions, e.g. not targeting by age, gender, or postcode, and not using exclusion targeting, lookalike audiences, saved audiences, and some interest-driven targeting.
Issues with Ad Copy and Text
Ads with misleading claims, inappropriate language, or unrealistic/exaggerated results in the wording are likely to get rejected.
Don’t boldly overstate things, e.g. "Lose 10 pounds in a week" or "Make £1,000 overnight."
Don’t go overboard with punctuation in an attempt to catch people’s eyes. Using all caps, multiple exclamation marks, or irrelevant symbols can trigger rejections.
Poor grammar and spelling mistakes can also lead to disapproval.
How to fix: Ensure your ad copy is clear, honest, and free of errors. Avoid using superlative claims unless they are backed by credible evidence.
Inappropriate or Misleading Imagery
Even mildly sexually-suggestive images can spark ad rejections.
The same’s true for graphic, violent, or other such shocking visuals.
Also, images should never be misleading (e.g. they shouldn’t exaggerate a product’s effects or benefits).
How to fix: Use images that are relevant, professional, and appropriate for all audiences. Steer clear of any content that could be considered suggestive or misleading.
Landing Page Quality Issues
Meta don’t just review your ad — they also review the landing page you’re sending people to via your ad. If the landing page experience is poor or misleading, your ad could be flagged.
First and foremost, the landing page content should actually align with what your ad promises. If users land on a page that doesn’t match the ad’s message, it’ll likely end up getting rejected.
Webpages which are slow to load, difficult to navigate, or filled with excessive pop-ups might also score you a rejection.
And, of course, it’s no surprise that landing pages which make misleading claims or ask for sensitive information without justification are often rejected.
How to fix: Ensure your landing page delivers a solid user experience, with content that matches your ad. Test your landing page speed, usability, and relevance regularly.
Errors with Audience Targeting
It’s important that your ad is shown to the right audience — otherwise, it could get hit with a rejection.
Ads must not target specific groups unfairly, e.g. excluding people based on race, gender, or age in sensitive areas like housing or employment.
In terms of targeting size, it’s best not to go too big or too small. It can kill engagement, and make Meta a little more wary about displaying your ads to its users.
How to fix: Review your audience settings to ensure compliance with Meta’s targeting guidelines. Avoid excluding or narrowing your audience in ways that could be seen as discriminatory.
Use of Restricted Ad Formats
Certain ad formats, like those involving video, carousel, or lead forms, have additional guidelines that need to be followed.
Videos with excessive text overlays, shaky footage, or misleading content can be disapproved.
And for lead form ads, forms must be set up correctly and should not collect sensitive information without clear intent.
How to fix: Follow the best practices for each ad format. For videos, ensure good quality and clear messaging. For lead forms, keep them straightforward and compliant with Meta’s data collection policies.
Copyright and Trademark Violations
Using images, videos, music, or any other content that you do not own or have permission to use can land you with an ad rejection.
Featuring the logos of third-party brands without appropriate permission can get you in hot water (especially if the brand’s legal team notices and reports your ad).
Using images or videos from the internet without the right licensing is also a common reason for rejection.
How to fix: Use original content or ensure you have the proper licenses and authorisation to use third-party content.
Non-Compliance with Industry-Specific Regulations
Certain industries, such as healthcare, finance, and political advertising, have strict advertising regulations. Non-compliance with these rules often brings down the ad rejection hammer.
Ads promoting medical devices, supplements, or procedures must comply with strict guidelines.
And financial ads should provide clear disclaimers and must not promise ‘guaranteed results’.
How to fix: Remain well-versed in the specific guidelines for your industry and ensure all content complies with the required standards.
Most paid ad rejection issues can be easily resolved by understanding and adhering to Meta’s policies. Before launching any ad campaign, thoroughly review your content, landing pages, and targeting settings. If your ad is rejected, take a closer look at the feedback provided by Meta, make the necessary adjustments, and resubmit your ad. And if you can’t seem to get a handle on the problem, reach out to us.
