Over the years, Facebook’s advertising platform has continued to evolve, adding more and more options to utilize in your targeting, while also becoming infinitely more complex. And Getting your Ad approved on Facebook became a challenge too.
It is frustrating when you’ve spent a long time crafting your copy, picking the perfect image or video, and finely tuning your audience targeting only for Facebook to say that your ad has not been approved.
Identifying which specific aspect of your ad is failing the approval process can be difficult. In most cases the notification from Facebook is pretty broad and non-specific – ‘Your ad isn’t approved because it doesn’t comply with our Advertising Policies. This information isn’t really going to help you make the right changes to get your ad approved and it can feel as though there is no rhyme or reason to Facebook’s approval or disapproval of ads.
So, we will try to provide a few DO’s and DON’Ts that can help to get your Facebook ads approved.
The DON’Ts: Common Reasons for Rejected Facebook Ads
Let’s break down the common reasons for rejections to understand how you can get your ad approved faster.
1. Too much text on the image
Do not use too much text on the image. Facebook’s ad policy states that your image may not have text over 20% of the area. While it may be tempting to try and fit more information into your image, remember that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Images are more engaging than text-based ads and result in higher click-through rates. Even if it wasn’t a Facebook policy, we’d recommend reducing the amount of text on your ads.
2. Non-functional landing page
Your ad copy is not the only thing that matters when it comes to getting your ad approved. Facebook also examines the landing page to which you’re sending people. If the landing page is substantially different from what you’re advertising, you can expect your ad to be rejected.
Resist the temptation to be overly clever and pull a bait-and-switch with your ads (i.e., advertising to lose the dead weight and linking to a divorce attorney’s site). Your landing page URL should also be reflective of the copy on the page.
Finally, make sure your landing page is functional. If customers have to click through pop-ups to get to the content, or there are dead links on the page, Facebook will potentially deny your ad.
3. Overly personal Ad copy
Wait, isn’t personalization what customers want? Yes, but only when they have expressly given permission for their data to be used. When an unknown advertiser (a third party) uses data, it can seem creepy or overreaching.
A study published in Harvard Business Review found that when “unacceptable, third-party sharing had occurred, concerns about privacy outweighed people’s appreciation for ad personalization.” In other words, users don’t feel comfortable when advertisers seem to have access to more personal data than they have directly disclosed with them.
This is one of the reasons Facebook won’t approve ads that directly reference a user’s personal information. According to Facebook’s policies, “ads must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes.“
So, you can definitely try to direct your advertisements to your target audience. But avoid the “creepy” factor.
4. Facebook’s brand guidelines weren’t followed
Facebook offers a number of guidelines about how to refer to them. In general, ads should avoid suggesting they are related to Facebook, adding the Facebook logo, or making Facebook branding the main focus of the ad. Additionally;
- Don’t pluralize Facebook or abbreviate it as “FB”.
- Don’t use the “f” or Facebook logos in place of the word “Facebook” in ad copy.
- Don’t change Facebook’s brand colors, even for animation purposes.
The DO’s: Best Practices to get your Ad approved
Creating an ad that will perform well goes a long way to creating an ad that will get approved. Facebook wants its users to have a positive experience when interacting with ads.
If users can discover new products and services through Facebook ads, they’ll continue to engage with the platform. Following these best practices for Facebook Ads will ensure a positive experience for your visitors, along with a strong conversion rate.
1. Think visually.
Facebook ads compete for your audience’s attention alongside all the other posts on Facebook: pictures of your friends’ kids, amazing pictures of nature, and tons of pet pictures. How is your ad going to catch the attention of your target customer? It has to be visually appealing.
2. Have a clear call to action.
What do you want your audience to do next? Should they like your Facebook Page? Download a free template? Sign up for a newsletter? Having a direct call to action will promote more engagement. Tell your customers what to do next, then make it very easy for them to follow through.
According to AdRoll, adding a call-to-action button boosts click-through rate by 2.85 times. The advertisement below is taking advantage of Facebook’s call-to-action buttons by inviting users to sign up for a free virtual event.
3. Keep it relevant.
With Facebook Pixels and extensive ad targeting options available, there is no reason to promote irrelevant content or offers. The best offers are hyper-targeted to your ideal customer, based on their past site activity and their likes. For example, this advertisement is very relevant to me, because I’ve purchased electronics or supplies as such from online pages before.
4. Provide value.
Why should a customer click through to your landing page? Do you have information they need? A product that is going to solve their problems? Or are you offering a deal? Know what value you provide customers, and make it clear in your advertisement.
The below example from an online grocery store offers delicious food, with a 10% discount on the first purchase. That’s worth signing up for.
Would you like help with Facebook ads, social media, lead generation or any aspect of your digital marketing strategy? We love to chat, so please get in touch with us to find out we can help grow your business online.
