Process Flow
Animated overview of the full workflow
TL;DR
Meta's advertising policies restrict certain content, require honesty in claims, and mandate compliance with local laws. Key rules: no misleading claims, no discriminatory targeting in housing/employment/credit ads (Special Ad Categories), limited text on images (affects delivery), restrictions on before-and-after imagery, and specific rules for alcohol, financial services, health, and political ads. Violations can result in ad rejection, ad account restriction, or permanent ban.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these 5 steps to complete this guide
- 1
Content Restrictions
Prohibited: illegal products, tobacco, drugs, unsafe supplements, weapons, spyware, payday loans, and misleading claims. Restricted: alcohol (age-gated), dating, gambling, financial services, health, and political ads (may require authorisation).
- 2
Special Ad Categories
Ads related to housing, employment, credit, or social/political issues must be marked as Special Ad Categories. This limits certain targeting options (cannot target by age, gender, or postcode) to prevent discrimination.
- 3
Creative Policies
Ads cannot contain excessive text in images (Meta may reduce delivery). No before-and-after images for health/weight loss. No sensational or shocking content. Landing pages must match ad claims and function properly.
- 4
Account Quality
Monitor your account health in Business Suite > Account Quality. This shows rejected ads, policy violations, and account restrictions. Address violations promptly — repeated violations escalate to account-level restrictions.
- 5
What to Do If Your Ad Is Rejected
Check the specific rejection reason in Account Quality. Fix the issue and resubmit. If you believe the rejection is incorrect, request a manual review. Do not create duplicate ads to circumvent rejections — this can trigger account-level penalties.
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