Common Questions About Facebook Ad Disapprovals

The first step to having a successful Facebook ad campaign is getting your ads approved.

The processes of creating, designing, and tracking your ads are all within your control. But when you submit that ad for approval, it's out of your hands.

We get asked a lot of questions about ad disapprovals, so while it's maybe not the most interesting topic, we know it's an important one.

Here are a few of the most common questions we get asked about disapprovals!

What do I do if my Facebook ad isn't approved?

If your ad is disapproved, you should have received a reason from the Facebook Ads team. This will obviously be a good indication of what went wrong and what you need to change.

You will most likely see an "edit" button on your ad, so you can feel free to fix up your ad and resubmit it for approval.

If you don't see the "edit" button, the Facebook Ads team has decided the ad is far from meeting Facebook ads guidelines and you'll need to create an entirely new ad.

Should I ever try resubmitting a disapproved ad?

Absolutely. If you're confident your ad isn't breaking any rules, there's no harm in resubmitting your ad, un-edited, for approval (unless you're in a real hurry to get it approved).

I'd suggest submitting at a different time and/or on a different day. The approval process is a subjective one, so having another Facebook Ads team member review your ad may mean it still ends up getting approved.

Do I still get charged if my ad is disapproved?

No. If your ad is disapproved, there will be no impressions served (and obviously no clicks) so you will not be charged.

My ad was disapproved because it's promoting "prohibited content". What does this mean?

There are a number of products and services that are deemed "prohibited content" by Facebook. If you're promoting one of the following, your ad will get disapproved:

Tobacco products Weapons Racially or religiously inflammatory content Surveillance equipment Counterfeit goods Fake documents Pornography

There are also a number of products and services that are more in the "grey" area. Don't be surprised if you try to advertise one of the following and get disapproved.

(That doesn't mean that if you're advertising one of them, they'll never get approved. You might just need to tweak your ad or try resubmitting):

Adult products Alcohol Dating sites Gambling or lotteries Dietary supplements Subscription services Multilevel marketing schemes Making money online

Do you have any questions about Facebook ad disapprovals? Ever had an ad disapproved for seemingly no reason? Email me!