Nothing stings more for a marketer than launching a Facebook ad and finding out it’s not approved.
In 2025, with Facebook (Meta) enforcing strict advertising policies, even experienced advertisers run into disapproved ads from time to time.
The key is to create eye-catching ads representing your brand, product, or service while staying in line with Meta’s guidelines.
This guide demystifies why your Facebook ad was not approved, explains how the ad review process works, highlights common reasons for ad rejections, and what you can do to avoid violations.
We’ll also explain how Brandwatch Social Media Management can help prepare your brand for a fresh Facebook ad campaign with a little help from Advertise.
In this guide:
Understanding the Facebook ad review process in 2025
Meta has had years to refine its ad review process, and brands publishing ads in 2025 should be aware that it now consists of automation and human oversight.
Submitted ads go to an initial algorithmic review, which quickly scans your ad’s text, images, targeting, and landing page for any obvious policy violations.
These include banned keywords, improper formatting, broken links, or disallowed content. If everything looks good, your ad may get approved within minutes.
However, ads may get flagged for a secondary, manual review by a human. They will be checked in more detail, considering the context and nuances that a machine might miss.
If your ad is still rejected after human review, then you can’t appeal further. In extreme instances, you might even find that your ad account is restricted.
How long does Facebook ad approval take?
Generally, most ads are reviewed within 24 hours. Meta’s algorithm can spot clear policy violations and identify when an ad is ready for approval, so it can usually make a black-or-white decision.
However, gray areas within Facebook’s ad policy mean some reviews take longer. For example, alcohol or political ads may take up to three days to approve or reject.
If an ad is still pending review after 24 hours, it likely means it’s under additional scrutiny.
Facebook ad restrictions
Meta generally categorizes advertising content into five key areas. These are:
- Unacceptable content
- Restricted goods and services
- Objectionable content
- Intellectual property infringement
- Social issues, electoral, or political advertising
There are many specific restrictions related to each of these areas. Some, like child abuse and sexual exploitation, are rightly banned outright. Others, like advertising online gambling, are only allowed with Meta’s prior written permission.
As a general rule, if you stick to promoting your brand, product, or service, then you’ll probably not see your Facebook ad rejected.
However, plenty of trip hazards are out there, so you must know the full restrictions before commencing with an ad campaign.
Why your Facebook ad was not approved
If your Facebook ad is not approved, it means it violated one or more of Facebook’s advertising policies.
Here are seven common scenarios for Facebook ad rejections and disapprovals.
1. Unacceptable content
Facebook outright prohibits certain types of content in ads and strictly restricts others. If your ad falls into these categories, it will be rejected every time.
Unacceptable content relates to:
- Child sexual exploitation, abuse, and nudity
- Coordinating harm and promoting crime
- Dangerous organizations and individuals
- Discriminatory practices
- Hateful conduct
- Human exploitation
- Locally illegal content, products, or services
- Misinformation
- Vaccine discouragement
To dive into this further, you cannot advertise anything illegal. This includes illicit drugs, counterfeit documents or currency, hacking services, illegal gambling, and the like. Even the implied promotion of illegal activity will get your ad blocked.
Recreational drugs and paraphernalia are an absolute no. Pipes, bongs, and cannabis (even in places where it’s legal) aren’t allowed.
Facebook’s policy bans the sale or use of illicit drugs and the misuse of prescription drugs. It goes further and bans vaccine discouragement and misinformation.
Misinformation is a particularly complex issue for Facebook to address. One person’s truth may be another’s falsehood. If you are making claims in your ads, then you might have to prove them before being permitted to publish.
This includes things like making unrealistic promises (“Get rich overnight, guaranteed!”), using clickbait tactics (“You won’t believe what happened next…”), or false urgency (“Only 1 left!”) when it’s not true.
Fraudulent or deceptive offers are strictly forbidden, such as scams, pyramid schemes, or ads for fake products.
2. Restricted goods and services
Facebook adheres to local advertising laws, which means there are many restrictions on certain goods and services.
Restricted goods and services include:
- Alcohol
- Commercial exploitation of crises and controversial events
- Dating ads
- Hazardous goods and materials
- Health and wellness
- Historical artifacts
- Sale of human body parts and bodily fluids
- Sale of non-endangered animals and endangered species
- Tobacco and related products
- Weapons, ammunition, or explosives
- Drugs and pharmaceuticals
- Drug and alcohol addiction treatment
- Financial and insurance products and services
- Cryptocurrency products and services
- Online gambling and games
Age restrictions form a large part of this category of ad. There are age restrictions for alcohol, gambling, vaping, and other adult-oriented products.
These ads are allowed but only under strict conditions. Typically, they must target appropriate age groups (for example, 21+ for alcohol in the US) and cannot depict minors.
Failure to apply age targeting or include content that appeals to minors (like cartoon imagery for alcohol) will lead to disapproval.
Similarly, ads for adult content (like adult entertainment) or anything sexually explicit are banned or heavily restricted. Always check Facebook’s rules for age-restricted material and ensure your targeting and creatives comply.
Similarly, ads relating to gambling and cryptocurrency are allowed but only with Facebook’s express written permission.
Expect a rejection if you try to promote prescription medications, online drugstores, or over-the-counter supplements with unverified claims.
Facebook requires certification for online pharmacies and forbids ads for the sale of most pharmaceuticals. Unsubstantiated health supplements or miracle cures also fall foul of ad policies regarding misleading or unsafe products.
Facebook also has special rules for dating ads. Dating services must be pre-approved by Facebook and adhere to guidelines (for example, targeting 18+ only). Even if approved, dating ads typically must include a “Dating” disclaimer and follow content standards to avoid offense.
3. Objectionable content
Facebook takes a dim view of what is considered ‘objectionable’ content, which involves everything from sexual exploitation to harassment.
Objectionable content covers:
- Adult nudity and sexual activity
- Adult sexual exploitation
- Adult sexual solicitation and sexually explicit language
- Bullying and harassment
- Profanity
- Privacy violations and personal attributes
- Violent and graphic content
- Suicide, self-injury, and eating disorders
Objectionable content is one of the most common reasons for a "Facebook ad not approved" status.
Sexual exploitation, solicitation, and use of explicit language and violent content are never approved. Facebook’s algorithm can catch these ads and prevent them from going live.
A less explicit ad type concerns personal attributes. Facebook does not allow ads that refer to a person’s sensitive personal traits or imply knowledge of a user’s personal information.
For example, an ad that says, “Meet other LGBTQ singles on our app” violates this policy because it suggests the advertiser has information about the user.
Your ad copy cannot directly mention or hint at things like someone’s race, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, health condition, financial status, or other characteristics as if you know them.
Why is this a policy? Facebook wants to avoid invasive or discriminatory ads and deems these as objectionable content.
Another pertinent issue that Facebook tries to address is negative self-perception and body image. Ads must not use language or images that generate a negative self-image to promote diet, health, or beauty products.
You can’t body-shame or make people feel bad about themselves as a tactic to sell something. You also cannot make exaggerated “before-and-after” comparisons.
4. Intellectual property infringement
Facebook takes intellectual property (IP) seriously. Your ad will be declined, and you might even find your account blocked or restricted if you infringe on someone else’s IP.
Intellectual property infringement covers:
- Third-party intellectual property infringement
- Using Meta intellectual property licenses
If your ad improperly uses someone else’s brand name or logo, it can be rejected (and even reported for trademark infringement).
For example, you cannot use the Facebook logo or the word “Facebook” in your ad in a way that implies endorsement.
Facebook notes that misuse of its brand assets is among the most frequent reasons for ad disapprovals, along with age-restricted content and too much image text.
5. Social issues, electoral, or political advertising
Facebook will always examine advertisements around social issues and political events to ensure they fit their criteria and adhere to local laws.
This is particularly pertinent during election cycles when political parties must adhere to the laws of the country or region they are in.
Meta will likely restrict electoral or political ads if they are found to breach local laws, or they may be removed in specific regions before voting.
Be aware that Facebook requires you to go through an identity verification process and include a “Paid for by [Name]” disclaimer on the ad. This is part of Meta’s effort to increase transparency around political advertising.
Similarly, if your ad is about housing, employment, or credit offers (HEC categories), you must designate it as a Special Ad Category in those areas. Facebook will restrict your targeting options (to prevent discrimination), and if you don’t comply, the ad will be disapproved.
Tech and creative issues to be aware of
Facebook also reviews your ad’s design and where it links to. There are straightforward rules for the creative itself, and your ad may be rejected based on where it directs users.
So, before you get started creating Facebook ads, here are some technical and creative issues to be aware of.
Where you link to matters
Your ad doesn’t exist in a vacuum – Facebook also checks the landing page or website that your ad links to.
If your landing page is problematic, your Facebook ad will not be approved, even if the ad content itself is fine.
The biggest issue is leading people to an explicit, misleading, or dangerous website. Facebook will check that your landing page isn’t trying to scam users or do something nefarious.
Pages with misleading headers, fake close buttons, or prompts to download software can trigger disapproval.
If the page your ad sends people to is broken (returns a 404 error), is under construction, or doesn’t load quickly, Facebook will reject the ad. Check for typos in the URL and ensure your linked page is public.
The content on your site has to generally align with Facebook’s standards as well. If you advertise a harmless product, but your landing page secretly sells a banned product, the ad will be disapproved.
What you create matters, too
Facebook used to have a “20% text rule” for ad images, which meant anything with more than 20% text was not approved.
In 2025, there is no specific rule, but its spirit remains. Facebook’s system still prefers ads with less overlaid text on images. Using too much text might limit your ad's reach or even flag it for review.
Of course, anything showing excessive violence, nudity/sexual content, or shocking imagery will be disapproved. This aligns with Facebook’s broader community standards.
The same goes for strobing or disruptive video elements. Avoid rapid flashing lights or anything extremely disruptive if you use video ads. Facebook can reject ads that might be harmful or just annoying to users.
Similarly, don’t put a fake “Play” button on your ad image to mislead people into clicking, and don’t design an ad that looks like a chat function or error message. These fall under the policy against nonexistent functionality and misleading UI elements.
Stick to quality standards
Quality matters, too. Ads that are just poor quality or disruptive can be rejected under Facebook’s “low-quality or disruptive content” guidelines.
This might include excessively cropped or blurry images, all-caps or gibberish text, or ads that are just plain irrelevant.
Facebook even considers bad grammar and spelling as factors that can diminish an ad’s quality.
How to avoid violations and get your Facebook ads approved
Now that we’ve covered why Facebook ads get rejected, let’s look at proactive steps to avoid policy violations in the first place.
First, be sure to know Facebook’s advertising policies. In 2025, policies are updated periodically – for example, new rules around data privacy or political ads might appear. Stay up to date with any announcements.
Ensure you plan carefully, too. When creating an ad, pause and review it from a policy standpoint. Check your ad copy for any personal attribute references, prohibited phrases, or exaggerated claims.
Part of this planning is ensuring your ad and landing page are aligned in message and tone. If your ad promises a “Free Trial,” your landing page should indeed offer a free trial.
If you’re really uncertain about how content will be received, you can test the waters by posting it organically on your Facebook page and see if it raises any flags or negative feedback. This comes with some reputational risk, but it can sometimes highlight obvious problems.
Remember to also monitor feedback once your ad is live. Facebook provides an Account Quality dashboard in Business Manager, where you can see warnings or a pattern of disapproval.
Repeated violations can lead to restrictions on your ad account, so don’t make the same mistake twice.
What to do if your Facebook ad is rejected
Having your ad rejected by Facebook isn’t the end of the world, and it doesn’t necessarily spell disaster for your brand. In most cases, you’ll be able to make a few tweaks and try again.
However, it’s important you follow the correct procedure here so you don’t exacerbate the problem.
When your ad is rejected, Facebook will notify you in Ads Manager (and often via email). Importantly, it will cite which policy you violated.
Click the link and read the policy carefully. Once you know what caused the rejection, edit your ad. This could mean tweaking the copy, swapping out an image, or fixing the landing page URL.
In Ads Manager, the disapproved ad will have a button or option to resubmit after you make changes.
I don’t want to change my ad
If you believe your ad was mistakenly disapproved, and you’ve verified it doesn’t violate any policy, you can request an appeal. In Ads Manager, select the rejected ad, click the “Request Review” button, and provide a brief explanation.
Facebook typically only allows one appeal per disapproval. That means you shouldn’t spam multiple appeals for the same ad without changing anything – it won’t help and could hurt your case.
Dealing with rejection
Rejection is a learning opportunity. Take note of what went wrong so you can avoid it next time.
If it was something like an unintentional phrase that set off a policy alarm, remember that for future copywriting. Over time, you’ll get a feel for Facebook’s “red lines.”
How rejections affect your ad account
A single ad rejection isn’t a huge deal; you fix it, and life goes on. However, if you accumulate multiple rejections or ignore the rules, Facebook might take stronger action.
Your account could get a warning and, in worse cases, a temporary suspension from advertising. In extreme or repeated violation cases, Facebook can permanently disable your ad account.
If your ad account does get disabled, you can appeal that separately through Facebook’s support, but that’s a headache you’d rather avoid.
It can take days or weeks to resolve an account-level ban, during which time you can’t run any ads – potentially devastating for a business that relies on Facebook Ads.
Using Brandwatch to stay compliant and optimize your campaigns
Managing Facebook ad compliance can feel overwhelming, especially when handling large campaigns or multiple client accounts. This is where the right marketing tools can make a world of difference.
Brandwatch offers solutions that help you optimize your social media campaigns and support you in staying on top of Facebook’s rules and your audience’s expectations.
Brandwatch Social Media Management is designed to house all your social media activity in one place – and that includes Facebook advertising.
You can set up an internal review for your ad creatives – so your team can double-check for any policy issues before you even submit to Facebook. Having an extra set of eyes in your publishing tool can catch mistakes early.
Social Media Management also provides analytics and monitoring of your ad performance. If an ad is getting a lot of negative feedback or comments (which could hint at a potential issue), you’ll see it and can react quickly.
Additionally, the tool helps with audience targeting and segmentation. By honing in on the right audiences (and excluding audiences where appropriate), you reduce the risk of your ad being shown to people who might report it or who shouldn’t see it (for example, excluding those under 18 from an alcohol ad).
Time to reshape your Facebook ads and get going
Your Facebook ad is not approved? It’s not the end of the world. In 2025, navigating Facebook’s ad review process is part of the job for digital marketers – but with the knowledge you’ve gained here, you’re well-equipped to face it.
Brush up on the latest policies and adhere to Facebook’s guidelines, and you’ll be fine. Even if your ad is rejected, you can make amends without too much harm.
There are tools out there to make your job easier. Use Brandwatch Social Media Management to streamline your campaign workflow and maintain compliance across the board.
With the right software, you can focus more on creativity and strategy while being confident that the compliance pieces are under control.
Here’s to running Facebook ads that get approved quickly and deliver strong results for your business.
