The List of Banned Words in Facebook Ads – 2023
Facebook enforces a strict advertising policy, subjecting all ads to thorough scrutiny. Despite the quality of the content, a well-crafted, wholesome vaping advertisement will not pass muster as Facebook prohibits the promotion of tobacco-related products.
The platform pedantically examines ads for specific language that violates its policies, and in many cases, it will deny ads containing such terms, even if they don’t actually break any rules.
When planning to advertise on Facebook, it’s crucial to exercise caution and prudence in creating ads. Facebook will refuse ads that are overly targeted or deceptive.
To prevent your ad from being flagged, carefully review its content to ensure it complies with ad placement guidelines. You can then request a manual review, during which you must explain in detail why you believe your ad meets Facebook’s standards. A moderator will evaluate your ad, and if it passes the examination, it will be activated. If not, you’ll receive feedback detailing the specific policies the ad violated.
In fact, the rejection of ads poses a major obstacle to businesses seeking to promote their products or services on Facebook.
If you receive a notification like this, you’ll be prompted to check a box in your Facebook account, and your ads will be suspended until you correct the issue. If you continue to receive multiple warnings, your advertising account may be blocked by Facebook. Although there are ways to circumvent this, it’s best to avoid such situations altogether.
The following tips can help you steer clear of these problems. Keep in mind, however, that not everyone can follow these guidelines with equal ease. Established advertisers with a longer advertising history are generally more immune to these issues than newer or less active advertisers. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly challenging for many advertisers to get their ads approved on Facebook.
Contents
You, to You, Your
Let’s examine the first scenario. Consider this advertisement: “Are you a busy mother working a lot without enough time to make a meal for your family?”
Facebook dislikes ads that are too direct or overly appeal to the pain points of the target audience.
Similar to how Google’s algorithm detects keywords to boost your page in search results, Facebook’s algorithm can identify when you use excessive “you” or “your” words to directly address viewers on the platform. Although ads containing these words can sometimes pass, they often pose issues, so it’s better to avoid using them.
Keep in mind that Facebook wants your ads to blend in with your newsfeed and not stand out from the posts created by your friends. Don’t worry, though, we can sort everything out. A useful approach is to leverage stories, reviews, and personal experiences to ensure your ads are not rejected. Try to remove as many “you” or “your” references as possible from the text. For example, the ad we previously mentioned could be rephrased as follows: “Dinner is ready! Fast food delivery for busy families.”
It Becomes Too Personal
Facebook prohibits touching on someone’s personal attributes, whether through direct or indirect references to factors like race, religion, or age. Ads containing questions such as “Are you Christian?” or “Are you over 30?” are likely to be blocked as they allude to the personal characteristics of the target audience.
Sensitive Content
Sensitive topics like health, weight loss, cosmetics, anti-aging products, and dietary supplements are closely monitored by Facebook in 2023, and ads that touch on them are likely to be rejected. It’s advisable to avoid using negative words or pain points such as “diet,” “weight loss,” “fat,” “depression,” “anxiety,” “stress,” “fear,” “shock,” or “fright.”
To get around this, try to use positive language that focuses on how people will feel after using the product. Instead of “Lose 10 kg this summer!” try “Feel great and stay in shape this summer with our free fitness class!”
Earn Million in One Hour
Facebook is very strict when it comes to ads that promise quick or easy money-making schemes, work-from-home opportunities, or unrealistic claims. These types of ads can be rejected or even lead to the blocking of the advertising account. To avoid such issues, it’s better to focus on the advantages of your offer in the ad copy rather than making false promises. Facebook’s algorithm also prefers ads that don’t sound too good to be true. Instead of writing “Get $3,000 in a month with this free webinar,” a better way to phrase the ad could be “Learn the top five strategies to increase your income with this free webinar.” By avoiding false claims and using realistic language, you can improve the chances of your ads being approved on Facebook.
Curse Words
Correct, profanity and explicit content are strictly prohibited on Facebook. Advertisements that contain such content can be rejected or lead to account suspension. It’s important to ensure that your ad content is appropriate for all ages and does not contain any offensive language or imagery.
Corona Words
Facebook would not like anyone to benefit from what is going on in the world. Although the pandemics is not really a popular topic anymore, and we seem to be accustomed to it, this thing is still here, some of us are exposed to it (or it’s consequences).
Anyway, the tricky situation is that if we totally avoid the Coronavirus topic, it may seem that we do not care at all, which is bad. That’s why we should mention the Coronavirus but in a manner that pleases Facebook.
So how one would even manage doing this? Surprisingly, it’s not really difficult. You need to avoid using the words “pandemic”, “Coronavirus”, “infection”, “anxious”, “disease” because they are excessively used, and Facebook bans ads containing them. Although it’s allowed to use words as “confirmed case”, “positive case”, “social distance” independently, still, you should try to avoid them.
Now, what would you say about the most pressing issue of the last couple of years? Try substitute the above mention words: “stuck at home”, “chaos”, “trying times”, “well-being” and so on. Everyone gets it.
Don’t Be Aggressive
That’s correct. Facebook’s ad policy discourages the use of excessive capital letters and exclamation marks in ad text as it can be perceived as aggressive or spammy. Advertisers are encouraged to use proper capitalization and punctuation to make their ad copy clear and readable. Overuse of symbols, punctuation, or capital letters can also trigger Facebook’s spam filters and cause the ad to be rejected.
The Word “Facebook”
The word you should avoid is “Facebook.” Facebook has strict guidelines about how their name can be used in ads, and it’s important to follow those guidelines to avoid any confusion or suggestion of partnership. However, there is one exception: if you are advertising a Facebook-specific product or service, then you may use the word “Facebook” in your ad copy.
Copyright Infringement
It’s important to avoid using any text or images that may violate someone else’s copyright or intellectual property rights. It’s always best to create your own unique content, but if you are inspired by someone else’s work, make sure to give them credit or seek permission before using it in your ads.
Tobacco, Drugs and Weapons
Advertising products such as cigarettes, vaporizers, guns, ammunition, explosives, and similar items is strictly prohibited on Facebook. It is essential to avoid using any related keywords or phrases to prevent your ads from being blocked or removed.
Forbidden Topics
To ensure your ads are eco-friendly and appeal to a wider audience, it’s important to avoid certain topics that can be highly controversial and spark debate. These topics include politics, religion, sexuality, gender identity, conspiracy theories, feminism, and body positivity. While humor is acceptable, cynicism should be avoided. Toxic comments are detrimental to business and public accounts as they detract from the primary purpose of promoting products and services. On the other hand, entertainment communities can benefit from content that pushes boundaries and is edgier. By steering clear of divisive issues, businesses can create more positive and effective ad campaigns.
Conclusion
To ensure your advertising on Facebook is effective, it is important to adhere to ethical standards. Avoid any content that may be deemed offensive, deceitful, or misleading. If you find it challenging to remember all the rules, just stick to this main principle. For inspiration, you can explore Facebook’s ad Library and observe successful ads from your competitors or similar industries. Also, take a look at our article on what to do if your Facebook ad got stuck.
If you believe your ad was rejected mistakenly, you can contact Facebook by filling out a form.
