What To Do When Facebook BANS Your Ad Account 😱

That feeling.

You know, the one like you’ve been force-fed ice then kicked in the stomach.

Yep, that exact feeling when your Facebook ad account is banned.

If you’ve ever had a disapproved ad or a Facebook ad account shut down, you know all about the absolute terror that goes along with it.

Trust me; it happens to the best of us.

And, for a lot of marketers, it seems to be happening a lot more frequently to ad accounts that just mind their own business and try to do what they do best – sell.

So, what do you need to do when Facebook turns against you?

Find out here, in this post. But first…

Why Has Facebook Banned My Ad Account?!

When the sh*t hits the fan with your Facebook ads, it’s usually down to one of two reasons:

1. The platform has disapproved an ad

2. The platform has disabled an ad account.

Obviously, one of these is much more severe than the other.

Disapproved Ads

When an ad gets rejected, it’s easy to fall into a spiral of self-doubt.

Did my copy completely miss the mark?

Was the image I used offensive?

Have I made my audience angry?

Will I be able to come back from this?

It may be hard to believe when you’re in the midsts of panic, but a disapproved ad isn’t the end of the world.

Though Facebook tells you why the ad’s been rejected, the reason is usually vague and not very helpful. Take a look at your ad and ask the following:

Does your ad contain excessive use of the word “your”? Facebook doesn’t like it when you “accuse” a reader of having a problem, even if you plan on solving it. Implications about a person’s race, gender, sexuality, financial status, disability, health or criminal record are (rightfully) banned.
Does your headline or copy read like “fake news” or clickbait? Facebook is cracking down on ads that “trick” readers into making clicks. Its new philosophy is “valuable content”, so anything that looks like spam will get the chop.
Is your landing page fully functional? Does it match what you’re advertising on Facebook? Facebook can look beyond your ad, so make sure your landing page is as well crafted as your ad creative.
Have you overdone it with the punctuation? Facebook is particularly sensitive to all caps and exclamation marks. You don’t want to look like you’re YELLING AT YOUR AUDIENCE, DO YOU??!! If you’re going to emphasise a particular word or line, try using an emoji instead .
Is your ad telling people how they can make more money? Though you may have painstakingly ensured your ad is full of valuable content, Facebook may have dismissed it as a “get rich quick” scheme.
Is your ad is dealing with “sensitive topics”? Does the language tend to stray towards negativity? If so, see if you can rewrite your ad using positive language instead. For example, instead of “get out of debt now”, try “there’s nothing better than feeling financially secure”. If you’re unsure whether your text sounds positive, there are some excellent sentiment analysis tools on the net.

Banned Facebook Ad Account

If your ad account has been disabled, this can cause a lot of panic.

I’m not going to lie to you… a banned Facebook ad account is much worse than a rejected ad.

Facebook will ban your account if you’ve built quite a pile of denied ads, or if your ads receive more complaints, “hide posts” or angry reactions than average.

Of course, if your ads are repeatedly being disapproved, it may be a good idea to look at your creative before your account is swept away from you.

And don’t leave it too late. Once the mark against you is too big to ignore, Facebook will start to disapprove your ads no matter how good they are.

A banned ad account means you’ll have to make a new one in Business Manager and set up a payment method.

In some cases, you may have to create a new Facebook page.

If you’re advertising from your personal account (which I don’t recommend), you may have to set up a new ad account via a friend or colleague.

A personal ad account ban can mess up your landing pages too – as well as who “officially” has control of the new page.

The stakes are so high with personal ad accounts, you should do everything in your power not to violate Facebook’s terms of service.

Likewise, if you have a Business Manager that’s full of banned ad accounts, Facebook’s going to take this as a big red flag.

Your ads may get repeatedly rejected, even if they stick rigidly to Facebook’s policy.

If nothing works, it may be time for a rebrand.

That means new ads, a new ad account, a fresh Facebook page and a new URL to a landing page (so Facebook doesn’t recognise it and ban the new account too).

A lot of work, isn’t it?

That’s why you should work hard to keep your Facebook ad record as clean as possible.

(Top tip: delete disapproved ads from your account as soon as you can).

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What To Do If Facebook Bans Your Account

Or rather, just before.

If you’ve had a few black marks against your Facebook ad account, try your damndest not to add more.

For example, bulk uploads to a range of ad sets may save you time short-term.

However, if you upload 100 ads and Facebook ban 50 at once, you will pay the price.

Facebook already banned your account?

To appeal the decision, or to get back on the wagon with a new ad account, now’s the time to chat with a Support Technician.

You can do this via Live Chat or email – though Live Chat is the best option.

No matter how annoyed you are, it’s not the time to get sh*tty. Ranting and raving are not going to get the Support Technician onside.

In fact, they could refuse to help you at all, whereas a few manners could result in a lifted ban.

If you’ve kept your temper in check, remembered your manners, and the answer’s still no, be patient.

Getting your account reinstalled can still happen, as long as you’re persistent as well as polite.

If you’re willing to wait a few weeks, and can show you’re ready to take the advertising policy seriously, Facebook could end up giving you back your account.

Before You Set Any More Ads Live

If you’ve been through the horror of Facebook disabling an ad account, you’re going to take extra care not to let it happen again.

Before you even THINK of unleashing a new set of ads into the world, it would be in your best interests to ask a Facebook team member to review your ad account. Bear in mind that this can take several days.

As before, keep polite. Let them know that Facebook is (one of) your leading advertising platform(s), and you’re going to stay in line with the policy.

Ask them plenty of questions about your copy, landing pages and anything you think could help or hinder you in the long run.

Document the conversation as it’s happening, as the advice could help you a good way down the road.

Plus, if the Support agrees that everything looks good, you can pull out this as evidence if your account gets banned again.

Reach out for advice when you’re looking to implement anything new.

It may be slightly frustrating, but it will ensure that your account stays clean.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, ads get denied, and ad accounts get banned. It may seem like a disaster at the time, but it happens to the best of us.

If you have been breaking the rules (naughty), it will do you well to review Facebook’s advertising policies.

It also wouldn’t hurt to set up another advertising account as back up, in case Facebook takes the first one down.

If you do a LOT of advertising on Facebook (and I certainly do), then not all of your ads are going to be winners.

Ads break the rules all the time, even if you’ve been extra careful.

Facebook’s patience only stretches so thin – if you’ve broken too many rules (even accidentally), then it won’t bother to read your ads and will just pull the plug instead.

If Facebook is looking well and truly stuffed for the minute, then having back up traffic platforms would be a wise choice.

There are so many opportunities out there – Google AdWords, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter. The key is to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.

Crisis averted!

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