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Why was my Facebook ad rejected?

Short answer

Meta rejects an ad when its text, image, video, targeting or landing page breaks one of its Advertising Standards, and most rejections trace to a few areas: personal attributes, restricted products, misleading claims and objectionable content. Fix the part the rejection names and resubmit, or request another review in Account Quality if you think Meta got it wrong.

Updated Nov 9, 2026By Caleb Canales, Founder, RunAdsSources (7)

How Meta reviews an ad

Review starts automatically when you publish. While it runs, the ad shows "In review", and Meta says most reviews finish within 24 hours, sometimes longer.[1] Review looks at the images, video, text and targeting, and at the ad's landing page or other destination.[1] Approval isn't final: ads can be reviewed again after they go live. Meta's standards also cover business assets such as ad accounts, Pages and business accounts, which can be restricted on their own.[1]

Meta groups its rules into a few families: Community Standards, unacceptable content, prohibited commercial practices, restricted goods and services, objectionable content, intellectual property, social issue and political ads, and format-specific rules for things like video, lead ads and targeting.[1]

The five reasons that catch most ads

1. Asserting personal attributes

Ads can't assert or imply that the viewer has a personal attribute, including physical or mental health conditions. Meta's examples: "Do you have diabetes?" and "Depression getting you down? Get help now." are not allowed; "New diabetes treatment available" and "Depression counseling" are.[2] Rewrite second-person questions about the reader's body, finances or identity as statements about what you offer.

2. Restricted products without the right setup

Some products are allowed only with conditions. Weight loss and cosmetic products and procedures must target people 18 or older.[3] Prescription drugs need active LegitScript certification and Meta's onboarding, and online pharmacies and telehealth providers must be LegitScript certified.[6] Ads that encourage the use of products Meta considers unsafe are not allowed, at Meta's sole discretion.[6]

3. Statements about appearance

The Health and Wellness policy rejects ads that contain statements of inferiority about physical appearance.[3] "Tired of your ugly belly fat?" fails; "A daily routine for feeling stronger" doesn't.

4. Misleading offers and claims

Meta prohibits commercial practices meant to mislead, such as deceptive pricing, unauthorized endorsements and guaranteed investment returns.[4] It also rejects ads with content third-party fact-checkers have debunked, and advertisers who repeatedly post false information may have their advertising restricted.[5] Fake countdown timers, "as seen on" logos you don't have permission for, and celebrity faces you didn't license all fall here.

5. Objectionable content

Adult nudity, profanity, bullying and violent content are their own policy area.[1] Images that are fine organically can still fail as ads.

What to do after a rejection

  1. Read the policy named in the notice. It tells you which family of rules applies, which narrows the fix.
  2. Check every part. Primary text, headline, image or video frames, any text on the creative, and the landing page.
  3. Edit or rebuild. An edited or new ad goes through review again.[1]
  4. Request a review in Account Quality if you believe the decision was wrong.[1] Say briefly why the ad complies.
  5. Don't resubmit the same ad unchanged. Meta says it may restrict advertiser accounts that don't follow its Advertising Standards.[1]

A pre-flight check before you publish

  • No question or statement that tells the reader what condition, problem or attribute they have.
  • No "before you were fat" framing, and no claims about how someone looks.
  • Every price, discount and testimonial is real and current.
  • Age targeting is 18+ for weight loss and cosmetic products.
  • The landing page makes the same claims as the ad, no stronger.
  • Text and logos on vertical creative sit inside Meta's safe zone, so nothing reads as cropped or broken.[7]

Where RunAds fits

RunAds is an AI agent that writes and launches ads, and you see every Meta ad before it goes live. Meta support is in early access: Mission Control builds the Facebook and Instagram campaign from your site, writes the ads, and you approve it before anything spends. You can also create it paused and turn it on yourself in Meta.

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Common questions

How long does Meta ad review take?

Meta says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, though it can take longer. Ads can also be reviewed again after they start running.

How do I appeal a rejected Facebook ad?

Request a review through Account Quality if you believe the ad, ad account, Page or business account was restricted in error. You can also edit the ad or create a new one, which goes through review again.

Why does Meta reject ads that say 'you'?

Usually it's the personal attributes policy. An ad can't assert or imply that the viewer has a health condition or another personal attribute, so 'Do you have diabetes?' is rejected while 'New diabetes treatment available' is allowed.

Can a landing page get my ad rejected?

Yes. Review covers the ad and what it links to, so a page with claims or products the policies don't allow can sink an ad whose copy is clean.

Can repeated rejections hurt my account?

They can. Meta says it may restrict advertiser accounts that don't follow its Advertising Standards, and advertisers who repeatedly post information deemed false may have their ability to advertise restricted.

Sources

  1. Introduction to the Advertising Standards, Meta Transparency Center. Checked Nov 9, 2026.Ad review usually finishes within 24 hours; requests for another review go through Account Quality.
  2. Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes (Advertising Standards), Meta Transparency Center. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
  3. Health and Wellness (Advertising Standards), Meta Transparency Center. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
  4. Prohibited Commercial Practices (Advertising Standards), Meta Transparency Center. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
  5. Misinformation (Advertising Standards), Meta Transparency Center. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
  6. Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (Advertising Standards), Meta Transparency Center. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
  7. Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video ads, Meta for Business. Checked Nov 9, 2026.

Every outside number on this page links to its source above, with the date we checked it.

Related pages

Meta ads for supplement brandsHealth claims and personal attributes in detail.Meta ad specs and sizesSizes, text lengths and safe zones.Google Ads for supplementsWhat Google's policies allow for the same products.All Meta ads guidesCost, ROAS, Advantage+, tracking and structure.

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