Feels like getting a Facebook ad account restriction is increasing these days right? And then when you reach out to Meta they give you a wall of silence or misinformation or they are not able to answer your questions. Pretty helpful isn’t it?
I confess, Facebook will punish you for ad policies you can’t even read on their transparency center online because the automations are programmed to flag for much smaller policy violations than you’re prolly aware of.
It’s a shock seeing things like “Your account is restricted ” and the truth about Facebook restricted ads is that it is not a human making the final decision restricting your ad account.
Even as you’re reading this blog your phone already has notifications for Instagram or Facebook but I guarantee 9 out of 10 times those notifications won’t tell you that you have a restricted account or why it happened.
Would you like to make $10,000 a month from Facebook ads without ever dealing with Facebook jail? Well I’m about to knit you a patchwork quilt with a map out of Facebook jail.
I’ll tell you what can help – learning more about how Facebook’s bots enforce advertising restrictions, so you don’t get caught and sent to Facebook jail.
Want to save time and money? Just schedule a complimentary discovery call to reduce risk and see how I can help you resolve Facebook restrictions here.
About advertising restrictions
Often a Facebook ban happens because Facebook already had their eye on you. Getting an ad account restriction on Facebook happens when FB ad policy automations build a character profile of your ad account based on ad approval vs ad rejection basis. Get too far in one direction for rejections, and the red alert goes out to the bots to shut you down.
Your advertising access is restricted – what does it mean? Facebook account restricted what to do
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Want to know the secret to escaping Facebook jail?
Thought so.
Now let me explain…
I’ve seen folks banned for how they phrased their shipping and handling policies. It was a skincare company, so they had to watch out for getting hit with the Personal Attributes flag.
And yet, that wasn’t even what got them under fire when they found me and asked for my help. It was the small print in their S&H policy that violated a big policy they had no idea Facebook was punishing them for.
When you get your advertising access restricted it means the Facebook bots found something big or small somewhere in your funnel against policy.
Ready to stop guessing and stop losing money and time? Click here for a complimentary discovery call.
I’ve worked side-by-side with the software engineers at Meta, and offer better answers on this topic than many blogs you’ll find after googling facebook ad account restricted. All white hat.
It’s 2049, and you’re jumping rooftop to rooftop, you’re running from the evil Facebook replicants attempting to shut down your Facebook ads and steal your ad profits with unnecessary bans, what should you do?
It’s important to remember Meta is a big company, and there’s a lot of focus on policy and social responsibility. For example:
European Union accuses Facebook owner Meta of breaking digital rules with paid ad-free option
FILE – European Commissioner for Europe fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager speaks during a media conference regarding the Digital Markets Act at EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 25, 2024. European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday, July 1, 2024 of breaching the bloc’s new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc’s new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them.
Meta began giving European users the option in November of paying for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.
Users can pay at least 10 euros ($10.75) a month to avoid being targeted by ads based on their personal data. The U.S. tech giant rolled out the option after the European Union’s top court ruled Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users, in a decision that threatened its business model of tailoring ads based on individual users’ online interests and digital activity.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said preliminary findings of its investigation show that Meta’s “pay or consent” advertising model was in breach of the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
Meta’s model doesn’t allow users to exercise their right to “freely consent” to allowing their personal data from its various services, including Facebook, Instagram, Marketplace, WhatsApp, and Messenger, to be combined to target them with personalized online ads, the commission said.
Meta’s model also doesn’t give users the option of a service that’s less personalized but still equivalent to its social networks, it said.
“Subscription for no ads follows the direction of the highest court in Europe and complies with the DMA,” Meta said in a statement. “We look forward to further constructive dialogue with the European Commission to bring this investigation to a close.”
The commission had opened its investigation shortly after the rulebook, also known as the DMA, took effect in March. It’s a sweeping set of regulations aimed at preventing tech “gatekeepers” from cornering digital markets under threat of heavy financial penalties.
I bring this up to remind you that Meta faces other pressing issues aside from helping you restore your restricted ad account. And with this pressure, Facebook typically responds by increasing their reliance on Facebook ad policy automations to enforce facebook ad policies – which means it’s getting more dangerous to run ads. There’s a higher risk of restrictions now more than ever. So, it’s vital to understand how the Facebook bots flag ads and ad accounts.
If you’re like my client Jack Randall, President of Social Flight, you’re tired of beating your head against the wall trying to guess why Facebook has shut you down, and want answers faster.
“Trevor helped me successfully diagnose exactly why my ad account was disabled, and helped me frame out a plan to move forward.” 👍🏻
Click here, to schedule a discovery call.
Why does Facebook say my advertising access is restricted?
Facebook typically says your advertising access is restricted because it tracked a sequence of actions violating Facebook ad policies. It can be one thing that gets you a facebook ad account restricted after it’s removed you’re good, or it could be a series of smaller actions over time Facebook’s automations have logged and determined, overall, you are deliberately choosing not to follow policy.
Other times it could be a log in issue, a bank issue, or a business model conflict if the automations flag your ads as belonging to a banned business model (like MLMs). Make sure to read my blog on removing ad account restrictions here.
Advertising restrictions for policy violations
If your Facebook account is restricted from advertising, it may hurt your ability to earn money in the future, so you’ll want to make sure your overall track record is in the black not the red. That means more approved ads than rejected. If your facebook account’s restricted it was done by bots.
Given how automated Facebook’s policy bots are, to be successful not getting thrown in FB jail, you’ll want to understand how and why these policy automations flag to avoid being on their radar. There’s some nuance to this you’ll want to know to side step getting a facebook ad account restricted.
Advertising restrictions for unusual activity
If you buy a new smartphone, and are in a new location, download the Facebook app and log in, you could get hit with the unusual activity flag.
With a Facebook account restricted from advertising you may get the flag for unusual activity. Now, this can be frustratingly vague. Which activity was unusual? Why? How does this relate to getting a facebook ad account restricted?
Meta thinks you are a hacker when it sees new log ins, especially if you’re traveling out of state, out of country, when logging in. I’d suggest avoiding logging in to Facebook business tools while traveling to avoid this flag.
Read the ultimate guide on what to do if you’re hacked while running Facebook ads or want to prevent this from happening here.
How Serious is a Rejected Facebook Ad?
Your Facebook ad gets rejected, you appeal or try to run it again, then your ad account gets disabled. You try to appeal this (probably incorrectly) and then that appeal gets rejected and your Business Manager gets disabled.
It all starts with the Facebook ad and whether it follows ad policies or paints you as a bad actor to Facebook trying to circumvent systems if you try to run the same ad already rejected, multiple times leading to a Facebook ad account restricted from advertising.
If you’ve read How to Unrestrict My Ad Account you get how vital your appeal strategy is and has to be when it comes to appealing a facebook ad account restricted. The problem with getting hit with a Circumventing Systems flag is that Facebook’s bots are not specific about WHAT you are circumventing, and HOW to fix this. I have a short little guide to add a bit of help here.
What does a restricted Facebook ad account mean?
When your ad account is restricted, you cannot run Facebook ads at all. It means that your other assets like your Facebook Business Page and your Facebook Business Manager may be at risk too after getting a facebook ad account restricted.
Bad habits. Everyone has habits and the habits you have when creating ads can get you in trouble if your habits don’t include a compliance check up or sometimes you can get banned for simply acting too quickly. I’ve seen a series of quick thoughtless actions lead to a facebook ad account restricted before.
Facebook is supposed to send emails to your email account associated with your personal Facebook profile every time you have an ad approved and rejected. BUT, they end up in spam sometimes. You may not see these emails if your gmail has filtered these out to the promotions tab or social tab.
Logging into Meta Business Suite or Facebook Business Manager and going to the ad accounts you own on the Ads Manager page, you’ll typically see red letters detailing the warning you have gotten or ban.
How do I unrestrict my Facebook ads? Facebook ad account restricted tips
A good practice for preventing a facebook ad account restricted is to audit your funnel for potential flags and remove them, making everything compliant BEFORE submitting ads to Facebook to review.
And you don’t want a facebook account restricted because the ad account creation limit for new Facebook Business Managers is only 1 or 2 ad accounts most of the time. This means being aware of what may get banned and avoiding it is a full time job you can’t slack on if you want to avoid getting a facebook ad account restricted
It pays to be informed of what Facebook is doing as it effects industries at large, like Facebook’s recent ad policies on selling CBD on Facebook. You need to stay current to avoid Facebook accounts restricted from advertising.
Why is my Facebook ad account restricted?
Now, it is not your fault that you don’t understand the policies – Facebook is clear as the vision of a serious scotch drinker after the 4th glass. But, most likely your Facebook ad account is restricted because of a few words in your ad copy, privacy policy or the creative you chose.
Given my history of working with thousands of ad agencies both while I was working AT Facebook and in my own practice, I have stats on which ad policies are triggered the most in specific niches. Like personal attributes flags being higher in weight loss niches, or MLM flags being higher in the start-a-biz online vertical.
Understanding how YOUR specific niche interacts with Facebook ad policy automations is KEY to staying out of Facebook jail and avoiding a facebook account restricted.
Facebook ad account restricted: Ad rejections
Your ad account was banned for too many rejected ads
When you step over a certain ratio of rejected ads, Facebook has a separate automation that determines the health of your ad account. If you are not paying attention to this as you run ads throughout the quarter, you could end up on the wrong side of the ban bots. So, as the meme below states, you’ll need to study your ad account history a little more carefully to avoid this type of ban.
Now, resolving a facebook account restricted can be a lot easier to prevent than recover from.
If you’ve read my Common Mistakes to Avoid When Advertising on Facebook you found out the hidden clues in FB warnings – that you may need an expert to decode into everyday language.
Just like my clients, the social media marketing agency for Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang Clan discovered, there are micro flags in ad copy and landing pages that have to be removed first before attempting to appeal or relaunch a brand with Facebook.
Want the same white glove treatment navigating Facebook shutdowns?
Click here, to schedule a discovery call to avoid getting a disabled Facebook ad account.
Facebook ad account restricted: disabled accounts
What Disabled Facebook Ad Account Means
If you see that, “You are restricted from running ads” this means you missed the canary in the coal mine beforehand. SOME element in your ads attracted the attention of Facebook ban bots and there were warning signs. Probably not obvious because Facebook isn’t that transparent.
Now, depending on what type of Business Manager you have you may be able to create a new ad account as long as the new ads have 0 flags in them that the old ads have.
When reading the Facebook ad policies on Facebook ad rejections you may feel frustrated, because they won’t talk about your specific situation in any detail, if at all.
Facebook ad account restricted: Trust the right answers
A big hurdle to overcome with dealing with a Facebook ad account restricted is who to trust online. Most articles you’ll read come from outsiders, who have not worked at Meta and are shaking a Magic 8 ball to come up with best guesses.
Even worse, chatting in to Facebook ad support, you talk to people who don’t seem to understand your questions. I’ve heard stories from clients who got in a worst ban after talking to Facebook ad support before finding my blog.
And Facebook has a spotty track record for providing reliable advice on how to solve a facebook account restricted.
I’ve heard some people say that Facebook ads aren’t worth using anymore and don’t turn a profit – every week my calendar is booked with calls from businesses running high converting ads on Facebook making hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. So, while Nas may have rapped that Hip Hop is Dead (with the recent beef with Kendrick Lamar and Drake you know hip hop is alive and kicking) Facebook certainly isn’t dead either.
Per Sprout Social,Per Sprout Social, Facebook is the third most visited website following Google and YouTube, respectively. This puts it ahead of other leading platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
The platform boasts 3.065 billion active users on a monthly basis. This makes it the most used social media platform worldwide.
In 2023, Facebook’s total ad revenue amounted to $135 billion, up from $116 billion the previous year.
Don’t leave money on the table just because you don’t understand the way the bots flag for policy, I can help you there.
Is your Facebook ad account already disabled? Don’t get ripped off! Read How to Recover Facebook Ad Accounts now!
Just like my client Dr. Emi benefited from my funnel audits for compliance, you can too. It all starts with a free discovery call here. By the way, Dr. Emi was just featured on the Today Show on NBC. (In a rush? Skip the line with prepaid funnel audits with VIP Access).
Facebook ad account restricted: Business Manager
What is a Disabled Facebook Business Manager?
If you are restricted from running ads, when your Facebook Business Manager is disabled within the Facebook Business Suite as they (annoyingly) renamed it, then you may need to relaunch your brand depending on how severe this ban is.
Sometimes Business Manager bans if they are appealed fast enough with the right language can be overturned.
But out of lets say 100 disabled Facebook Business Managers I’ve seen, 1% gets recovered.
Facebook account restricted from advertising? KNOW THIS: What you want to keep in mind is the Facebook Business Pages – as they are your digital storefront for your brand name – and take them out before your Facebook Business Manager gets disabled!
That being said, when you have a disabled Facebook Business Manager that means every asset inside is jeopardized.
- Ad Accounts
- Facebook Business Pages
- People connected to this BM
Facebook ad account restricted: Causes
Here’s why:
When you have a disabled Facebook Business Manager, Facebook keeps track of who is in the Business Manager and the other BMs they are connected to.
So, everyone in a disabled Facebook Business Manager is at risk of having everything else they are working on getting shut down too. If you FORGOT a lurker in your BM who has a facebook account restricted it WILL come back to bite ya a$$ so BE AWARE.
A disabled Facebook Business Manager is the next to the worst ban you can get on Facebook.
When my client Happi Digital, an eCommerce Agency hired me to audit their Facebook ads, I uncovered flags that if left alone could have shut down their entire ad agency.
Need Facebook ad policy expert too? Schedule a call with me right now.
Facebook ad account restricted: Pages
What Does it Mean When Your Facebook Page is Restricted?
We saw many Pages go down in 2020 – when the pandemic first hit America with e-comm businesses that had shipping delays in China due to covid-19 shut downs. These e-commerce businesses saw their customers giving them bad reviews that took their Page quality score beneath a 1.
Then, just by automation alone, their FB Business Pages got restricted. And they didn’t even have a facebook account restricted-just the Page got shut down.
This is challenging because if you try to relaunch a new Facebook Business Page with the same brand name you may get blocked by Facebook right away for circumventing systems. You’ll need a better strategy more finely tuned for relaunching.
Want to stop losing money over Facebook bans? Get the expert advice of someone who worked at Meta here.
Facebook ad account restricted: Reasons
Why is my Facebook advertising account restricted?
Still asking what to do when seeing, “You are restricted from running ads”? If you want to get to the bottom of why your Facebook advertising account is restricted, you’ll want to audit your funnel. This is to identify what was the biggest risk that got you on the radar and eventually shut down.
Have your Facebook ads been blocked? Read this blog here.
Here’s the deal, even if you read all of the Transparency Center policies on ads, you still wouldn’t know how to prevent a ban.
In reality, there are 1000s more that you are policed on by the automations but never told about.
Want access to a funnel audit to ensure you are compliant? Click here for a discovery call.
How to appeal advertising restrictions
There is a right way and a wrong way to appeal getting a Facebook ad account restricted. The wrong way is to mash buttons, click request review, and wait for the Facebook gods to grant you clemency. With staffing shortages, and reliance on automations, the first approach won’t get you far. But identifying what got you flagged, and what is the hierarchy of risks in your funnel and replacing the offending content with compliant copy is a much better place to start before appealing.
Facebook ad account restricted: Fixes
How do I fix my restricted Facebook account?
No one wants to see: “You are restricted from running ads.”
If you googled disabled facebook ad account or Facebook ad rejections you’ll find a number of bullshit articles out there – even by major brands – that will just tell you to “Request Review.”
That CAN help if you have already removed ALL the flags from your funnel. But if you have not…Full stop, no pass go, don’t click it.
What you’re doing here is saying to the automations that shut you down: “Hey bot, I know you are machine, but can you decipher human empathy and context? Even better can you send this Appeal to ANOTHER robot? And put my fate in the next bot’s hands?”
Really the best chance you have is to appeal within 48 hours of getting shut down AFTER identifying the EXACT source of the Facebook automation flag.
Anything less than that, and your chances diminish by A LOT. Now, if you’ve found me within that time period, I can possibly help you, depending on your type of business and other factors. Click here to schedule your call and avoid a further shut down and avoid a permanent restriction.
Want a better answer than Facebook ad support gives? Keep reading.
Learn more
Learn more about the appeal process: when appealing keep in mind you’re chatting wit outsourced workers who have a goal of getting more chats per day than increasing real resolution rate.
They will try to shut you down every step of the way. I can help you navigate these hurdles, and get the best chances you can have for making an appeal if you have contacted me fast enough after a ban.
Beyond that window, the chances get slimmer. But you do have other options if your goal is to get Facebook ads live again and not just trying to recover old disabled ad accounts.
What if you had a guarantee that your ads were compliant before they went live on Facebook?
Keep reading for these answers and more:
Facebook Ad Account Restriction Solution
Ad agencies: tired of getting the silent treatment from Facebook when all you want to do is get your Facebook ads live and revenue in the door?
I’m a Facebook ad policy specialist who worked at Facebook and I’m trusted by high level brands that take accuracy and results seriously.
I can show you how to resolve FB bans even if Facebook ad support is useless to resolve ad account restrictions.
Don’t lose any more money from Facebook bans and schedule your call with me now.
Don’t take my word for it, let my clients tell you what it was like working with me:
It shouldn’t be a mystery on what to do to recover from a ban. I strive for customer satisfaction, being a business owner myself.
My clients have included the social media marketing agencies of Tony Robbins, Harv Eker, and Dean Graziosi. How much is it costing you to have a disabled Facebook ad account? Talk today.
I’m featured on the Queen of Facebook Mari Smith’s Marketing Essentials Course.
If you want to skip the line before this offer ends, immediately secure expert-level Facebook consulting. Book a call with me now!
If you’re ok with waiting a bit longer, and entering the waitlist to see if you’re eligible – Schedule a call or contact me via email.
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Ad Account Restricted Facebook FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to fix ad account disabled on facebook
Your first step should always be to stop active ads running with the same copy as the rejected ad, then audit your funnel for flags, and appeal using the strategy outlined in the appeal section of the FAQs
2. How to enable my disabled facebook ad account
If you have a spare ad account in your Facebook Business Manager that you can run ads from, feel free to. BUT, identify the micro and major flags FIRST, so as not to repeat the same mistake.
Ready to Finally Make the Money You Need in the Hours That Work for You & Your Family? Don’t miss out,Learn More here.
3. How to appeal a disabled facebook ad account
As far as how to appeal a disabled Facebook ad account, you’ll get 48 hours to make your appeal. The best strategy is to communicate to Meta | Facebook that:
A. You understand WHY you were banned.
B. You are committed to following the policies from here on out.
C. You have identified and REMOVED the offending content from your funnel.
You can also get some top tips on facebook ad policy in this complimentary eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
4. how to get disabled ad account up and running
Depending on how long your ad account was disabled, sometimes, if your appeal is written correctly, the appeal itself CAN potentially get you reactivated, if you understand to communicate with Facebook ad support correctly.
5. How Many Policy Violations Before Account is Shut Down?
Typically, it’s a 1 to 10 ratio. For every single rejected ad that you get, you’ll want 10 Facebook ads that are approved. After a pattern of behavior is established by machine learning, from Meta’s automations, you may spiral rapidly into Facebook jail if your ratios aren’t correct. 3 consecutive ads getting rejected risks your ad account getting disabled. But, it also depends on how severe the ban is.
And, if this still all seems too confusing, your clients are yelling at you to get ads live to bring in money, simply schedule a complimentary Facebook discovery call here
6. How to remove restriction on facebook ad account
As far as removing a restriction on a Facebook ad account, if we’re talking about a disabled ad account, well, you can rehabilitate your funnel and then appeal, possibly getting it reactivated if you do this SMART (I have methods that work if you’re in the appeal window). But as far as removing a restriction from Facebook ads, see the previous FAQ answer: you need to get in a positive approval-cycle ratio.
7. how long does facebook take to review restricted ad account
Now, ask yourself, is it an election year? Have there been over 20,000 Meta employees laid off? Did you word your appeal using specific language Facebook ad support can and will respond better to? These are the factors in play. Typically, you get an answer within a week. If you have a more severe ban or are in the special ad categories, you may get an answer faster but it won’t be one you like. Severe bans end up as permanent restrictions and they deliver that ban hammer faster than other lighter Facebook ad policy restrictions.
8. how to fix your access can’t be reinstated because too much time has passed since we restricted your account
In a situation like this, your recovery options depend on what is banned:
a) Facebook Ad Account
b) Facebook Business Page
c) Facebook Business Manager
d) Facebook profile
So, each one may have a different recovery option, depending on your situation, and type of ban it is, as well as your particular niche or business’s vertical, and the health of the accounts before the ban. Want to get a pathway to get Facebook ads live? Schedule your complimentary discovery call here.
9. How To Get Your Disabled Facebook Ad Account Back
First, let me also address the elephant in the room: personal and emotional attachments to disabled ad accounts. I’ve worked with tons of Fortune 500 level companies, and the amount of hair pulling and FML-ing over ONE ad account being disabled, is incredible. Sometimes, it’s faster, and cheaper, to just start a new ad account, and relaunch, rather than recover a tainted asset.
That being said, the same answer applies here to the instructions above, for appeals
10. How to unblock your Facebook ad account
Now, unblocking an ad account, may be possible if you get in fast enough with the right kind of messaging to Facebook ad support. While they are the gatekeepers, and don’t have any real power, they CAN talk to the right folks who, if you word your appeal right, can unblock your Facebook ad account. And of course, if you need next-level assistance, I’m always available to chat and see if it’s a good fit here.