Looking for a solution after your Facebook account has been restricted from advertising?
It's challenging to be in this position because it feels like you are lost in the woods without guidance. And it impacts your ability to generate revenue for yourself or if your clients.
Especially if you're an ad agency.
But, no worries, I've got you covered - I've worked at Facebook for a long time and can help.
If your Facebook ad account is restricted, you're not alone. There are 1000s of Facebook advertisers who get their Facebook account restricted every day.
In this article, I'll cover why your ad account may have been banned, what you can do to fix it, and how to prevent Facebook rejections in the future.
Check out my last blog: How to Use Content Marketing That Converts With Facebook
Facebook ad account restricted - what does it mean?
Before talking about why your Facebook ad account is restricted let's chat about the type of Facebook ad account restrictions there are. Here are the top 5 ways you can get a Facebook ban:
- Rejected Facebook ad - only a factor if it's a big ban or lots of bad ads
- Your Facebook ad account is disabled
- Your Business Manager | Business Suite is disabled
- Your Facebook Business Page is restricted from advertising
- Your personal Facebook profile is restricted from advertising
Each of these Facebook bans and restrictions has its own level of consequences too.
How Serious is a Rejected Facebook Ad?
When all is said and done, a rejected Facebook ad used to be not that big of a deal. A Facebook ad is rejected...So what? You simply create new ads and keep advertising right?
Wrong.
If you have more rejected ads than approved, that could disable your Facebook ad account. If you get a Facebook ad shut down based on a special ad category violation - that by itself could get your Business Manager disabled.
If you've read any of my other blogs, you know my policy on rejected ads is to review WHY you got shut down BEFORE taking new actions.
Your ad account was banned for too many rejected ads
But, when you're in the dog house with FB, and don't know an expert in Facebook ad policies like me, it can seem like a big mystery as to why you got shut down. So you create new ads, not knowing you did so with the same flags.
Now, that little violation dominoes into a full blown shut down or permanent restriction.
BUT - if you correctly identify why the machines rejected your ad, and don't do it again, it's still possible to have rejected FB ads just be blip on the radar, not a Facebook shut down.
If you've read my What to Do After Violating Facebook’s Ad Policies [Step-by-Step Guide] you found out the hidden clues in FB warnings - that you may need an expert to decode into everyday language.
Just like my client, a Norwegian travel company 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.
What Disabled Facebook Ad Account Means
If your ad account has been disabled (restricted from advertising), this will prevent you from creating new Facebook ads in that ad account.
Now, depending on how serious the ban is, you may be able to relaunch from the same Business Manager.
But, that's a huge if.
Your chance of recovering from a disabled Facebook ad account is largely determined by your unique history running Facebook ads. Until you have a specific plan for relaunching Facebook ads, you will not be able to create new campaigns using this ad account.
Also, all of your currently running ads will be turned off.
Now, 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.
And Facebook never provides reliable advice on how to solve Facebook ad account restrictions.
"Full Stop," as my friend Amanda Bond likes to say.
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).
What is a Disabled Facebook Business Manager?
Facebook Business Manager, or Facebook Business Suite as they renamed it, is basically the house you put all the rooms in for your advertising assets.
The Business Manager (or BM) houses the Facebook Business Pages you've connected to your BM, the People who have a role on your BM in the settings, and the Ad Accounts you're running ads on.
Ad Accounts are the empty sleeve you put your credit card in, that generate the advertising interface called Ads Manager.
Ads Manager, love it or hate it is what we got when Facebook combined Power Editor with Ads Manager back in the day.
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
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.
The ad accounts inside a disabled Facebook Business Manager are roasted, toasted and burnt to crisp...yeah...you can't use them again.
And perhaps one of the most heinous crimes of the automations - which I don't even think is intentional - is:
Any Facebook Business Page stuck inside a disabled Facebook Business Manager cannot be advertised on again.
This is because you can't edit a disabled Facebook Business Manager's settings in any way. You can't take people out of it, or remove Facebook Business Pages. That means, you can't put your Page into a new active Facebook Business Manager.
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.
What Does it Mean When Your Facebook Page is Restricted?
A Facebook Business Page is your digital storefront and when your Facebook Page is restricted that is a ban on your brand name. Meaning, you can't run any ads at all using your brand name Facebook Page.
Now, your Business Manager can be great, your ad accounts not disabled, and your Facebook ads not rejected (although the latter is unlikely if your FB Business Page is restricted).
But, your Page, by itself can indeed get restricted separate from the rest of your advertising assets.
We saw this a lot 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.
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.
For top tips on making a landing page compliant read this.
More About Facebook profile Restricted From Advertising
If your personal Profile on Facebook is restricted from advertising - that is the worst ban you can get. And facing this, the odds will be insurmountable for running ads again.
Your personal Facebook Profile is the key to all the different doors. It is what creates your Facebook Business Page, it's what creates your Facebook Business Manager, all the ad accounts and more.
Once that's banned, welp! You're up shit creek without a paddle. Don't hold your breath on getting it restored. The chances are around .1% that you'll ever get a permanently restricted profile restored.
Now, let's talk a little bit about why your Facebook ad account may have been restricted.
Why is my Facebook advertising account restricted?
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 are a few of the Facebook ad policies you may want to glance at:
- Sexually Explicit Content. This one is a no-brainer: you can't advertise anything sexual on Facebook. Given that Facebook's approval is partly automated, health-based services (spas, etc.) can be flagged for body parts even if they're not sexually suggestive.
- Prohibited categories. Even though some items may not be illegal per se, Facebook does have restrictions about advertising the following: Drugs or tobacco, supplements, weapons, and financial products (auctions, loans, etc.).
- Misinformation. False news on Facebook is a no-go.
- Sensational content. No click-bait, sensationalist content either.
- Bad grammar or punctuation. This is also a bad advertising practice in general.
- Inflammatory content. This is any content that could be categorized as hate speech.
- Unacceptable Business Practices. This generic term describes ads that "promote products, services, schemes or offers using deceptive or misleading practices, including those meant to scam people out of money or personal information." This can be things like fake celebrity-endorsed products, subscription-based services that do not have the appropriate requirements met, or making exaggerated claims about a product.
- Low-quality or deceptive content. This includes ads that are cropped so that you need to click to see the full image, or anything sexually suggestive or shocking. It's important to note that Facebook also looks at your ad destination to make sure the content is relevant to the ad itself.
- Personal attributes. This one is a bit tricky, Essentially, you cannot make it known that you know (or assume to know) any specific detail about your audience. This can be things like medical conditions, demographics, or even sexual preference. This can be statements such as "Is your weight problem getting serious?", or, "You're a woman over 50."
That's just a summarized view of the Facebook ad policies.
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 do I fix my restricted Facebook account?
You want to fix your restricted Facebook ad account right? Doesn't everyone?!
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's some dumbass advice.
What you're doing here is saying to the automations that shut you down: "Hey bud, 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 you are thrown to the wolves.
Really the BEST way to handle a shut down, on any level but a profile restriction (which you don't usually get appeals for), is to audit your funnel for violations, then remove them from your funnel and get on Facebook Ad Support Chat once you know 100% why you were shut down.
Then, ask for a manual appeal. Here's the deal: the outsourced workers you'll be chatting with have a goal of more chats per day than giving a damn about a 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 it is within less than 5 days of the shut down.
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? What if you knew 100% without guessing why your ad account was disabled? What if you knew why your Facebook ads were blocked and had a path to get ads live again?
Keep reading for these answers and more:
New Solution to Facebook Ad Policy Violations
After years of working at Facebook, I understand exactly what ad copy in your funnel is triggering the automations and how to get compliant.
Get solid answers directly from the source instead guessing, googling, and playing roulette. Schedule a call with me and I can easily tell you proven reasons why the automations flag you and how to become compliant.
You'll be swapping out walking in a minefield of ad flags, to have a sure path to having your Facebook ad accounts protected from being disabled.
My clients have included the social media marketing agencies of Tony Robbins, Harv Eker, and Dean Graziosi. I'm featured on the Queen of Facebook Mari Smith's Marketing Essentials Course.
Save energy and money - how much is it costing you to not know why Facebook is shutting you down? Talk today.
If you want to skip the line before this offer ends, immediately secure an expert-level Facebook consulting call from someone at Facebook. 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.
