8 Most Important Reasons Why Your Instagram Ads Were Not Approved and What You Can do to Fix Them

Instagram ads are a great way for businesses to reach out to their target audience through one of the most popular social media platforms. With optimized ads, you can use the platform’s laser focused targeting to reach the right audience at the right moment with the right offer. What if Instagram rejects the ads that you spent hours creating and optimizing on Instagram?

You’ll discover the top eight reasons why your Instagram ads haven’t been approved, and how you can convince the platform to reconsider your ad and approve it.

Why is my Instagram ad not being approved?

Your ads must be approved before they appear on your audience’s stories or feed. It usually takes up to 24 hours for your ad to be approved or rejected. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including the content or technicalities involved in their publication.

Instagram advertising is a great way to connect with your customers and promote products. But it’s important that you don’t have them rejected or only display on a limited scale.

Due to the increased competition on social media and the constant changes in algorithms, Instagram ads for many businesses aren’t delivering the results they should be. This is either because they weren’t approved or because their ads were not optimized.

It’s good to know that your Instagram ads aren’t delivering does not mean Instagram is wrong for you. You may have made a mistake in the ad set-up that prevented it from appearing, or your ad campaign needs to be tweaked. It’s likely that it can be fixed.

Your Instagram Ads are rejected for 8 reasons

1. You haven’t setup your Instagram account correctly

Your Instagram ads are not showing because your account hasn’t been set up as Business Account. You can’t create an ad campaign without this.

Before you continue, make sure that your account is a business one and not a personal account.

You may not be the page admin of your Meta Page if your Instagram ads still don’t work. Remember that Instagram ads are created using the Meta Ads Manager, formerly Facebook Ads Manager.

2. You’re not following guidelines when you create your ad

Instagram ads can be rejected for a variety of reasons.

To advertise successfully on Facebook or Instagram, you need to follow Meta’s guidelines and advertising policies.

Instagram also has its own rules to follow when using the platform. You could be banned from Instagram if you are guilty of violating any of these rules.

• Impersonating someone else or giving inaccurate information
  
  Fraudulent, illegal, or misleading activity
• Violation of the Terms (or encouraging others to do so) or any other policy, including
• Interfering with the Service or causing it to malfunction
• Unauthorized attempts to create accounts, access/collect data or collect information
• You may not buy, sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any part of your account, including
• Posting confidential or private information or violating someone else’s intellectual property rights
• Use of a domain or URL as your username without Instagram’s written consent

3. Ads are not formatted correctly

Instagram offers a variety of ad formats to businesses. While

Photo Ads allows you to tell your stories through a simple and

Video Ads offer the same immersive visual experience as photo ads, but If you want to showcase a specific product, service, or feature (explainer videos, ).

Carousel Ads allow users It is a great way to sell products, as you can display the same item from various angles

This image is an example carousel advertisement. class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-192238 lazy lazyload” data-original=”https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/carousel-ads.gif” data-src=”https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/carousel-ads.gif” data-srcset=”” decoding=”async” height=”720″ loading=”lazy” src=”data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAARnQU1BAACxjwv8YQUAAAAJcEhZcwAADsQAAA7EAZUrDhsAAAANSURBVBhXYzh8+PB/AAffA0nNPuCLAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC” width=”334″/>

Ads in collections tell a story These ads can be used to visually inspire your audience and help them discover, browse and buy products.

Story ads compliment your IG feed by This vertical fullscreen ad format allows you to immerse your viewers in the content.

This image is an example stories ad. class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-192214 lazy lazyload” data-original=”https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads.webp” data-src=”https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads.webp” data-srcset=”https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads.webp 300w, https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads-147×300.webp 147w, https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads-12×24.webp 12w, https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads-18×36.webp 18w, https://storage.googleapis.com/website-production/uploads/2023/12/stories-ads-24×48.webp 24w” decoding=”async” height=”612″ loading=”lazy” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” src=”data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAARnQU1BAACxjwv8YQUAAAAJcEhZcwAADsQAAA7EAZUrDhsAAAANSURBVBhXYzh8+PB/AAffA0nNPuCLAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC” width=”300″/>

Explore Ads Reach Instagram users while they are in a discovery mode

4. You are not aiming at the right audience

The right audience targeting is an important element to consider. It will not get your Instagram ads rejected, Even if you create the most eye-catching ads, if they don’t reach the

Before creating an ad, advertisers should familiarize themselves with Instagram’s targeting features (including

• Location – Targets specific people by identifying their location, such
• Demographics – Narrows down your audience by age,
• Interests – Helps you target people based on specific interests
• Behaviors — Defines the audience you are targeting by their activities
• Custom audiences — Targets previous customers who interacted with you based on their email address or telephone number.
• Find Audiences Similar to Your Existing Customers
• Automated targeting — Instagram creates a target audience quickly for you based on a number of factors including location, demographics, and interests.

5. Ad content is incorrect

If you want to promote salesy or boring content, your Instagram ad will not be approved if it contains prohibited material.

You must make sure that:

• Represent your brand and make it visible
• Don’t be too salesy, promotional or invasive
• Inspire viewers and appeal to them
• Use the same message in both the ad and the image

Instagram is a social media platform that allows users to share images, videos and stories. You should create ads with content that is entertaining, humorous and/or inspiring, instead of screaming “This is an advertisement!” or “Buy This!”

Differences:

The first uses:

• A couple on vacation in a high-quality lifestyle photograph
• Bright colors with contrast for an aesthetic appeal
• Smiley faces on vacation
• The bottom corner has a small logo

Comparing the second with:

• Ad text is too much
• Copy that is gimmicky and sales-oriented
• Image pricing

A vacation deal isn’t going to be impacted by an image of water. Your ads will feel more natural on Instagram if they are engaging and have a story. This will increase engagement and ultimately, sales. You may not see the results of your ad campaign you hoped for if you don’t.

6. Not checking Instagram Insights

You may not be closely monitoring Instagram Insights in order to track:

• Impressions– The number of times that your ads have been viewed
• Reach — Number of unique accounts who viewed your ads
• Interactions– The number and type of actions taken (profile visits, follow, and website/link clicking) on your profile following an advertisement

These analytics help you understand your audience (gender, age, location, etc.) You can also see how your audience interacts with your ads, so you know what works and what doesn’t.

7. Your landing page isn’t mobile-optimized

Instagram advertising is only available on the Instagram mobile app. It cannot be done via the web. You must be mobile-friendly since the app is only available on mobile devices.

There are two main reasons why your Instagram ads may not be performing as well.

1. Perceived Friction — This is the mental block that occurs if a user clicks on your mobile landing page and it does not have message matching.
2. Actual friction – When a website is not mobile responsive, users struggle to fill out forms using their thumbs. They may also pinch/zoom or scroll to find the CTA or simply can’t click on the CTA.

Without a mobile optimized landing page, you could harm your conversion rate. Make sure that the landing page you use to send traffic from your mobile app responds to all sizes, provides information best suited for the device, has only a limited number of form fields and includes an easy to click CTA button.

8. Violations of intellectual property or copyright

Infringement of intellectual property or copyright rights is a common pitfall which can result in your Instagram ads being rejected.

It may be tempting to use a video or image that is easily recognizable, such as a meme, iconic picture, or movie scene, to attract attention to your products. What a regular user can get away without, a business account will not, especially if the ads are involved.

Meta is against the use of unlicensed content. Your ad will be rejected if it contains images, videos or other materials that violate someone else’s intellectual properties.

To avoid violating copyright, you should:

Unauthorized Content Use – Always make sure you have the rights to use images, music or other content. Unauthorized usage can result in disapproval of your ads and legal consequences.

Original content is better – Instagram thrives off of original and authentic content. Avoid copyrighted materials without permission and create visuals that uniquely represent your brand.

Trademark Respect — The trademark or logo indicates the copyright owner of the content or the author. Copyright owners will consider it bad taste to promote a product with branded content belonging to another person. This does not appear to be proper brand communication. Instagram will also quickly catch any attempts to use someone else’s branding for your own gain.

What is the Ad Review Process?

Before Facebook or Instagram ads appear, they have to pass a review according to Meta Advertising Policy Principles.

The following elements are examined during the review of the advertisement:

• Pictures
• Text
• Targeting
• Positioning
• Content and functionality of the landing pages (ads may not be approved if they are not fully functional or if their content does match the offer in the ad.

Most ads are reviewed in 24 hours, although some may take longer. Your ad’s status in Ads Manager will be “Rejected” if it is not approved.

You may be able to explain this by the following.

How to appeal an Instagram ad that was disapproved

There are two ways to deal with IG ads that have not been approved:

1. Edit the ad – Check your email for a reason why it wasn’t accepted. edit the ad and submit it again.
2. You can appeal a decision if you feel that your ad was not approved for any reason, or if you cannot edit it.

What happens now behind the scenes of Instagram? Instagram uses a rigorous ad-review process to make sure that all ads are in line with the community’s standards, guidelines and policies. This evaluation aims to maintain a high quality user experience while safeguarding the integrity of the platform.

What is the review process?

Policy Compliance : policy compliance is the first checkpoint. It involves an inspection to make sure your ad adheres to both Meta’s Advertising Policies and Instagram’s guidelines. The policy compliance test covers a range of criteria from appropriate content to adherence with community standards.

Textual and visual analysis Instagram examines the textual and visual elements of your ad. Reviewers look for excessively promotional language and check the relevance and quality of the images and videos. They also assess the tone and overall style to make sure it fits with Instagram’s guidelines and aesthetic.

Assessment of targeting: Instagram evaluates the audience you have selected to ensure that it is in line with its criteria. It ensures that your ad is reaching the right demographic, without violating privacy or ethical guidelines.

How long is a typical review?

Instagram does not provide a timeline for the review process. The review process can take anywhere between a few minutes and a couple days. Some marketers have reported waiting two days for the decision, but in general, it’s done within 24 hour. The review time can be affected by the number of appeals pending in the queue, your ad’s complexity, and the current workload of the platform.

Tips for a smooth Instagram Ad Review Process

Plan ahead. Plan your campaign in advance if your ad has a tight deadline. Avoid launching your campaign too close to the desired time.

Be aware of the rules. Get familiar with Instagram’s guidelines and policies before creating your ad to avoid potential pitfalls.

You must ensure that your content is of high quality. To expedite review, ensure your ad is up to high standards in terms of visuals and content.

Make sure that your Instagram ads deliver

Do not let a failed Instagram ad stop you from taking advantage of all that the platform can offer your business. Fix the problem, then move on.

A great ad campaign revolves around creating a landing page that is engaging and tailored to the audience. Instapage offers a 14-day trial that allows you to learn how to create Instagram-approved, personalized landing pages.

The FAQ

I am restricted from using Instagram for advertising. Does it ever get unrestricted? It’s been restricted for a long time.

Instagram restrictions on ads can be either temporary or permanent depending on the nature and severity of the infraction. Temporary restrictions can be lifted automatically after a certain period. If the restriction continues, review Instagram’s guidelines for community members, correct any possible policy violations and contact Instagram support to get further assistance.

Instagram ads are manually approved.

Instagram ads are manually reviewed to ensure they comply with the community standards, advertising guidelines, and policies. Most ads are approved in 24 hours. However, depending on the complexity of the content and number of appeals pending, it may take a little longer.

The Instagram advertisement has been approved, but is not running. What should I do if my Instagram ad is approved but not running?

Your Instagram ad may not be running for a number of reasons. Make sure you have the correct campaign settings, budget, and targeting options.

If the problem persists, you should monitor any emails or notifications from Instagram. If the problem persists you may want to edit your ad, or appeal the decision using the channels provided for further review.

Author: Stephanie Mialki