Exceptions to Facebook's 'No Text in Photo Ad' Rule

It can be extremely frustrating when you create a Facebook ad only to see the Not Approved notification, especially for something as simple as too much text in the photo. Facebook has had this rule in place for a while, and many times, they’ll still approve an ad with what they consider ‘too much text.’ The catch is they’ll limit the reach it receives. Up until recently, all ads with text were treated equally, but luckily, Facebook has realized that there are times when text is necessary for the ad.

There are some exceptions to Facebook’s “No Text in Photo” ad rule. Here’s the list:

Book and Album Covers

A book and album cover are the heart and soul of the piece, so naturally, you’ll want your ad to feature this image. Since the book and album often have text in addition to the title of the work, it can start to add up. Authors and artists can proudly showcase theirs without getting flagged for too much text.

Product Images

Depending on the type of product you have, there may be text directly on it. In these cases, you can rest assured knowing that Facebook will make an exception for the text included in your ad.

Games

You may not immediately think of it, but many games have a lot of text. If you are selling some game, you’ll be able to use a screenshot of it in action for your ad since Facebook will consider it an exception.

Events

Event flyers often have a ton of pertinent information listed on the flyer. They also take quite a bit of time to make, so not being able to use one for your ad can be disheartening. Luckily, event flyers fall under the category of text exceptions. This will also allow you to keep your post text short and sweet if you wish.

If you believe that your ad falls under one of the exception categories, be sure to request a manual review. You’ll usually be able to do this on the final page of your ad order before clicking Publish, and you’ll need to enter an explanation. There are times when even with a manual review, Facebook may flag or disapprove the ad. If this happens, here’s what you can do:

-Respond to their message explaining why you believe they made a mistake.

-It can take up to 48 hours to receive a response, so hang tight.

If for some reason your ad is still not approved:

-Duplicate the ad and request another review.