Facebook's Ad Policies Require Early Planning
If you’ve ever tried to boost a post about a community event, a nonprofit initiative, or even a book club meetup, only to be met with a blunt “Ad Disapproved” message from Facebook, you’re not alone.
What many people don’t realize is that Facebook requires anyone who wants to run ads on topics it deems “social” or “political” to go through an ad authorization process. That includes verifying your identity, confirming your location, and disclosing who’s paying for the ad. Even if you’re not campaigning for office or lobbying Congress, you might still fall under these rules.
Why? Because Facebook’s definition of “political or social issues” is broader than you might expect. Topics like civil rights, education, public health, environmental policy, and even local library events can fall into the gray zone. Let’s say you’re planning an event to celebrate banned books during Banned Books Week. Maybe you’ve invited a local politician to speak about free speech. Even if your goal is simply to promote literacy and open dialogue, Facebook may still flag your content as political—and block your ability to advertise unless you’re pre-authorized.
And the process is not instant.
The EO Report has one colleague who dutifully followed all the steps—uploaded documents, verified identity, had everything notarized—only to be rejected because a wrinkle in the notary stamp made the barcode unreadable. You can’t make this stuff up.
The reviewers on the other end? They’re people too (at least some of them), and that means decisions can vary. What passes one day might be denied the next. There’s little transparency, and appealing a decision can be slow.
Bottom line: if you even think you might want to promote content that touches on a sensitive topic—education policy, women’s health, mental health, civic engagement—it’s worth getting authorized now, not when your event is two days away and you’re scrambling to get the word out.
It’s a little bureaucratic. It’s a little annoying (or maybe a lot annoying). But it’s a lot better than having a message that matters stuck behind a digital gate you can’t open. Plus, the verification step should help reduce the spread of mis- or disinformation from unreliable sources seeking to spread ill-will or confusion.
Here’s how to begin the process.