4 Best practices for Healthcare Ad approval

Social media platforms have strict health and medical advertising policies to ensure users safety and compliance with healthcare privacy laws.

Most of the issues can be prevented if the copywriter knows the rules and what to avoid. Prevention is key. When all the rules fail, you need to test and adapt the post. 

Here are some best practices that can increase your ad approval chances:

1. Know the ad elements that will be reviewed: Whether you are managing your paid social strategy or partnering with an agency, your ad manager must know and understand ad rules and policies. There are four specific components of your ad that will be reviewed for adherence to their policies:

• Images: Apart from considerations such as size, width, resolution and file type, images featuring drugs, medications, or highly graphic content will be rejected.
• Text: Don’t mislead, exaggerate, mention drugs or medication names.
• Audience: Ensure you do not target minors when advertising cosmetic procedures or wellness products.
• Landing page content: All ads must point to functional landing pages with copy that accurately reflects the advertised product and does not violate platform policies.

2. Know the specific rules: Very specific policies may apply depending on the product or service your health brand offers. For example, there are specific policies around advertising for prescription drugs that an advertiser needs to be well versed in. 
3. Avoid missteps. Be positive: Not only must your ads not imply knowledge that a user has certain personal attributes, but they will disapprove any ad that implies or attempts to generate negative self-perception in order to promote diet, weight loss or other health-related products. To stay on the safe side, focus on the positive change and value your brand provides rather than the problem or challenge it is trying to solve. Speak about your brand and generalized health conditions more than about specific treatments or pain points.

4. Know what to do when an ad is disapproved: Despite your best intentions, your ads may still be disapproved. Be aware that the re-review process can take up to 48 hours (sometimes more). You need to get campaigns back up and running as quickly as possible, so as you triage the situation, we recommend you:

• Edit your ad: Sometimes, a simple tweak in language or an easy image swap makes all the difference. Also, check for any typos, broken links, or inconsistent landing page copy. Republishing your ad will kick off the re-review process. 
• Appeal: You can manually request your ad be re-reviewed, essentially appealing your case. You must provide your analysis in a written statement and can attach screenshots to illustrate your point.