Why Does My Facebook Ad Is Not Delivering?

Every marketer encounters times when Facebook ads underperform. While your ads may seem perfect, they might need optimization.

Although we can't pinpoint the exact cause without examining your specific ads, this blog post will guide you through fixing common delivery issues.

Don't worry - every advertiser has these issues sometimes! Let's fix this together. Ready?

What's Happening with Your Ad?

Your Facebook ad will show one of these status messages:

• Active: Your ad is running right now
• Scheduled: Your ad will start later
• In Review: Facebook is checking your ad
• Rejected: Your ad didn't follow Facebook's rules
• Paused: You stopped the ad yourself
• Completed: Your ad has finished running
• Error: Something's not working right

If your ad shows "rejected," "in review," "completed," or "error," it's not running right now. Let's look at each problem and how to fix it.

‍Why Ads Get Rejected

Facebook might reject your ad if it has:

• Bad Content: Anything illegal or inappropriate
• Special Products: Things like alcohol or dating services that need special permission
• False Claims: Promises that aren't true
• Too Much Text: Too many words in your ad image
• Personal Info: Mentions of age, gender, or health conditions
• Bad Links: Broken website links
• Copied Material: Using others' content without permission

How to fix a rejected ad:

• Read Facebook's rules carefully
• Fix what's wrong
• Ask Facebook to check again if you think they made a mistake
• Make a new ad that follows the rules

What "In Review" Means

Facebook is checking your ad because:

• You're New: New advertisers wait longer for approval
• Safety Check: Making sure your ad follows the rules
• Special Topics: Ads about politics or housing need extra checking
• Busy Time: Lots of other ads are being checked too
• Account Changes: You changed something important in your account

How long it takes:

• Usually 24 hours
• Sometimes 2-3 days for special ads
• Might take longer in unusual cases

To get approved faster:

• Follow all the rules carefully
• Don't change your ad while waiting
• Pay your bills on time
• Build a good history of following rules

What "Completed" Means

Your ad is finished because:

• Time's Up: It reached its end date
• Money's Spent: Used all its budget
• Run Time Over: Reached its planned length
• Goal Met: Achieved what you wanted

What to do next:

• Check how well it worked
• Learn from the results
• Maybe run it longer if it worked well
• Clean up old ads

What "Error" Means

Your ad isn't working because:

• Payment Problems: Issues with your credit card or billing
• Facebook Glitches: Technical problems on Facebook's side
• Bad Links: Your website links aren't working

How to fix errors:

• Check your payment method
• Make sure all links work

If Your Page is Restricted‍

Sometimes Facebook stops showing your ads if your page is restricted or has problems.

To fix this:

• Make sure your Facebook page is visible
• Check if Facebook restricted your page
• Follow Facebook's rules

Read More: Facebook Agency Ad Accounts vs Regular Ad Accounts: Complete Comparison

Other Common Problems‍

If your ads aren't showing, it might be because:

• Low Budget: Not spending enough money
• Small Audience: Not enough people can see your ad
• Low Bid: Other advertisers are paying more
• Poor Quality: Your ad isn't interesting enough
• Payment Issues: Problems with paying for ads
• Bad Timing: Running ads at the wrong time

Let's fix these problems:

Budget Problems

If you're not spending enough:

• Spend at least $5-10 per day
• Run fewer ads with more money each
• Let Facebook manage your budget

Audience Problems

To reach more people:

• Target more types of people
• Remove some targeting limits
• Use Facebook's similar audience tool

Bidding Problems

To improve your bids:

• Let Facebook set the bid amount
• Raise your maximum bid
• Try different goals

Quality Problems

To make better ads:

• Use better pictures and words
• Make sure your website works well
• Try different types of ads

Still Having Problems?

If nothing else works:

1. Try making the ad again from scratch - this often fixes things. But follow all the tips above too.
2. Try using a different ad account.
3. Ask Facebook's help team - they can check if something's wrong on their end.

We hope this helps! We'll write more helpful guides soon!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.1 How long should I wait before contacting Facebook support about my ad issues?

Ans: After you have applied everything we have suggested in this guide and it's still not working, then it's best to contact support. They will be able to investigate things on a much deeper level.

Q.2 Can I edit my ad while it's under review?

Ans: Facebook does not limit you on editing when your ads are under review, but keep in mind if you edit your ads, the review process will start all over again, which might delay your ad's approval.
Note: changing ad budget does not count.

Q.3 Will my ad automatically stop when I run out of budget?

Ans: If you are using prepaid accounts, then it will stop when you exhaust your budget, but if you are using postpaid accounts which have a threshold, you will only get billed after you have reached that threshold.
Note: if you fail to clear your due payments in postpaid accounts, Facebook normally bans your ad account.

Q.4 What happens if my Facebook page gets restricted while ads are running?

Ans: This has happened multiple times with our clients, and normally their ads will stop spending. Just changing the page will solve it, or you can appeal to get your page back.

Q.5 Can I reuse rejected ad content after making changes?

Ans: Yes, you can, but make sure the new content is adhering to the rules and policies as well.

Q.6 What should I do if my ad performance suddenly drops?

Ans: If that happens, all I can suggest is be patient and analyze your ad. If you see the performance is deteriorating even more or around the same level, your ad might be experiencing ad fatigue, which is common. We will talk about ad fatigue in detail in another article.

Q.7 Is there any other ways to speed up the ad review process?

Ans: Sadly no, your best option is to follow what we have advised and apply it to get the review process fast.