Pouring time, effort, and money into creating your video ads only to see them rejected — that’s a nightmare for every marketer. Why does it happen? See the video marketing checklist for Facebook and other social media platforms below, and you’ll forget what rejection means.
Why Technical Rejections Are Killing Your ROI
Some advertisers believe that technical rejections are a minor obstacle, but that’s only if they occur rarely and can be addressed quickly. Otherwise, you might face:
- A delay of the entire campaign
- A waste of creative resources
- Lost impressions and doubled costs
- Problems with management or clients
These issues become intertwined, affecting all the related plans and ROI. Statistics show that about 68% of advertisers get their Google or Facebook ad rejected at least once per campaign. While Facebook users have access to the Live Ad Rejection Rate tool to see what standards they violated, it’s not immediately available for users of other social media advertising platforms. Having a detailed video checklist can help you solve these issues before they occur, regardless of what platform you’ve chosen.
7-Point Technical Checklist for Uploading Your Videos to Social Media
Now, let’s see why video ads keep getting rejected by paid social media platforms in the majority of cases and what you can do to avoid it.
1. File Format & Codec Mismatch
The most common issue people encounter in video advertising is an incompatible file format or codec mismatch. Some marketers create parts of their video on different devices; iPhones, for instance, often save images as HEIC. Most social media platforms don’t support this format, so you’ll need to convert HEIC to PNG first and then try your luck again. Otherwise, your video won’t be processed.
Compatible codecs include H.264 for video and AAC for audio; the majority of supported formats are MP4 and MOV. If you use any other format or codec, Facebook might reject your video to avoid playback issues, which is guaranteed to lead to poor user experience.
2. Wrong Aspect Ratio & Dimensions
The second common issue in our video ad checklist is the wrong aspect ratio and dimensions. If you mess them up, you can expect an ad rejection for sure. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Horizontal videos like streams should be 16:9
- Vertical videos like Reels should be 9:16
- Minimum expected quality on most platforms is 1280×720
Mismatched proportions can make videos appear distorted on different devices, so social media platforms are strict about content that doesn’t align with their standards.
3. File Size & Resolution Outside Spec
Make sure your file size and video resolution don’t exceed the established limits. According to the Meta marketing checklist, the size can’t be over 4GB; videos with resolutions under 720p or over 4K are rejected, too. Pixelated content doesn’t look appealing, as users expect high quality even when they’re watching ads. Similarly, if they have to wait for a video to load for too long, it might lead to frustration and the loss of interest.
4. Video Duration & Frame-Rate Issues
Meta requires video ads to be between 5 and 15 seconds long. For some formats, there is a limit of 60 seconds maximum. Ads that are too short or too long get automatically blocked.
Always consider your frame rates as well: typical options include 30fps and 60fps. Jittery playback might cause user dissatisfaction, so most paid social media platforms tend to reject video ads that don’t meet their standards.
5. Audio Levels & Codec Errors
The next item on our marketing plan checklist is verifying that you’re using acceptable audio levels. Anything above 6dB is too loud; social media platforms aren’t eager to make their users deaf, so they’ll reject your ad for sure. Always run a decibel check, and once again, look at your codecs. Avoid using unsupported formats; export audio using AAC.
6. Text Density & Readability
If your text overlays take more than 20% of screen space on Meta, forget about submitting your video ad. The same applies to videos with poorly formatted text that can only be seen if you squint really hard. Low-quality content tends to remind users of spam, so ensure that your video looks professional and your text is actually readable.
7. Copyrighted Content
The last item on our marketing to-do list is checking whether a part of your content is already copyrighted. Even a second of unlicensed music or video usage, and you’ll trigger the automatic scan and rejection. Platforms are unwilling to face lawsuits for displaying content for which you have no rights, so this is something you need to take care of thoroughly.
My Ad Still Got Rejected. Now What?
If you’ve followed all the suggestions above and you’re still here asking, “Why was my Facebook ad rejected?” don’t worry. There are other, less common issues that you might encounter. They include:
- Billing problems. Your payment method may fail, or you might exceed your credit limit. Updating your billing information should resolve the issue.
- Prohibited or sensitive content. You can’t promote drugs, weapons, real-life violence, or adult content; review your chosen platform’s guidelines to be sure you aren’t violating its rules.
- Misleading claims and overpromises. Avoid making exaggerated claims that guarantee perfect health or a chance to make a fortune; use fact-based language only.
- Targeting or account violations. If your first account was banned or you’re targeting someone in a discriminatory manner, you’ll be rejected. Tailor your video ads to be more inclusive and ensure you don’t break the platform’s policies.
After you correct these issues, your video ads should be green-lit.
Solve Technical Issues in Video Ads in Advance
To produce perfect ads, address all the identified technical issues before submitting a video for review. Study the entire checklist and adjust your format, quality, codecs, dimensions, sizes, duration, and other relevant details. Once you cover everything, release your video ad and connect with your target audience.
