Facebook Page users are concerned with their lack of reach on the platform. We see a lot of people talking about the dreaded algorithm and how it’s unfair to businesses who are trying to reach people who like their page. 

But what if you unknowingly were using words that the algorithm doesn’t like? 

I'm in a lot of online groups and one of the things that people complain about on almost a daily basis is that their Facebook business page posts get almost no ‘reach' – they just aren't getting seen.

In late 2017 Facebook made the public announcement about the algorithm change that would target ‘engagement bait' – basically posts that asked for ‘likes' or ‘shares' would be suppressed.

“We will demote posts that go against one of our key News Feed values — authenticity. Similar to our other recent efforts to demote clickbait headlines and links to low-quality web page experiences, we want to reduce the spread of content that is spammy, sensational, or misleading in order to promote more meaningful and authentic conversations on Facebook.”

Some trigger words work in your favour – words like ‘anniversary,' ‘congratulations,' and ‘birthday' tend to get shared in feeds more widely by Facebook. However, others don't.

Typical examples are words like “Free”, “Like”, “Share”, “Buy”, “Sale” are proving to be some of the biggest and most obvious reach killers. 

>>Grab our FREE PDF the Unofficial List of Cuss Words to Avoid here<<

Then there is another group of people who are having their ads rejected and they can’t figure out why?

Ads getting rejected is one of the biggest challenges I see with clients.

When an ad is rejected you get a notification from Facebook and your ad won’t run until you fix it. Receive too many of these warnings and Facebook may shut down your advertising account altogether. You don't want this. Facebook's Ads Manager controls Instagram ads as well, so you would lose access to advertising on two of the largest social platforms.

Facebook is extremely cautious in their ad approval process. If your ad seems overly targeted or misleading in any way, it will be rejected.

What FB doesn't like: 

1. Ads that speak too directly to viewers or pain points. Facebook calls these Personal Attributes.

A few instances of "you" or "your" are passable but if your ads are struggling, it’s best to omit the "yous" and "yours."

Facebook wants your ads to blend into the newsfeed and not look much different from a post you would see from a friend.

Instead use stories, testimonials or personal experiences.

2. Health, weight loss, beauty products, anti-ageing, supplements ... these all fall under "sensitive topics" that are closely monitored by Facebook. It addresses this problem under its Personal Attributes policy, Personal Health policy or Misleading or False Content policy.

Furthermore, avoid using pain points or negative words like diet, fat, overwhelm, depression, terrified, etc.  As an alternative, use positive words. Focus on what you want your customers to feel after using the product 

3. Profanity. Not even a little. Facebook addresses this under its Grammar & Profanity policy.

This includes symbols in place of curse words. Facebook is a family-friendly platform and they won't tolerate profanity, sexualized images, or overt language 

4. Too frequent a use of all CAPITAL LETTERS or lots of exclamation marks!!!! (in fact, overuse of punctuation is sometimes flagged by Facebook under Grammar& Profanity.

People will be under the impression that it is spam or clickbait, or you are yelling at your audience and no one will click on your ad.

Express your point by using emoji’s instead.  

5. Get rich quick and "make money" schemes, work-from-home opportunities, and big --or even small-- claims that might not be possible for everyone to achieve. Facebook addresses this under its Personal Attributes policy. its Multilevel Marketing policy, its Prohibited Financial Services policy and its Misleading or False Content Policy.

Instead, reframe true income opportunities or business trainings to focus on the benefits of what you’re offering

Remember, Facebook not only audits your ads but also your landing page (and your  URL for that matter, so your "getrichovernight.com" URL is not going to fly). You may need to do some clean-up work there as well if you’re promoting something a little more sensitive.

Ensure your website has the proper disclaimers such as your “terms of service”, “privacy policy” and even an “income disclaimer”

Getting the most out of Facebook just requires learning the rules of engagement and playing nice with the system. And if even after scrubbing your ads and web page you’re still scratching your head, wondering why your ads are still "Not Approved", you should consider becoming a member of the Simple Facebook Marketing Academy.

Inside the Simple Facebook Marketing Academy, we dive in with you to figure out exactly which phrase or word is causing the headache and give you suggestions. Normally it’s something subtle, so don’t be discouraged. and if we can’t figure it out I reach out to my Facebook rep. 

Either way, I hope this post helps you to gain more reach with your followers and get more of your ads approved. 

Make sure you print or save the Unofficial List of Cuss Words to Avoid so you can reference it when you are creating your posts and ads.