Meta Just Dropped A NEW Facebook Ads Restriction

Meta continues to surprise the advertising community by introducing a new policy on Facebook Ads. To put it simply, this time, Mark Zuckerberg has not only changed the algorithm or tightened censorship, but also added a special advertising category. While previously “sensitive” industries like real estate, credit, and politics have been subject to many restrictions, now health & wellness, along with financial services, have also been officially added to the “special” list. This move could strongly impact how businesses implement their campaigns, from content planning to targeting to budget allocation. Let’s explore this with BHW in this article!

Black Hat World is a pioneer agency in providing resources and renting Facebook ad accounts for various industries. With over 11 years of experience, we own a reputable agency, BM system, and a repository of high-trust old via accounts, ensuring we meet diverse customer needs and support the successful implementation of many advertising campaigns.

Especially, We provide a comprehensive and effective solution for businesses in the industry through our Facebook ad account rental service. This allows customers to easily overcome barriers in the advertising process, optimize performance, and achieve business goals.

Meta Just Dropped A NEW Facebook Ads Restriction. Is it worth worrying about!

Previously, when talking about advertising in the finance sector, people often immediately thought of credit or loans. However, now this definition has expanded significantly. It includes information products, courses, or content that teaches how to “make money.” Even insurance companies were affected, not because they directly sold financial products, but simply when they posted recruitment ads or introduced career opportunities. Surprisingly, although Facebook has a separate advertising category for recruitment, if your ad has elements related to “making money,” the system can still tag it as a special financial ad category.

In December 2024, there were many leaked reports from senior Meta representatives warning that new restrictions would be applied. And now, this has officially become a reality. Not a few advertisers have received emails or in-account notifications, requesting campaign updates. If not, the current campaign will be rejected and forced to move to the special ad category. Notably, Meta’s announcement did not provide a specific timeframe for the widespread application, leaving many advertisers passive and making it difficult to plan.

How the new Meta algorithm works

Special Ad Categories are essentially restrictions on targeting options, specifically designed by Meta to ensure compliance with legal regulations and reduce the risk of lawsuits.

In a typical model, Facebook’s advertising algorithm relies heavily on pixel data and standard events to identify potential audiences. However, when a campaign falls into a Special Ad Category (such as the finance sector), the pixel data becomes less effective because the system is not allowed to prioritize groups of people who have previously converted. This causes the cost per acquisition (CPA) to tend to increase, as ads may be delivered to fewer potential audiences. The difference lies in the algorithm’s learning process:

• Previously: the pixel quickly identified a group of people with a high conversion potential.
• In the Special Ad Category: the “learning” process is limited, which can lead to a significant increase in advertising costs.

The reason Meta dropped new Facebook Ads Restriction

The application of the special ad category originated from anti-discrimination lawsuits. For the health sector, Meta must comply with privacy regulations like HIPAA. For finance, the pressure comes from anti-discrimination regulations in accessing services. Basically, Facebook and Instagram are acting as policy enforcement tools required by regulatory agencies.

The impact of Meta’s algorithm changes.

Once your ads are placed in a special category, many targeting options disappear:

• Inability to select specific ages
• Inability to select gender
• Restricted geographical location range
• Loss of access to detailed demographic data

This means you cannot precisely target potential customer groups, such as high-income individuals or a specific niche. The inevitable consequence is that advertising costs will increase while the effectiveness of reaching quality customers decreases.

A guide to updating when Meta changes its ad algorithm

Meta’s frequent changes to its ad algorithm are no longer new to advertisers. However, when falling into a Special Ad Category, especially in the finance, insurance, or employment fields, you need a clear strategy to avoid affecting campaign performance. From practical experience, we have noticed that accounts spending over 50,000 USD/month are often more easily flagged, while sub-accounts with smaller budgets are less affected. Below are some important guidelines that advertisers should take note of:

Avoid using sensitive language

We advise you not to use words directly related to income, money, or profit in ad content. This helps limit the risk of being flagged by Meta and minimizes the risk of ad distribution being restricted.

Prepare multiple ad accounts to allocate spending

Advertisers should build a reasonable budget allocation strategy across multiple accounts. This not only helps us minimize risk when an account is flagged but also ensures campaigns can be continuously maintained.

Theo dõi sát thông báo từ Meta

Các bạn cần kiểm tra thường xuyên email hoặc thông báo từ Meta để nắm bắt kịp thời các thay đổi về chính sách. Đây là cách tốt nhất để điều chỉnh ngay lập tức và không bị bất ngờ khi thuật toán thay đổi.

Prepare the appeal process

In some cases, ads may be unintentionally rejected or restricted. We recommend that you understand the appeal process to handle issues promptly and avoid campaign interruptions.

Leveraging Custom Conversions for optimization

One of the effective solutions is to use custom conversions. When you create a custom conversion and select the “other” type (not attached to any standard event), the system will be forced to rely on the messaging (ad content) to distribute to the right audience. This means that:

• Messaging becomes the most crucial factor in determining who will see the ad.
• If we also combine pixel conditioning (when there is enough data), the results can still be highly effective.

In fact, we have spent tens of thousands of USD running ads in the Special Ad Category (finance) and have seen almost no significant negative impact, as long as the custom conversion is set up correctly. When should a Custom Conversion be created?

• You should create a custom conversion while the account is still operating normally so the system can begin learning and collecting data. This way, when you are forced to switch to the Special Ad Category, you will have existing data to leverage, helping to optimize campaign effectiveness.
• If you haven’t prepared in time: Focus more on messaging to compensate for the limitations of restricted pixel conditioning.

Meta’s drop of some Facebook ad restrictions opens up new opportunities for advertisers and businesses. This is the right time for us to test more creative strategies, fully leverage the platform’s power to reach the right potential customers, and optimize campaign performance.

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