Facebook’s Ad Policy for Affiliates: What You Need to Know

Affiliates Are Under the Microscope

Facebook’s main concern? User experience. They don’t want people feeling tricked, misled, or spammed. Unfortunately, affiliates have a long history of pushing sketchy offers, so Facebook watches them closely.

That doesn’t mean affiliate marketing is off-limits - but it does mean you need to be extra careful.

What Facebook Doesn’t Like (And Will Ban You For)

Let’s keep it real. Here are the biggest red flags that get affiliates into trouble:

• Misleading ads: Anything that promises results you can’t guarantee (like “Make $5,000 this week”) is a no-go.

• Fake scarcity: Don’t say “Only 2 spots left!” if that’s not true.

• Before-and-after photos: Especially in health or fitness niches, these are usually banned.

• Exaggerated claims: Words like “cure,” “instant,” or “guaranteed” can trigger reviews or outright bans.

• Sketchy landing pages: If your page looks like a scam, loads slowly, or hides key info, you're toast.

Facebook Wants Full Transparency

Here’s what your ads should include:

• Clear messaging: Say what the product or service actually does.

• Accurate branding: Don’t pretend to be a big brand if you’re not.

• Legit landing page: Your page needs a privacy policy, contact info, and clear explanation of what users are signing up for.

• No “bridge pages”: Facebook doesn’t love pages that exist only to redirect someone to a third-party offer, especially if they don’t add value.

Keep Your Funnel Clean

If your ad says “Free Guide to Losing Weight,” the landing page better offer that exact guide - not a sneaky redirect to a product pitch. Any mismatch between ad copy and page content is a huge trust violation.

Also, don’t use cloakers or geo redirects that show different content to reviewers and real users. Facebook is good at spotting this now, and you’ll lose your account fast.

Warm Up Your Ad Account

Don’t hit Facebook with aggressive affiliate offers right away. Start slow:

• Run ads to blog posts or educational content first.

• Build up page engagement and trust.

• Use retargeting to move users down the funnel.

Once your account has a solid history, you’ll have more room to scale.

What About Compliance-Friendly Offers?

Some verticals are just safer to run:

• Online courses or ebooks

• Tools and software with clear value

• Lead generation with transparent opt-ins

• Whitehat ecommerce products

If you’re promoting sketchy supplements, sweepstakes, or crypto? It’s an uphill battle - and not usually worth it.

Be Ready for Manual Reviews

Facebook uses automation to approve ads, but affiliates get flagged often. If that happens, a real human will check your creative and landing page. So always ask yourself:

• Would this ad still make sense if it ran on a big brand’s page?

• Does the offer feel helpful or spammy?

• Is everything on the page 100% accurate and verifiable?

If You Get Banned…

It happens. If you do get flagged, appeal once - with a calm, clear explanation of what your ad was doing and why it’s compliant. If they still say no, don’t just create another account using the same business name and card.

Instead:

• Change your business manager

• Use a new domain

• Fix the core issue that triggered the ban

Or consider using a vetted agency that can help you stay compliant from the start.

The Bottom Line

Facebook doesn’t hate affiliates - it just hates bad experiences. If you build campaigns that feel helpful, clear, and transparent, you’ll be fine. Respect the platform, know the rules, and think long-term. That’s how you make Facebook Ads work for affiliate marketing.