Is a Special Ad Category Required?

Are you not sure if what you’re promoting qualifies as a special ad category?

If you run Meta ads that promote something in Credit, Employment, Housing, or Politics, you need to declare a special ad categoryThere are legal restrictions related to targeting of people when running ads in the categories of Credit; Employment; Housing; or Social Issues, Elections, and Politics. Advertisers are required to select the appropriate Special Ad Category in the campaign when applicable, which will limit target options to keep their ad compliant. More. This helps you to avoid breaking certain rules and laws.

But, sometimes there’s gray area regarding whether a special ad category is needed. And if it’s not required, you’ll want to avoid it.

But, how do you know for sure?

Categorize Your Ads

Meta is rolling out a new feature to help. You may see a button to Categorize Your Ads within the special ad category section of a campaignThe campaign is the foundation of your Facebook ad. This is where you’ll set an advertising objective, which defines what you want your ad to achieve. More.

When you click it, there are several screens of questions, asking about what you’re promoting.

On one side are the things that qualify as requiring a special ad category designation. On the other are the things that don’t.

To use this tool, you go through each category and indicate whether you’re promoting any of the things that may either qualify or not.

Does Meta Use Your Answers?

It’s not clear if answering these questions will be used as a signal for Meta. There’s been an issue with Meta’s automated systems incorrectly flagging ads as requiring Special Ad Categories. So, it may be possible that if you’re initially flagged, Meta can use your answers to determine whether your ads are safe.

If you’re running into this problem, see if using this tool helps. At the least, it can help clarify whether a special ad category is needed.