If you have ever launched ads on Facebook then you’ve probably run into the issue of your ads being rejected because of too much text on the image, it is an issue you will no longer have to worry about as Facebook is removing its 20% text limit rule.
When the Change was Implemented:
Facebook announced in September that it was killing its ‘<20% text on image‘ rule for ads:
“At Facebook, we are constantly improving and refining the best ways to improve the quality of ads on our platform. One of the ways is revisiting the effectiveness and impact of existing ad quality checks.
As part of this review, we will no longer penalize ads with higher amounts of image text in auctions and delivery.
As of September 7th, we will begin gradually removing external material and sources that indicate that we enforce high levels of text in images.
Please note, Advertisers will still need to abide by our ad policies regarding the content of the text. Advertisers are still encouraged to reduce the amount of text with images, as we have found that images with less than 20% text generally perform better.
While Facebook still gives tips on reducing the text on images, it now does stop short of saying to keep it under 20%. Facebook now merely advises that 20% or less ad text on images is best practice for better performing ads.
The updated page on text in ad imagery can be seen here.
Original Purpose of the Rule:
Originally, Facebook implemented the 20% text on ad image rule to reduce the noisiness in the user’s news feed. The feed was already largely text and images that adding more text had the potential to create a cluttered and overwhelming experience for the users. Like many things, overtime, the platform had evolved, and text on an image was no longer a distraction as Facebook rolled out new ad types.
Prior Exceptions to the 20% Ad Text Rule:
You may not have known it, but in the past, there were some exceptions to Facebooks <20% image text rule. Some of the instances where the text in the ad did not count against the 20% were:
- Event Posters
- Covers (i.e. book covers, etc.)
- Infographics
- Legal Disclaimers
- Screenshots
- Cartoons or Comics
- Products with text labels
Check Your Ads:
Now that you have been informed regarding the dismissal of the ad image text rule, make sure you check your ads. Are there ones that might be performing poorly that might benefit from more text on the image? Are there new ads you would like to test with maybe a little bit more ad image text?
Test those ads, and make those changes, you can never be certain what works until you try.
