## Contents

- Ad Policy & Restricted Categories
- Categories that trigger extra rules / certification (verify current requirements)
- Pre-launch policy guardrails (do this for every campaign)

## Ad Policy & Restricted Categories

Disapprovals and account suspensions usually come from *policy*, not strategy. Check your category before writing copy — restricted verticals have extra rules, limited targeting, and sometimes mandatory certification. **This is not legal advice; the platforms are the source of truth and rules change — verify at Google Ads Policies and Meta Advertising Standards before launch.**

### Categories that trigger extra rules / certification (verify current requirements)

| Category | Typical constraints (as of Jun 2026 — confirm in-platform) |
|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| **Credit, housing, employment** | Meta **Special Ad Categories**: forced broad targeting, no age/gender/ZIP/many detailed targeting options, no lookalike-style narrowing. Google has parallel restrictions for these "sensitive" verticals. |
| **Financial products / financial services** | Disclosures required; many regions need advertiser identity verification/licensing; crypto and CFDs often need explicit certification or are blocked by geo. |
| **Health, drugs, supplements** | No personalized health claims ("treat your diabetes"), no PII-implying targeting language; pharmacy/telehealth often need certification; before/after imagery restricted. |
| **Political / social issues / elections** | Identity + location verification, paid-for-by disclaimers, public ad library logging, and per-country eligibility. |
| **Gambling / betting** | License + certification per geo; age-gating; many regions blocked entirely. |
| **Crypto / digital assets** | Certification and/or regional bans; "guaranteed returns" language prohibited. |
| **Alcohol** | Age/geo targeting limits; no targeting minors; some countries blocked. |
| **Personalized attributes (copy rule)** | Do **not** assert or imply you know the user's race, religion, sexual orientation, health condition, financial status, or membership in a protected class ("Are *you* depressed?", "As a [group], you…"). This is a frequent disapproval cause across platforms. |

### Pre-launch policy guardrails (do this for every campaign)

- Identify if your offer is in a restricted/Special Ad Category; if so, plan for the *reduced* targeting up front (don't build a precise audience you can't use).
- Strip personalized-attribute language from all copy and creative.
- Avoid prohibited claims: guaranteed income/returns, miracle cures, "100% approval," sensational/shock imagery, fake countdowns/UI.
- Confirm landing-page compliance too — destination must match the ad and the category rules (no cloaking, working privacy policy, functional contact info).
- For regulated verticals, complete any required advertiser verification/certification *before* spending, and keep substantiation for claims on file.