Facebook Is Reconsidering The 20% Text Rule
The Facebook 20% Text Rule sounds simple on the surface: if you want to push your Facebook or Instagram content with advertising, the image can’t have more than 20% of the space featuring text. The idea was to increase the quality of the platform by reducing the number of ads that appear to be low-quality or spam. You know the ones: big, bold clickbait text from end to end that scream “90% OFF!”.
The reality of the rule, however, has been a big headache to many legitimate advertisers. Some ads that appeared to fit were rejected, and on the flip side, you still occasionally see obvious offenders that somehow passed the approval process. So when Facebook started testing a relaxed rule in some regions, it was an exciting moment.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. If the update to the 20% rule goes through exactly as it appears to be in testing, instead of being rejected from advertising, Facebook will alert you that your ad may artificially suffer reduced reach due to excessive text. While it’s still better than outright rejection, nobody is thrilled with the idea of essentially being charged more due to including your message or call-to-action as part of the design.
It’s still a possibility that Facebook will keep things as they are now, which means ample use of their Grid Tool to keep ads compliant with their rules. But if the 20% Text Rule is relaxed, and you have a message you think will be worth the hit to your CPC, at least the option will be available. All we can do now is wait and see.
