Optimising Images for Facebook promotion

When you’re promoting posts on Facebook, it’s important that the images are the correct size. If you’re simply posting, don’t worry too much about the photo size, just go with whatever comes across best! 

Images which are not being promoted are far more likely to pass regulations but when you’re paying to promote an image or post, much more stringent regulations come into play.  

Here’s a simple guide to Facebook Optimised Images and Posts: 

20% Text Rule 

Facebook has a rule that a promoted post can only contain 20% text in the image. This includes logos, packaging and backgrounds. If Facebook decides that there’s too much text, the ad will get a lower reach and fewer people will see it, the ad will perform poorly and will end up costing more and ultimately, it may be disapproved altogether. 

Genuine Interactions Only 

Unfortunately, we can’t be asking for tags on promoted posts. Whilst we can ask for people to tag their friends in posts (e.g. “Do you know anyone who would love this? Tag them!”), we can no longer promote these. Facebook considers it an “inauthentic” form of sharing. 

Clean Up The Clutter 

Your product needs to be the hero. When people scroll through hundreds of images on Facebook, they’ll only view an image for a split second (literally milliseconds) to decide whether the post is worth sticking around to view in its entirety. So keep your images clean and uncluttered, allowing your message to sing, without confusing the eye. If an image has too much going on people will scroll straight past it.  

To help illustrate our point, here are some examples of Facebook optimised images vs. non-optimised images (which in other forms of marketing media are perfectly fine, but Facebook is a law unto itself!). 

The above images won’t perform well on Facebook (great message but text is too big / image is too busy). 

The above images will do much better on Facebook (still featuring the product but not violating the rules). 

Feel free to include heaps of text and details in the actual post itself. Unlike other means of marketing (e.g. print) we don’t need to include all the details in the image. 

Watch Your Language 

Facebook is really strict on flagging particular keywords they consider to be against their advertising policies, meaning: 

• You cannot promote an ad that sends people to a site that is misleading or does not match the content promoted in the ad  
• You cannot promote illegal products or services 
• You cannot discriminate against or harass others 
• You cannot promote tobacco or related paraphernalia 
• You cannot promote drug or drug-related products (this could include vitamins) 
• You cannot promote supplements (this may include sports drinks or powders) 
• You cannot promote weapons, ammunition or explosives (this could include sporting equipment such as archery etc) 
• Adult products or services, including adult content 
• You cannot promote another person’s products where it’s a third-party infringement 
• You cannot promote shocking, sensational, disrespectful or excessively violent content. This could include scenes of car crashes etc if you are promoting repairs or even compensation for a service such as a lawyer 
• You cannot focus on, assert or imply personal attributes including race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation, gender, disability, medical condition (including pregnancy), financial status, membership to a union, criminal record or name. 
• You cannot promote false, misleading, or controversial content  
• You cannot promote surveillance equipment like spy cams or mobile phone trackers (this may include home security equipment) 
• You cannot promote personal health images such as before and after images that contain unexpected or unlikely results, or that promote the reader to generate a negative self-perception 
• You cannot promote payday loans, cash advances or bail bonds (this may include fast approval finance options) 
• You cannot promote multi-level marketing schemes 
• You cannot promote penny auctions or bidding fee auctions 
• You cannot promote services that make counterfeit documents
• You cannot promote spyware or malware
• You cannot promote unauthorised streaming devices or content
• You must not use tactics that attempt to circumvent the review process such as disguising the ads content or destination page
• You cannot promote financial products or services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices
• You cannot promote the sale of body parts or fluids.

There are also a number of areas of promotion that are restricted or highly regulated including: 

• Alcohol 
• Dating 
• Real money gambling 
• Regional lotteries 
• Online pharmacies 
• Supplements 
• Financial services 
• Student loans services 
• Ads relating to politics or issues of national importance 
• Cryptocurrency products and services 
• Drug and alcohol addiction treatment 
• Weight loss products and plans 

As you can see, creating graphics for Facebook promoted posts is an art! Still caught wondering? Call us! We’re here to help and have experts who know the ins and outs of Facebook promotions like the back of their hand.