Facebook has some confusing and irritating rules, but for marketers and their clients, one of the most frustrating for the last few years has been the 20% Text Ban. For those who don’t know, Facebook for years had a rule in which they would not allow an advertisement to run if the image was determined to be composed of 20% text or more.

The problem is that 20% is a lot less than you think it is. If you wanted any text at all, you had to shrink it down very small and keep it as brief as you could. Often you’d do all that only for Facebook to reject the image and tell you it was still more than 20%. Frustrating.

The good news is, Facebook is slowly rolling out a new process. Not everyone has it yet, but the new system gets rid of the hard ban on 20%+ images in advertisements and instead makes use of a grading system.

The new system will not stop you from using any image (well, any image that meets their other guidelines), regardless of how much text is involved. Instead, it will analyze the text content and sort into four grades as well as giving descriptions of how these grades will affect the ad’s performance.

 

  • Image Text OK: Your ad’s image contains little or no text. This is the preferred image style.

 

Facebook Advertising, Gatorworks, 20% Rule

 

  • Image Text Low: Your ad’s reach may be slightly limited.

 

Facebook Advertising, Social Media Consulting, Gatorworks, 20% Rule

 

  • Image Text Medium: Your ad’s reach may be limited.

 

Gatorworks, Facebook Ads, 20% Rule

 

  • Image Text High: You may not reach your audience if you use an image with this much text.

 

Facebook Ad, 20% Rule, Gatorworks, Social Media Management

 

There are exceptions to when text is counted, as well, some of which are new and some of which have been around for awhile. This includes album covers, movie posters, product images, book covers, app or game screenshots, text based businesses (comics, calligraphy, etc), legal text, infographics, and posters for festivals, shows, or events. Text logos, watermarks, and numbers will still be considered text for the purposes of the ad guidelines.

This new system has not been rolled out to everyone yet, so don’t rush out and make an elaborate graphic and then come blame us when Facebook rejects it. But, it is an exciting development and one that will make it easier for many businesses to communicate with their customers.

Gatorworks is based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is a full-service digital marketing agency. If you want to participate in Facebook Advertising for your business, we are eager to help. You can call us at 225-924-6109 or email us.