Restricted categories
Ads for restricted categories, built to scale and stay live.
Supplements, crypto, trading apps, financial products and political content all run under rules most advertisers never read until something breaks. Ads get rejected, accounts get restricted, and each rejection resets what the platform had learned. We've run accounts in each of these categories on Meta and Google, and we plan compliance in from the first ad, not after the first ban.
How we keep restricted accounts running
Write inside the rules, not around them
Every platform publishes what it restricts: health and weight-loss claims, promised returns, before-and-after results, and ads that imply something about the viewer, like a health condition. We write to those rules from the brief onward, so the ad that passes review is the one we planned. For CHOQ, a men's health supplement, the winning ads were product-led creator videos in plain, hedged language, and one of them brought in the cheapest purchases the account had recorded.
Check the page, not just the ad
Reviewers judge the whole journey, and in regulated categories many rejections come from where the ad points. When Google rejected some of CHOQ's ads, the cause was the website rather than the ad copy, so each product got a standalone landing page built for paid traffic.
Get the classification right
Platforms sort advertisers into categories that decide what you can target, measure and say, and automated reviews don't always sort them correctly. When Meta flagged Jenfi's revenue-based financing ads as credit ads, we requested a review and they were cleared. Meta had put trade2sync's trading software in a restricted financial category that strips data from its pixel, and the company had never set a category itself. Setting it deliberately and asking for a review is one of the first fixes in our audits. Political and social-issue ads need the advertiser's own authorization on each platform, so we start that before the creative.
Keep the account clean
Restrictions land hardest on messy accounts. CHOQ arrived with five Meta ad accounts, three spending at once and two permanently restricted, and we consolidated to one. trade2sync's pixel was collecting events from 26 websites. One account, one pixel, named logins and a documented setup make an account easier for a platform to trust, and easier to defend in an appeal.
Never gamble the account
When Google restricted UGLYCASH over crypto content, a workaround was on the table: a fresh account on a new domain. We advised against it. Getting around a restriction is exactly what gets advertisers banned, sometimes for years, so the budget moved to Meta and TikTok instead. We fix the cause, appeal with evidence when a reviewer got it wrong, and keep enough approved creative in rotation that one rejection never stalls the account.
Same standards, same numbers
A restricted category isn't an excuse for weaker results. We judge these accounts on cost per purchase, funded account or qualified lead, like any other. Jenfi's cost per lead halved while lead quality went up. CHOQ went from $233 per purchase on Meta to about $80 blended across Meta, Google and Microsoft in our first month.
Proof
- CHOQMen's health supplements: five Meta accounts consolidated into one, about $80 blended cost per purchase in month one
- Ground NewsA news app built around political coverage, through two US election cycles and a UK pivot
- UGLYCASHA fintech app with crypto features, across seven Latin American markets
- JenfiBusiness financing lead ads under four countries' financial advertising rules
- trade2syncTrading software in Meta's restricted financial category: the audit
When we're the right fit, and when we aren't
Right for
Supplements and wellness, crypto and fintech, trading and investing apps, financial products, and political campaigns, causes and news. Full management usually fits from about $50,000 a month in ad spend; between $20,000 and $50,000 we'll usually suggest starting with an audit. Even a well-run account in these categories sees rejected ads, slower testing and the occasional restriction, and our six-month minimum still applies.
Not right for
We don't advertise adult content, MLM or get-rich-quick courses, payday loans or debt products, or vapes, tobacco and cannabis, at any budget. We're also the wrong partner if the plan depends on claims the platforms don't allow, cloaked landing pages or borrowed ad accounts. We'll rewrite a claim. We won't hide it.
What it costs
$5,000 to $25,000 a month, plus a one-time $5,000 setup. One fee covers every channel we run.
One time. Every channel, tracking, funnel and creative, with a ranked action list.
No retainer. A senior second opinion for your team, buyer or agency.
Full details, a fee calculator and terms are on the pricing page.
Questions
What counts as a restricted ad category?
It varies by platform, but the usual list covers supplements and health, weight loss, crypto, trading and investing, financial products, gambling, alcohol, and social issues, elections and politics. Some need approval before any ad runs, like gambling, many crypto products and political ads. Some limit who you can target, like Meta's special ad categories for financial products, housing, employment and politics. Others limit what you can say, like health claims.
Can you guarantee my account won't be restricted?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. Platforms review ads with a mix of automation and people, and even careful accounts get the occasional wrong call. What we can do is remove the usual causes: risky claims, mismatched landing pages, messy account structures and polluted tracking. CHOQ's accounts haven't had a single restriction since we took over.
My ad account was banned. Can you get it back?
Sometimes. If the restriction was a mistake, a well-documented appeal can reverse it, and we'll help you prepare one. We won't build your plan on getting reinstated, and we won't run your ads through borrowed or rented accounts. That breaks platform rules and usually ends in a bigger ban. We start with whatever caused the restriction.
Do restricted categories cost more to advertise in?
Usually, at least at first. Narrower targeting, rejected ads that reset learning and stripped tracking data all slow testing down. That's why we fix measurement first and keep a steady supply of approved creative. Done well, results can hold up against any category: CHOQ's blended cost per purchase was about $80 in our first month, against $233 on Meta alone before.
Do you run political ads?
Yes, for campaigns, causes and news products. We ran ads for Ground News, a news app built around political coverage, through two US election cycles. Political and social-issue ads need the advertiser to complete each platform's identity authorization and carry a 'paid for by' disclaimer, so we start that paperwork before the creative.
Do you work with gambling brands?
Our fit check accepts them, but we don't have a gambling case study yet, and we'd rather tell you that up front. Gambling advertisers also need platform approval and a license in every market before any ad runs.
Further reading: Meta & Google Ads in 2026: Creative Is the New Targeting · Meta Ads Audit: A 6-Phase Framework to Cut Wasted Spend · How to Choose a Facebook Ads Consultant: What to Ask · How to Choose a Meta Ads Agency You Won't Regret. Also from OuiGrowth: Paid media · App install ads · Ad account audit. By channel: Meta · Google · TikTok · Reddit.
Running ads in a restricted category?
Book a free 30-minute consultation and we'll tell you what we'd change first. Want to know what it costs before we talk? Our pricing is public.
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