7 Amazon Ads policy rules bear on agencies and in-house marketing teams

Platform rules are about ad approval and account risk, not law, and policies change. These are the Amazon Ads rules whose wording is about patient quotes, reviews, endorsements, tracking and audience targeting. They run when Amazon Ads is selected in the checker.

1. CG-PLT-001 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Meta bars ads that assert or imply the viewer's physical or mental health, including medical conditions, for example "Do you have diabetes?". Nextdoor, X, Amazon and Taboola bar the same move (asserting knowledge of a viewer's health, speaking directly to the customer about a condition or weight). This is platform policy, not law, and an ad can be rejected or an account restricted.

   Source: Meta Advertising Standards, Personal attributes; Nextdoor Ads Policy (advertisement targeting, personal attributes); X Ads targeting of sensitive categories policy; Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies; Taboola Health Supplement Advertising Guidelines

   Safer wording: Address the topic, not the viewer. Say "Depression affects many adults. Talk to a clinician." instead of "Are you struggling with depression?".

   Meta Advertising Standards, Personal attributes, X Ads targeting of sensitive categories policy, Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Taboola Health Supplement Advertising Guidelines, Nextdoor Ads Policy

2. CG-PLT-008 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Pinterest does not allow ads for clinical trial recruitment. Google does not allow them in most locations. Microsoft Advertising and Amazon Ads list clinical trials and trial recruitment as prohibited. X, Nextdoor and Reddit allow them only with conditions (X prior authorization, no misleading expectations or claims of safety, registration on ClinicalTrials.gov and IRB oversight).

   Source: Pinterest Advertising Guidelines (healthcare products and services); Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy (clinical trial recruitment); Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy; X Ads healthcare policy; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy

   Safer wording: Send people to the registry listing or the sponsor site instead of buying a platform ad, or check the platform and location rules and any IRB approval first.

   Nextdoor Ads Policy, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, Pinterest Advertising Guidelines, X Ads healthcare policy

3. CG-PLT-009 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   In the United States TikTok allows only CBD products that are topical hemp products under 0.3% THC, with LegitScript certification, a TikTok sales representative, and audiences aged 25 or older. All other CBD products are not allowed. Amazon Ads prohibits oils, supplements, cosmetic beauty products and ingestibles that contain CBD or THC. Taboola accepts CBD only in listed countries, with THC percentage details.

   Source: TikTok Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals ad policy (United States, cannabidiol products); Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies; Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty

   Safer wording: Remove the CBD product from the ad, or confirm the platform allows it for your product, country and audience first.

   Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty, TikTok Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals ad policy

4. CG-PLT-015 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Snap does not allow ads that promote weight-loss supplements, and Pinterest does not allow weight loss or appetite suppressant pills, supplements or products claiming weight loss through something worn or applied to the skin. Amazon Ads prohibits fat burners and similar products that claim to increase metabolism or suppress appetite.

   Source: Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health (health and dietary supplements); Pinterest Advertising Guidelines (weight loss products and services); Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies

   Safer wording: Advertise the clinical service, not the supplement, or move to a platform whose policy allows the product with approval.

   Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health, Pinterest Advertising Guidelines

5. CG-PLT-026 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Taboola rejects ads that discourage or compare to conventional medicine, such as "Forget the pills", "You don't need surgery" and "Better than medicines". Amazon Ads bars discouraging customers from seeing a qualified medical professional, Microsoft bars claiming a supplement can replace prescribed treatment, and Reddit bars implying a supplement is as effective as or better than an FDA-approved drug.

   Source: Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty; Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy; Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy

   Safer wording: Present the product as a complement to professional care and leave out any suggestion of skipping or replacing treatment.

   Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy

6. CG-PLT-027 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Amazon Ads bars products that improperly claim to be FDA cleared or approved or that use the FDA logo, and bars regulatory endorsement claims on healthcare products. Microsoft bars statements that misrepresent regulatory approval or review, and Apple bars deceptively expressing or implying regulatory approval for a dietary supplement. Reddit requires FDA approval for the drugs and devices it allows.

   Source: Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies; Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Apple Advertising Services policies; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy

   Safer wording: Supplements are not FDA approved. Say what the product contains and add the standard statement that the FDA has not evaluated the claims, or leave the FDA out.

   Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Apple Advertising Services policies, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy

7. CG-PLT-030 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Meta lists anabolic steroids, chitosan, comfrey, DHEA, ephedra and human growth hormone as unsafe supplements. Reddit bars supplements with anabolic steroids, codeine, ephedra, HGH or opioids, Outbrain bars anabolic steroids, ephedra and HGH, Amazon Ads bars supplements with ephedrine alkaloids or Salvia divinorum, and X bars supplements that contain or reference anabolic steroids.

   Source: Meta Advertising Standards, Unsafe substances; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Outbrain Advertising Guidelines; Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies; X Ads healthcare policy

   Safer wording: Take the ingredient out of the ad and the product, or do not advertise the product on these platforms.

   Meta Advertising Standards, Unsafe substances, Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Outbrain Advertising Guidelines, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, X Ads healthcare policy

None of our sample wording triggers a Amazon Ads rule, so no example is shown. The rules above are still part of the set.

92 federal and general rules matched to agencies and in-house marketing teams run next to the Amazon Ads ones. The ones that weigh most:

1. CG-EFF-014 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Claims of instant, one-visit or universal results, or of working where all else fails, promise outcomes no clinic can substantiate.

   Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255

   Safer wording: Remove the promise of speed or certainty. Say what the service is and that results vary.

   16 CFR Part 255 · Needs counsel review

2. CG-FTC-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Buying or selling fake followers, likes, subscribers or views that misrepresent influence for a commercial purpose is an unfair or deceptive practice under the FTC's consumer reviews rule. It applies to anyone who sells them and to a business that buys them.

   Source: 16 CFR 465.8 ("Purchase or procure fake indicators of social media influence that they knew or should have known to be fake")

   Safer wording: Grow followers and ratings from real people. Remove the offer, or the purchased numbers, from the page.

   16 CFR 465.8 · Needs counsel review

3. CG-INF-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   A free product, a commission or a code is a material connection that must be clearly disclosed, and a before-and-after claim by a paid endorser needs proof and a typical-results statement.

   Source: FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255; FTC Rule on Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465; FTC Act section 5

   Safer wording: Put a clear disclosure of any payment, gift or commission at the start of the post, and remove unproven results claims.

   16 CFR Part 255, 16 CFR Part 465 · Needs counsel review

4. CG-OIG-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Paying or rewarding anyone for referring patients or for each prescription can violate the federal anti-kickback statute, and paying influencers without disclosure violates endorsement rules.

   Source: federal anti-kickback statute, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b; OIG Special Fraud Alert on telemedicine arrangements; FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255

   Safer wording: Remove payments tied to referrals or prescriptions. Pay marketers a fixed fee for services set in advance, and require clear disclosure of any paid endorsement.

   16 CFR Part 255, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b · Needs counsel review

Everything for the industry is on the agencies and marketing teams page, and all Amazon Ads rules for any industry are on the Amazon Ads page.