3 Meta 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 Meta (Facebook and Instagram) rules whose wording is about patient quotes, reviews, endorsements, tracking and audience targeting. They run when Meta (Facebook and Instagram) 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-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

3. CG-PLT-031 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Meta's Business Tools Terms bar sharing Business Tool Data that includes or is based on health information, and say the names and criteria of events and conversions must not reflect or imply it. Google's customer data policies bar using conversions tied to health or medical information, such as purchases of medical services or prescription drugs, for enhanced conversions or store sales uploads. Tracking tags on clinic sites can also be a HIPAA problem.

   Source: Meta Business Tools Terms (Business Tool Data); Google Ads Customer data policies

   Safer wording: Do not send events whose name or data reveals a condition, a prescription or a patient status. Measure at the level of the campaign, with no health detail.

   Meta Business Tools Terms, Google Ads Customer data policies · Needs counsel review

Sample wording we wrote, run through the engine with Meta (Facebook and Instagram) selected. Only samples where a Meta (Facebook and Instagram) rule fires are shown.

92 federal and general rules matched to agencies and in-house marketing teams run next to the Meta (Facebook and Instagram) 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 Meta (Facebook and Instagram) rules for any industry are on the Meta (Facebook and Instagram) page.