Facebook Weight Loss Ads: Why Your Ad Might Fail and What to Do About It

By the end of 2020, there were more than 10 million advertisers on Facebook. 1.2 million advertisements were related to Facebook Weight Loss Ads.

The shocking thing is only 41% of ads were profitable. 29% of ads could not even compensate for the advertisement costs. I don’t mean to scare you, But that’s what it is.

Facebook weight loss ads are prone to ban and if you advertise without proper knowledge, My friend I must say “Your ad might fail“. But worry not! You are in right place.

Today you will learn how to create working Weight loss ads for Facebook.

Let’s dive into the article.

Can I advertise weight loss on Facebook?

If someone answered NO to this question, Then immediately stop listening to that person. Because you can advertise weight-loss ads on Facebook.

It is super easy. But don’t get so excited. There are some restrictions.

Why restrictions?

Because Facebook aspires to nurture a healthy and pleasant domain.

Weight Loss ads that promote body shaming or demotivate someone are not allowed. To promote a product or service you cannot be unethical towards your customers.

So, Restrictions are imposed on weight loss ads to avoid hurting any sort of users.

What is not allowed in weight loss Facebook ads?

Like I cleared up the air by saying Yes, weight loss ads are allowed. It does not mean that it’s piece of cake. Your ad must follow Facebook Personal Health Ad policies.

Facebook ad policy states: “Ads must not contain “before-and-after” images or images that contain unexpected or unlikely results. Ad content must not imply or attempt to generate negative self-perception in order to promote diet, weight loss, or other health-related products.”

Do’s and Don’ts for weight loss Facebook ads

  • Ads with close up pictures of weight loss results are not allowed, You can use a zoomed out picture.
  • You can promote fitness in your ad, But you cannot promote use of diet for weight loss.
  • Weight loss products and specialized diet are not allowed to advertise. But you can promote healthy eating habits.
  • Don’t use before and after weight loss pictures in your ads. Real or Cartoon. But explaining benefits of healthy lifestyle is allowed.

The final decision depends on Facebook, whether to accept your ad or not. But if you follow all the rules, I assure you. You can advertise weight loss on Facebook.

Can you use the word diet in Facebook ads?

This is a tricky question. Because the answer you seek is either “Yes or No“. But the correct answer is “Depends“.

You cannot mention Voldemort in Hogwarts, Similarly, you cannot mention diet and weight loss in Facebook ads.

Pain points or negative words are not allowed. Using these words can lead to rejection of your ad. But then how someone is supposed to advertise weight loss?

I will explain that in detail later in this article. But an easy solution to this question is: Focus on similar positive words and how you want your customers to experience after using your product or services.

For Example: “Bootcamp to Loss weight in 10 days”. This ad quote will be rejected 100%. So the right way is, “Stay Fit and Healthy with our 10 days Bootcamp”

I hope the title of this article is justified. If these facts are not known, anyone can make the same error and then get disappointed over the rejected ad. But I can bet my readers will not face any problem if they follow my lead properly.

Moving forward.

Weight loss target audience for Facebook

Do you know why 29% weight loss ads fail miserably? Because they do not know their audience.

To advertise on Facebook it is imperative to identify your optimal audience and then target them. An A1 ad if don’t reach the right person it is a wasted effort.

Facebook ad campaigns have various variables to target users. I will list some important data you can use to understand your weight loss target audience.

Age

Weight loss and body transformation are very popular among youth. Data reveals that users aged 23-35 are most interested in weight loss on Facebook. They are your primary target.

Gender

61% of women are interested in weight loss related posts/ads. Men account for remaining 39%.

Relationship Status

An online survey by SurveyJunkie revealed, 51% of engaged people have shown interest in weight loss. Singles account for 32%. Both niches are closely related to you as the audience.

Single and engaged users are between 21-28 (Majorly) and targeting this section of Facebook audience can generate huge profits.

Education & Job title

Almost 86% of users looking to lose weight hold a college degree. You don’t have to target school kids or even college students. Because trying hard on minority and ignoring the majority can backfire.

Regarding jobs, Administration, Management and Sales cover the majority of job titles interested in weight loss.

Country/Region

People subscribing to weight loss related programs prefer the provider near them. Or they trust big brands. You might not be a big name yet, But you will become one. If you target people living within 30km of your office.

If you sell weight loss related products, you can focus within your country to target potential customers. Your product has to be very unique to grab international leads.

After knowing all the required details, I hope now you understand your target audience for weight loss ads.

How do you advertise weight loss ads on Facebook?

To begin advertising on Facebook. Create a Facebook Page. To set up your Facebook Page fill up the information asked here.

Baby step is complete. Now in next steps you will be required to create Facebook Business Manager account and Facebook Advertising account.

Follow these steps to create required accounts.

To create a Facebook Business Manager Account:

  • Visit business.facebook.com/overview.
  • Click on “Create new account”.
  • Enter a name for your business, your name, and a working email address.
  • Fill in particulars of your business and hit Submit.

Once your business account is created, link it with your website or Facebook page.

Now create a Facebook advertising account.

To create an Advertising Account:

  • First, in the left menu, click on “Accounts”, then “Add Accounts”.
  • Now select “Add Account.”
  • Select “Create a New Ad Account” and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you want to know more in detail follow this blog: https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/learn/series/guide-to-starting-with-facebook-ads-manager?curriculum_id=399243460690588

Now link your Facebook Page with your Advertising account. And Advertising account with the Business Manager account.

Finish. Ready. What?

Yes, the process is finished and you are ready to start using Facebook. And publish Weight loss ads.

Weight Loss ads: Tips and Trick

Now let’s talk about how to create a working weight loss ad for Facebook. But before jumping into it, You must set some marketing goals.

Your goals decide your approach and your approach decides your future. Create a solid campaign(s) to avoid failure.

Campaign

Your campaign is responsible for your ad success. There are 3 elements of a successful ad campaign.

Reach

It is important to advertise your name rather than your main product at the start. A successful campaign focus on reaching the maximum users and get them familiar with your name.

Why? Ok answer this.

Will you buy shoes from Adidas or teloi (imaginary name)? Why you said Adidas without even asking about teloi? Because your brand name drives your success. And focusing on creating one is a smart move for the long term.

Your reach will determine your profits from Facebook ads.

Attention

To complete your 1st objective you must catch the user’s attention. Even a potential customer need to be attracted through your graphics and captions.

Create relatable and motivating ads to instantly grab someone’s attention. The first line of your caption, graphics, and quote on your image ad and thumbnail of your video ad must be click-bait type.

Example:

  • Looking to get back into your old jeans?
  • Get Fit and Stay Fit!
  • Unhappy with your looks?

Starting your caption with a catchy phrase will help contribute to success of your campaign. There are other ways to grab attention on Facebook:

  • Give attractive discounts and offers on your ad
  • Upload shareable content (memes or informative video or an interesting fact)
  • Attach customer testimonials
  • Upload high-quality Video/Image ads

By following above points you can easily grab someone’s attention on Facebook.

Targeting

The final and very important element of a solid campaign is to target only a specific audience. Ads meant to target masses don’t work well.

I have already discussed your targeted audience. Create separate campaigns for different types of customers to target properly.

Facebook Pixel can help you collect data of your visitors which you can use to target more people with similar interests.

Retargeting is also a part of the targeting. There are some people who are interested in your ad and service/product. But for some reason, they are not yet your customer. Retarget them after some time with new and improved features and this time they might buy your product.

Focus on all 3 elements to produce a working weight loss ad. Your campaign also includes your expected result. But I can bet If you just give ample time to develop a solid campaign. You don’t have to worry about the expected result.

Conclusion

In the end, I would like to conclude by saying, Be careful while you advertise weight loss on Facebook. Your ad must be appropriate and respect obese people.

Don’t compel anyone to lose weight directly. Show benefits of a fit life but don’t display drawbacks of being unfit.

Facebook ads are very emotionally driven and you cannot afford to hurt sentiments through your ad. Be creative but Be appropriate.

If you have understood everything today, It is mission successful for me. Respect +100

Wishing you luck and big profits for your Facebook ads. Signing off.

Drop a comment in case of any query.