//Guide · Updated October 11, 2026
Why native ads get rejected
Most native ad rejections come down to a handful of picture and headline rules, and the big networks agree on most of them. Here is each rule side by side for Taboola, Outbrain, Revcontent and MGID, with the fix that keeps the idea and passes review.
Picture rules, network by network
“Not named” means we didn’t find the rule in that network’s published policies; it doesn’t mean the network will accept it. Let the winners set the bar: what they already run on a network is fair game there in the same form, never more extreme.
| Rule | Taboola | Outbrain | Revcontent | MGID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexually suggestive pictures, nudity or implied nudity | Rejected | Rejected | Rejected | Rejected (incl. borderline) |
| Focus on chest, cleavage, buttocks, groin or midriff | Rejected | Rejected | Rejected | Rejected |
| Zoomed-in or disembodied body parts (feet, bellies, skin conditions) | Not named | Rejected | Not named | Not named |
| Gore, wounds, bodily fluids, graphic conditions | Rejected | Rejected | Rejected (rashes, blood) | Rejected |
| Before-and-after pictures | Restricted (misleading ones) | Rejected | Rejected as collages | Not named |
| Exaggerated expressions and scare tactics | Rejected | Rejected | Not named | Not named |
| Fake interface: play buttons, warnings, download buttons | Rejected | Rejected | Not named | Not named |
| Circles and arrows highlighting part of the picture | Not named | Rejected | Poorly drawn ones | Not named |
| Celebrities and public figures | Without permission | Rejected | Not named | Deepfakes |
| Collages and split frames | Not named | Not named | Rejected | Not named |
The fix for each rule
Sexually suggestive pictures, nudity or implied nudity
Instead: Whole person, fully dressed, ordinary pose. Attractive is fine; provocative is not.
Focus on chest, cleavage, buttocks, groin or midriff
Instead: Frame the face and the moment, not the body.
Zoomed-in or disembodied body parts (feet, bellies, skin conditions)
Instead: Match the close-ups the winners already run on that network, in the same form and never more extreme. A clean close-up of what the product treats, like a smile for dental, is fine.
Gore, wounds, bodily fluids, graphic conditions
Instead: Show the everyday object tied to the problem, or the person, never the injury.
Before-and-after pictures
Instead: Where the winners already run one, the same form is fair game, never more extreme. Where none do, show the after-state on its own.
Exaggerated expressions and scare tactics
Instead: A calm, believable face. It reads as more trustworthy in a news feed anyway.
Fake interface: play buttons, warnings, download buttons
Instead: A plain photograph with nothing drawn on it.
Circles and arrows highlighting part of the picture
Instead: Let framing and focus point at the subject.
Celebrities and public figures
Instead: Invented people, or your own team.
Collages and split frames
Instead: One photograph per ad.
Headline rules
- No promise the landing page doesn’t keep. The most common headline problem on every network. If the headline says it, the page must show it.
- No false, deceptive or unproven claims. Especially health, money and results claims. Revcontent names these explicitly.
- No ALL CAPS except real acronyms, and no headline ending in “…” (Revcontent).
- No branded medications (Revcontent), and no implied celebrity endorsement anywhere.
- Respect the length. 60 characters or fewer on Taboola and Outbrain. What the top headlines do.
Things that make an ad look like an ad
Not every rejection is about content. Revcontent rejects borders and white space, blurry or low-resolution pictures, heavy photoshopping and clashing visuals; Outbrain advises against any text on the image, and Microsoft asks for no text overlays on its audience ad images. These rules also make sense on their own: native works when the ad looks like it belongs among the articles.
Keep the draw, lose the risk
Many winning native ads sit close to the line. What they already run has passed review, so the same form is fair game. We match a winning ad’s draw in kind and strength, never more revealing or more shocking. Nudity, gore, real recognisable people and official seals are always out, whatever is running. A picture that fails our check is never delivered.
Sources: Realize: content checklist to avoid rejection · Realize: prohibited content · Outbrain: Amplify guidelines · Revcontent: ad copy policies · MGID: restricted and prohibited content
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Why was my Taboola ad rejected?
Usually for the picture: suggestive or graphic content, a misleading before-and-after, a fake button or warning on the image, or a celebrity without permission. Titles get rejected for claims the landing page doesn’t back up, and some products and services aren’t allowed at all. Taboola’s help center lists the reasons; fix the one that applies and resubmit.
Why are before-and-after ads rejected on native?
Networks treat them as easy to fake and as promising results nobody can guarantee. Outbrain’s written rules reject them, Revcontent’s reject split and collage frames, and Taboola’s reject misleading ones. In practice, the ones winners keep running have passed review: the same form is fair game, never a more extreme one. Where none are running, show a single after-state: the person enjoying the result in an ordinary moment.
Can a rejected native ad be fixed?
Yes. Change the part that broke the rule and resubmit, or ask the network’s support which rule applied. Keep the idea and bring the picture back to what the winners already run: no more extreme than them, and a plain photo instead of one with arrows.
Why do I see ads that break these rules?
Review isn’t instant or perfect, and rules differ by network. Ads that keep running for weeks have passed review in practice, so what the winners already run is fair game in the same form. Going further than them is where ads get caught. Nudity, gore, real recognisable people and official seals are always out.
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Rules researched from each network’s own policy pages, checked October 2026. Networks change their rules, so check the source when in doubt. This is a practical summary, not legal advice.