Hello, community! Running traffic through Facebook ads has become incredibly difficult if you’re working in grey niches. Many affiliates who’ve been in the game for over a decade still struggle to accept this reality. It’s hard to believe there was once a time when even the most aggressive creatives could fly on FB without issue.
But that era is long gone. The shift began after the first major “storm,” which has since repeated multiple times. So, what is a Facebook storm, and how should you respond when it hits? Let’s break it down in today’s article.
And before we begin, don’t forget we’ve already talked about how Facebook storms during elections. We highly recommend checking it out!
When Did the First Facebook Storms Start?
As we mentioned, Facebook storms most often occur during elections. This started around 2016, when Donald Trump first became president — a win that many strongly opposed. And well, that controversy hasn’t gone anywhere.
During that first campaign, Trump drew a lot of unwanted attention to his promotional tactics. Attack ads, aggressive marketing, populism, empty promises — all of it ran heavily on Facebook ads.
Here’s how it worked:
- Bot farms were created using fake accounts.
- These accounts pushed direct voting calls for Trump and even disinformation about competitors.
This caused a huge uproar. It became clear that online ads — previously considered harmless — could affect elections in even the most developed democracies. That’s when Facebook began tightening the screws… and ultimately passed that pressure onto us.
What Did This Lead To?
After global political leaders started threatening Facebook with sanctions, the platform announced a wave of “major changes.” They released a statement explaining that they would now pay special attention to:
- Coordinated messaging from multiple accounts — signaling a crackdown on bot farms.
- Protecting political candidates’ personal accounts and monitoring related pages closely.
- Collaborating with law enforcement and governments to respond to emerging threats.
On paper, this all sounds reasonable. But in practice, affiliates found themselves cornered. During election periods, it became nearly impossible to launch ad campaigns.
And if you think this only applies to U.S. elections — we envy your optimism. Even local elections in small countries have triggered storms that led to bans of well-farmed accounts. That means losses before a single ad even reached traffic.
So what is a Facebook storm? It’s a period when Facebook Ads clamps down on affiliate activity: rejecting campaigns, declining payment cards, banning accounts, and more. These storms peak during election cycles globally.
Every Facebook Storm Is Different
While the era of storms began in 2016, no two storms have been exactly alike. The one constant? Duration — they last anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months.
The early storms were the harshest. Facebook always had the ability to disable campaigns without explanation — but they were restrained by profit motives.
But once Meta needed to prove how effectively it fights fake accounts and questionable ads, solo affiliates suffered the most. Let’s be real — the money solo affiliates bring in is peanuts compared to what political advertisers spend. And those advertisers never really left.
Over time, the situation has improved slightly. During the last storm, affiliates were able to run grey verticals like gambling and still make profit. Yes, it wasn’t easy. But the fact it was possible shows that storms — while unpredictable — are becoming less hostile toward solo affiliates.
How to Minimize Risk During Facebook Storms
When FB is storming, affiliates face all kinds of issues. Rejected campaigns, errors, blocked payments — and you’ll need different strategies to handle each. For example, duplicate an ad from your king account when it gets rejected.
To avoid budget losses, we recommend:
- Use agency ad accounts. These accounts usually have higher trust scores. And since ad prices go up during election storms due to increased demand, having access to larger spend limits is a huge advantage.
- Focus heavily on creatives and use quality White Pages. Even on normal days, Facebook is strict with questionable offers. During storms, scrutiny increases — so make sure every creative, landing page, and ad copy is fully polished.
- Don’t be afraid to contact support or file appeals — especially if your product is borderline grey. While appeals won’t help in every case, they can often revive rejected campaigns.
Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The issues you’ll face vary. Most commonly, it’s a “risk payment” issue — Facebook rejects your payment method. Then you’ll need to rotate cards, experiment with proxies, and even change how you link payment methods.
Adaptability is key. A good affiliate always finds a way out — even from the deepest mess!
Conclusion
Nearly a decade has passed since the first storms — and affiliates have started adapting. There’s no other choice.
That said, even Facebook itself has become more tolerant toward affiliate marketers. These days, running grey verticals during a storm isn’t entirely off the table. That’s a big deal.
Sure, some storm-related issues can throw you off track. But they’re solvable — and some can be avoided entirely with proper preparation.
Did you survive the latest Facebook storm? Share your experience in our Telegram community and help fellow affiliates stay afloat on their journey to profit!
Respectfully, your Geek!
How to Handle Facebook Storms — FAQs
A storm is a period when Facebook Ads makes life difficult for affiliates — rejecting ad campaigns, declining payment methods, or even banning accounts entirely.
Storms usually occur during elections. Affiliates can prepare by setting up agency accounts, using reliable payment methods that reduce the chance of “risk payment” flags, and adapting creatives well in advance of launching their campaign.