by Roberto Tomasi

Social media has democratised advertising. Today, everyone with a social media account and a credit card can reach thousands of people through ads on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter and beyond.

However, not all ads are equal. If you are a grassroot activist raising funds for your organisation, a communication officer promoting a candidate for public office, or a policy expert asking for contributions to a public consultation, it is very likely that social media platforms will reject your ads. This is because political and cause-based ads are special categories that most platforms ban or limit. 

Events like the assault on the US Capitol or attempts by foreign actors to interfere in national elections will continue to push social media platforms towards greater transparency and more election integrity. 

But fear not. In this article, you will learn what political and caused-based ads are and on which platform they are allowed. You will also discover five creative considerations to design effective ads.