Marketing Under Prohibition: How to Advertise Restricted Products Online
Advertising in Regulated Industries Comes With Extra Rules
Growing your ecommerce business is a challenge in any circumstance. It’s even more difficult when the products you sell fall under the list of items that are “prohibited” or “restricted” on most digital advertising platforms.
Just because something is prohibited by the policies of sites like Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and more does not mean they are “bad” or that the platform views them that way. Often, it affects products and services that have legitimate and valuable uses, but also have the potential to be abused or misused in a way that is potentially harmful.
In fact, the restriction often has little to do with the product itself – in many cases it’s about the platform’s users. Platforms understand that people can be vulnerable in times of hardship like illness and injury, financial troubles, and relationship issues. So to protect their users and communities, platforms put restrictions on advertising certain products to keep people comfortable and happy with being a part of that site.
Fortunately, outright bans are less common than restrictions, and while those big behemoth platforms may be dominant, they aren’t the only ones out there. Marketing and selling your prohibited products online can be challenging, but it is possible! We’ll show you the way.
Here is a rundown of common rules and restrictions, plus tips and advice for your ecommerce strategy.
Prohibited vs. Restricted Products - What’s the Difference?
Saying that a product is prohibited or restricted are two very different things. Prohibited refers to anything that has been explicitly forbidden or banned. On the other hand, restricted products are controlled items that require special processing or license verification to sell. In other words, restricted items have specific conditions that they must follow in order to be sold.
What Products Are Prohibited & Restricted?
Major platforms such as Meta (Facebook & Instagram), Google & YouTube Ads, Google Merchant Center, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Reddit, Pinterest, Microsoft Advertising, and Amazon each have a list of products that are prohibited or restricted for advertising on their sites. These lists are found under the advertising policy section on their websites along with other helpful information about advertising your products. It is important to do a lot of research when it comes to advertising because it can be hurtful to your business if you do not know all the different policies and could potentially get you banned from these platforms. Keep in mind that ad platforms are only one set of rules. Your ecommerce platform and payment processor have their own, which we cover below.
You Can’t Advertise That On...
Facebook & Instagram (Meta)
Facebook and Instagram are quite strict when it comes to ad content, but they can be a big asset when promoting your business so knowing what you can and cannot do is important. Meta’s apps reach an average of 3.6 billion people every day, so putting ads up on their platforms will get you a lot of exposure leading to potential growth.
Prohibited Products on Facebook and Instagram:
- Illegal products or services
- Tobacco and related products
- Weapons, ammunition, explosives, and weapon modification accessories (including suppressors, optics, and gun-mounted flashlights)
- Adult Products or Services
- Adult Content
- Etc.
Restricted Products on Facebook & Instagram:
- Alcohol: you must comply with all applicable local laws, required or established industry codes, guidelines, licenses, and approvals, and include age and country targeting criteria consistent with Meta’s targeting requirements and applicable local laws
- Promotion of over-the-counter drugs: you must comply with applicable local laws, required or established industry codes, guidelines, licenses, and approvals.
- CBD products: you must be actively certified with LegitScript, have written authorization from Meta, and comply with all applicable local laws and industry codes.
- Firearm-adjacent gear: products not sold as part of a weapon, such as holsters, targets, clay throwers, protective vests, and magazine pouches, can be advertised when targeted to people 18+.
- Subscription Services: you must follow subscription service policies through Meta
- Financial and Insurance Products and Services: must provide sufficient disclosure regarding associated fees. Including APR percentages, transaction fees, interest rates, and the physical address of the entity offering the product within the ads landing page. Target people 18+
- Health and wellness: many supplement, weight loss, and wellness brands can’t optimize campaigns for purchases or other lower-funnel conversions, and audiences or conversions that imply health conditions may be disabled.
Google & YouTube Ads
Google organizes its ads policies into four areas: prohibited content, prohibited practices, restricted content and features, and editorial and technical standards. The overview is easy to understand but do not let that fool you, you have to do some further research to find more details and see specific examples of what is not allowed on their site.
Here is a list of what is prohibited on Google & YouTube Ads:
- Counterfeit Goods
- Dangerous Products or Services
- Enabling Dishonest Behavior
- Inappropriate Content
Here is a list of what is restricted:
- Sexual content
- Alcohol
- Gambling and games
- Healthcare and medicines
- Political content
- Financial services
- Etc.
Google also makes one cannabis-related exception: topical, hemp-derived CBD with 0.3% THC or less, from approved, LegitScript-certified advertisers targeting California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.
Google Merchant Center (Shopping Ads)
Google Merchant Center aims to enable businesses to promote a wide variety of products, but some Google products and platforms may not be optimized to appropriately support all content types. Merchant Center lays everything out very clearly and gives plenty of examples of what is not allowed to be sold on their site. They also give solutions to things you can do if you were wrongfully accused of breaking policy. On some of these items there are exceptions to the rule of certain things you can sell through their platform for example the sale of motor or sail powered vehicles is not allowed but the exceptions to that rule are something like a motor-powered bicycle that has a max speed of 15mph or less.
A list of unsupported shopping content:
- Ticket Sales
- Vehicles
- Financial Products
- Services
- Immovable Property
A list of prohibited content for Google Shopping ads:
- Counterfeit goods
- Dangerous Products
- Products that enable dishonest behavior
- Inappropriate content
- Unsupported Shopping Ads content
LinkedIn Ads
Using LinkedIn Ads is a wonderful way to advertise directly to your target audience depending on what products you’re selling. Everything is laid out in their advertising policies on their website.
A list of what is prohibited on LinkedIn:
- Illegal products, services, and activities
- Tobacco Products
- Drugs
- Weapons, ammunition, fireworks, and other violent products or services
- Adult content
- Counterfeit goods
- Hacking, cracking, or circumvention products and services
- Political ads
A list of what is restricted on LinkedIn:
- Alcohol: ads only available in certain countries
- Animal products: LinkedIn reserves the right to restrict these ads. Ads for endangered species are prohibited.
- Dating services: cannot be targeted at anyone under 18. Services must be legal and must not engage in “escort type” services
- Soliciting funds: must comply with laws and would qualify as tax deductible or charitable in the applicable jurisdiction.
- Pharmacy and telehealth services: require prior authorization from LinkedIn.
- Financial services: must follow fair billing practices and all applicable laws.
TikTok Ads
TikTok sorts advertisers into prohibited and restricted industries, and its rules for regulated products are some of the tightest of any major platform. Restricted industries can only run ads after meeting conditions like 18+ or 25+ age targeting or providing required certificates. The rules apply to creator partnerships too: branded content can’t promote products from prohibited industries.
A list of what is prohibited on TikTok:
- Weapons, ammunition, and explosives
- Cigarettes and tobacco products
- Casinos and gambling games
- Alcohol (prohibited in North America)
- Illegal drugs and drug-related products
- Adult products and services
- Counterfeit goods
A list of what is restricted on TikTok:
- Hemp and CBD: not available through self-serve ads, and ingestible hemp is not allowed. Topical hemp and CBD cosmetics may run in some markets through a TikTok sales representative.
- Age-restricted industries: some industries can only advertise with 18+ or 25+ age targeting.
- Certificate-required industries: some industries must provide certificates or licenses before ads are approved.
X Ads
X has loosened some of its ad rules in recent years, but weapons remain off the table. X prohibits the promotion of weapons and weapon accessories globally, and products like alcohol, gambling, and supplements can’t be marketed to minors.
A list of what is prohibited on X:
- Weapons and weapon accessories, including guns, airsoft and paintball guns, stun guns, pepper spray, swords, and knives
- Fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices
- Tobacco products and accessories, including electronic cigarettes
- Controlled substances and drug paraphernalia
A list of what is restricted on X:
- CBD: in the U.S., approved advertisers may only promote the sale of topical (non-ingestible) hemp-derived CBD products with 0.3% THC or less.
- Alcohol: cannot be marketed to minors and must follow X’s alcohol content policy.
- Gambling: cannot be marketed to minors and must follow X’s gambling content policy.
- Health and wellness supplements and weight loss products: cannot be marketed to minors.
Reddit Ads
Reddit lets you reach people inside communities built around specific interests, which can make it a strong fit for niche products. Its ad policies are strict for regulated goods, and some approvals require working directly with a Reddit sales representative.
A list of what is prohibited on Reddit:
- Illegal products or services
- Weapons, ammunition, and explosives
- Tobacco and nicotine products
- Recreational drugs, including cannabis
- Adult or sexually explicit content
- Counterfeit goods
A list of what is restricted on Reddit:
- CBD (U.S. only): advertisers must be managed by a Reddit sales rep and get ads pre-approved, may only promote topical, non-ingestible hemp-derived CBD, must target users 21+, and cannot target Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, or South Dakota. Ads and landing pages cannot make health, medical, or therapeutic claims.
- Alcohol, gambling, political, financial, and pharmaceutical ads are allowed with conditions.
Pinterest Ads
Pinterest users come to the platform to plan projects and purchases, which makes it a natural fit for many ecommerce brands. Its advertising guidelines are among the strictest for regulated products, though, and several categories that other platforms restrict are prohibited outright on Pinterest.
A list of what is prohibited on Pinterest:
- Illegal products and services
- Counterfeit goods
- Tobacco and tobacco-related products
- Recreational drugs and drug paraphernalia
- Weapons, including firearms and ammunition
- Products made from CBD, hemp, or their derivatives
A list of what is restricted on Pinterest:
- Healthcare products and services
- Financial products and services
Microsoft Advertising
Microsoft Advertising places your ads on Bing and Microsoft’s search network, giving you a search audience beyond Google. Their ads policy page lists products and services that are not allowed and/or restricted. It is a pretty basic list so I would do some more digging to be sure what exactly you can and cannot do.
A list of prohibited/restricted products for Microsoft Advertising:
- Alcohol
- Drugs and related paraphernalia
- Fireworks and explosives
- Tobacco and Electronic cigarettes
- Weapons, knives, firearms, and ammunition
Amazon
Amazon is another huge platform that can be greatly beneficial for your business to advertise on. Amazon Ads reports an average monthly ad-supported audience of more than 300 million consumers in the U.S., so the chances of your ad being seen are remarkably high. That is why it is important to know what you can and cannot do.
A list of restricted/prohibited products on Amazon:
- Alcohol
- Animals and animal related products
- Automotive and powersports
- CBD products (prohibited)
- Dietary supplements
- Drugs and drug paraphernalia
- Plants, plant products, and seeds
- Tobacco and related products
- Weapons and related items (firearms, ammunition, and accessories cannot be listed)
What Can Merchants of Prohibited & Restricted Products Do Instead?
Just because you can’t advertise your product on these social media sites does not mean you’re out of options. There are many ways you can get people to know about your products and what you’re all about. It is up to you as a business owner to determine if your products are restricted or prohibited and take the right action in response. You should focus extra time into researching ways that you can legally sell your products that are restricted or prohibited.
Organic Search
Starting with organic search. What is organic search? Organic search results are the listings search engines rank by algorithm, not by advertiser payments. Basically, you’re letting customers come to you when they are looking for a product that you are selling or something similar to what they are searching for. Getting your website to rank high enough to appear on the first page of search engines like Google is the goal but when you are just starting out that might not be likely. This is where keywords come into play. Figure out what kind of words and phrases your customers or potential customers use when looking for your products. Consider a wide variety of similar and diverse terms to get you thinking about how people use search engines. If you are wanting to grow your business very quickly then organic search might not be the best option for that because it does take time, patience, and consistency.
Organic Social
Organic Social is another great way to market your products. Organic social is any social media activity without paid promotion. It uses free social media tools to build and engage with an online following. Building a following on social media can be a challenging task but when you succeed at doing so it is a good indication that those people follow you because they genuinely like your business and the products you are selling. The benefits of organic social are that it’s free, you have the opportunity to interact with your audience on a more personal level, you can develop free campaigns using custom hashtags, etc.
Related Topics
Try using related topics to market your products. For example, an adult toy company might be able to advertise content about dating or keeping the spark in a relationship alive but not their actual products. Doing something like this is an effective way to draw people in that are already looking for topics similar to what you are selling. You could also do things like writing blog posts about topics related to your product and then put out ads for your blog as long as it follows the ad policy for the site you’re using. If people like what they see in your blog it may persuade them to check out your website and see what products you’re selling.
Surrogate Products
Another thing you can do is advertise “surrogate” products, these would be any product you sell that is not prohibited or restricted. This is a fantastic way to bring in customers and then steer them towards the products that you cannot advertise anywhere.
Email Marketing
Email Marketing is another great way to advertise your products. It is important that you check email providers for restrictions. This can be a great way to inform people about sales you are running or give them discount codes for their purchases, etc. Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing today, however before you start sending out emails you should have a basic understanding of the laws surrounding email marketing. You should always remember to follow the law, and any industry regulations that apply. Consult a legal professional when it comes to legal matters.
Explore Other Platforms
Google, Bing, Amazon, and the major social networks are just the biggest and the best ad network options, not the only options out there. See if you can find some smaller search engines, content networks, and social platforms that people are using and check their advertisement policies. You may be able to advertise products on these platforms that you cannot on others.
What Merchants Shouldn’t Do
Do not get caught up in the fact that you saw someone else do it. Just because they did it does not mean you should. Eventually the ones breaking these rules will be penalized for their actions.
If you do try to go around the rules you risk getting banned and once you are banned it is almost impossible to rejoin those sites even if you stop advertising prohibited and restricted products, once you get caught these sites most likely flag your business.
What Merchants *Should* Do
As previously stated, seek legal advice from a legal professional. This will ensure that you are following all the correct procedures when advertising your products.
Check your federal, state, and local laws. Make sure that your product complies with the law depending on the restricted/ prohibited product you are selling, you may have to get permission to sell in various states and be careful not to sell in prohibited regions. If you sell hemp or CBD products, a new federal definition of hemp takes effect November 12, 2026, and it may change which of your products remain federally compliant.
Check the rules for your ecommerce platform and payment processor. Before you choose an ecommerce platform for your business, make sure you’re allowed to sell your merchandise on it, and that your payment processor will support those sales. Both set their own restrictions, separate from the ad platforms above. We break down how the major ecommerce platforms handle restricted products in our companion guide.
Get a Consultation
Curious about developing a strategy for selling your restricted or prohibited products online? The experts at Blayzer can help you find your best opportunities, and tell you what to avoid. Contact us for a free consultation!
