# LinkedIn ad policy reviews: two fictional records

These are teaching cases. URLs, names, account states, and inputs are fictional. A reported rejection in record B is not a platform observation.

## Fictional record A: preflight of unsupported guarantee

1. **Account/ad scope:** Fictional Northstar Ops account; single-image ad A-17 in planned US demand-generation ad set.
2. **Review mode:** Internal preflight; no submission authorized or observed.
3. **Creative version and exact copy:** v1, 2026-10-31. Intro: “Cut your CRM cleanup time by 80% in 30 days. Get the Northstar Ops migration plan.” Headline: “80% less CRM cleanup.” Image: product interface illustration, no customer marks. CTA: Download.
4. **Destination URL/version and advertised offer:** https://example.com/northstar/crm-plan, page v3. Visible offer: a six-page migration plan; no 80% result or 30-day promise on page. Fictional URL is illustrative, not a live tested destination.
5. **Market and product/service category:** United States; B2B CRM migration software. No restricted category identified from the stated product; recheck actual offer.
6. **Targeting and data-use evidence:** Planned job-function and company-size targeting. No sensitive category supplied. Data-source details Unknown; owner must verify before submission.
7. **Claim and substantiation:** The 80% in 30 days claim has no supplied study, cohort, method, or customer permission. Source of claim Unknown.
8. **Rights and partnership disclosure:** Illustration described as original; production rights evidence Unknown. No customer logo, endorsement, or partnership stated.
9. **Relevant official policy URL/section/revision:** https://www.linkedin.com/legal/ads-policy §§4 Fraud and Deception, 6 Link Behavior; revised 2025-11-18, read 2026-10-31. https://www.linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a468679, read 2026-10-31.
10. **Native ad status and observation time:** Not submitted; native status Unknown. No Campaign Manager observation.
11. **Exact rejection reason and evidence:** Unknown. This preflight fixture reports no submission, but no native account status or rejection notice was checked.
12. **Current supporting observations:** Copy and page offer transcribed from fictional inputs above. URL function, redirects, back navigation, and page content remain unobserved.
13. **Proposed correction and rationale:** Replace copy with “Plan your CRM migration with a six-page checklist for field mapping, deduplication, and owner review.” Headline: “CRM migration plan.” Keep Download CTA; confirm page actually contains those sections and offer before submission. This removes the unsupported outcome claim.
14. **Changed dependencies requiring recheck:** Creative v2 and page v3 must be reviewed together; any page or targeting change reopens checks.
15. **Unresolved questions:** Does the six-page file actually contain those sections? Are illustration rights documented? Does the URL work for the intended market?
16. **Next action and responsible owner:** Copy owner: prepare v2 and check page/file; account owner: confirm targeting and native state before submission.
17. **Resubmission or support receipt:** None. No resubmission or support contact occurred.
18. **Boundary and outcome:** Internal concern identified; no LinkedIn verdict, approval, delivery, or business outcome.

## Fictional record B: rejected-ad handoff with missing native reason

1. **Account/ad scope:** Fictional Meridian Credit account; single-image ad C-04 in planned US commercial lending ad set.
2. **Review mode:** Rejected-ad triage simulation using a reported status, without access to a real account.
3. **Creative version and exact copy:** v1, 2026-10-31. Intro: “A working-capital line for growing distributors. See rates and eligibility.” Headline: “Working capital options.” Image: original warehouse photo, permission unverified. CTA: Learn more.
4. **Destination URL/version and advertised offer:** https://example.com/meridian/working-capital, page v2. Reported landing page describes a business loan consultation but does not show rates or a direct route to rates; this is a fictional report, not a live page check.
5. **Market and product/service category:** United States; commercial lending, a financial service in LinkedIn’s restricted-content category. Market and product requirements need category-specific review; restriction does not mean blanket prohibition.
6. **Targeting and data-use evidence:** Reported company and job-function targeting. Data-use configuration and sensitive-category exclusion Unknown.
7. **Claim and substantiation:** “See rates and eligibility” is unsupported by the described destination. Product terms, rate availability, and eligibility evidence Unknown.
8. **Rights and partnership disclosure:** Warehouse photo rights Unknown. No third-party endorsement or partnership claimed in copy.
9. **Relevant official policy URL/section/revision:** https://www.linkedin.com/legal/ads-policy §§4 Fraud and Deception, 5 Financial Services, 6 Link Behavior; revised 2025-11-18, read 2026-10-31. https://www.linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a416939, read 2026-10-31.
10. **Native ad status and observation time:** Reported Rejected for v1, but Campaign Manager status and timestamp unobserved. Treat as unverified report.
11. **Exact rejection reason and evidence:** Unknown. No screenshot, exact notice text, email, or timestamp supplied. Do not infer that financial category or rate mismatch was the platform reason.
12. **Current supporting observations:** Fictional copy and page description only. Native notice, destination behavior, rights, account eligibility, and category requirements unobserved.
13. **Proposed correction and rationale:** Capture the native reason before making a native edit. Independently fix the known offer mismatch whether or not the notice names it: revise the ad to “Discuss a working-capital line for distributors” with a consultation CTA available for the chosen format, or update the page to display the advertised rates and eligibility. Check financial-services rules and market eligibility before either route. The mismatch remains an internal concern until the exact notice confirms LinkedIn’s stated reason.
14. **Changed dependencies requiring recheck:** Any changed copy, page, product terms, market, targeting, or authorization evidence requires a new version review; prior v1 rejection does not determine v2.
15. **Unresolved questions:** What does the native notice say? Does account/offer meet current financial-services requirements? Can the rates claim be substantiated and shown on page?
16. **Next action and responsible owner:** Account owner: capture Rejected status, notice text, time, and ad/page versions. Policy owner: compare exact reason with official clause, then choose correction or appeal.
17. **Resubmission or support receipt:** None. No edit, resubmission, appeal, or support contact occurred.
18. **Boundary and outcome:** Reported rejection only. Exact reason and resolution Unknown; no approval, delivery, or business outcome observed.