Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out!
I’ve had a look at your situation with the Meta ad rejection. It’s a frustrating spot to be in, especially when you’re sure you haven’t done anything wrong. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on this. The short answer is that the ad rejection is probably just a symptom of a much larger, more fundamental problem with your entire advertising strategy. We can fix the rejection, but to actually sell your watches, we need to fix the strategy first.
TLDR;
- Your ad was likely rejected because Meta's AI is extremely aggressive in flagging designs that bear even a passing resemblance to major watch brands. This is a common issue in the luxury goods space.
- The "Messages" campaign objective is fundamentally the wrong tool for selling e-commerce products like watches. It attracts low-quality enquiries, creates massive manual work, and is impossible to scale profitably.
- Your biggest problem isn't the ad rejection; it's the lack of a trustworthy, automated sales funnel. High-value purchases require a professional website, clear product details, and a seamless checkout process—things a "message us" button completely bypasses.
- The solution is to switch to a "Sales" objective campaign, build a proper e-commerce store (like Shopify), and structure your ads to guide customers from discovery to purchase (ToFu/MoFu/BoFu).
- This letter includes a detailed funnel comparison flowchart and an interactive ROAS calculator to help you plan and forecast a profitable new strategy.
We'll need to look at why that ad was rejected... but it's not the real problem
First, let’s get the immediate frustration out of the way. The "Third-Party Infringement" flag. You’re right, you didn’t use any brand names or logos. But Meta's system doesn’t just look for text. Its image recognition AI is trained on millions of images, including the entire catalogues of major luxury brands. It's looking for design cues, shapes, and configurations that are heavily associated with, or legally protected by, these brands.
In the world of watches, this is a minefield. Think about it: a fluted bezel screams Rolex. A crown guard is Panerai. A specific case shape might be an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Even the style of the hands or the layout of the subdials can be enough to trigger a flag if they're too simular to an iconic design. It doesn't matter if your design is 100% original in your eyes; if the algorithm sees a 90% match to a protected design element from a major player, it will shoot first and ask questions later. This is especially true for custom and homage watches, as the platform is flooded with counterfeit sellers, so Meta's AI is on a hair trigger.
You can and should appeal it. A human reviewer might overturn the decision if it’s clearly an error. But honestly, I wouldn’t hold my breath. If the appeal fails, it's a clear signal that something about the visual design of the watch in that specific photo is too close for comfort for Meta's legal AI. You could try different photos, different angles, or even slightly different designs, but you might find yourself in a constant battle with the bots.
But here’s the brutally honest truth: fighting the ad approval algorithm is a distraction. Even if you get this one ad approved, your campaign is set up to fail. The rejection is a symptom, not the disease. The real disease is your core strategy.
I'd say you're using the wrong tool for the job
You're using the "Messages" objective to sell a physical product. This is like trying to hammer in a nail with a screwdriver. It might work eventually if you hit it hard enough, but it's messy, inefficient, and the wrong tool for the task.
Let's analyse what a "Messages" campaign actually does. Meta's algorithm is commanded to find people within your target audience who are most likely to send a message. Not people who are likely to buy. Not people who have a history of online purchases. Just people who like to click that "Send Message" button. This cohort of users is often filled with what we call 'tyre-kickers' and bargain hunters. They’ll ask a dozen questions about price, shipping, and customisation options, take up hours of your time, and then vanish without a trace. It feels like progress because your inbox is full, but it rarely translates into scalable, profitable sales.
Think about the customer journey you’re creating. It’s full of friction. A potential customer sees a watch, has to manually type out a message, wait for your reply, engage in a back-and-forth conversation, and then you probably have to manually create an invoice or a payment link. Every single step is an opportunity for them to lose interest and drop off. It's a manual, clunky process that you can't possibly scale if you want to sell hundreds of watches.
A proper e-commerce business relies on an automated, low-friction sales funnel. The goal is to make buying as easy and seamless as possible. The "Sales" objective, when paired with a proper website, does exactly that. The algorithm actively seeks out users who have a history of making online purchases and are more likely to complete a checkout. The entire process is automated. This is how you build a real business, not just a hobby that keeps you busy answering messages.
To illustrate the difference, I've mapped out the two funnels below. It should be immediately obvious which one is built for growth.
You probably should focus on building trust first
This brings us to the next critical point. Selling a custom watch, which I assume is not a £20 impulse buy, requires a significant amount of trust. A customer is handing over hundreds, maybe thousands of pounds for a product they’ve only seen in a picture. Why should they trust you?
An ad that says "message me to buy" with no website does the opposite of building trust. It feels temporary and unprofessional. It’s the online equivalent of selling goods out of the back of a car. Serious buyers looking for a quality timepiece will be immediately skeptical. They expect a professional online presence.
This means your first priority, before you spend another penny on ads, is to build a proper e-commerce storefront. Platforms like Shopify are perfect for this. You need a home for your brand that includes:
- High-Quality Photography & Videography: Not just one image. Show the watch from every angle. On a wrist. Close-ups of the details. A video showcasing the movement and finish. I remember one campaign we worked on for a luxury brand where simply improving the quality of their visuals was a key factor in us reaching over 10 million views for their launch.
- Detailed Product Descriptions: What are the specs? Case diameter, lug-to-lug, movement type, crystal material, water resistance. Tell the story behind the design. The more information you provide, the more confident a buyer will feel.
- A Clear Brand Story: Who are you? Why do you make these watches? People buying custom products want to connect with the creator.
- Social Proof: Customer reviews, testimonials, photos of customers wearing your watches. This is the single most powerful trust signal.
- Transparent Policies: Clear information on pricing, shipping costs, delivery times, and your return policy.
Without this foundation, you are pouring water into a leaky bucket. You might get a few clicks and messages, but you won't build a sustainable business because the trust just isn't there.
You'll need a proper campaign structure to find real buyers
Once you have a professional store, we can start building a campaign that actually works. The goal is no longer to get messages; it's to drive profitable sales. Here’s how we'd structure it:
1. Campaign Objective: Sales
This is non-negotiable. You must tell Meta you want sales (conversions). You will place the Meta Pixel on your website, which will track user actions like viewing a product, adding to cart, and purchasing. Over time, the pixel gathers data and gets smarter, allowing Meta’s algorithm to find more people like your existing customers. I remember one e-commerce client who sold subscription boxes; once we shifted their focus to a sales-optimised campaign with a proper funnel, we achieved a 1000% Return On Ad Spend for them.
2. Funnel-Based Audience Targeting
You can't just show the same ad to everyone. You need to guide them through a journey. We break this down into three stages: Top of Funnel (ToFu), Middle of Funnel (MoFu), and Bottom of Funnel (BoFu).
Top of Funnel (ToFu): Finding New Customers
This is your cold audience—people who have never heard of you. Your goal here is to introduce your brand and products. The key is highly relevant interest targeting. Don't just target "Watches." That's far too broad. You need to think like your ideal customer.
- What watch blogs do they read (e.g., Hodinkee, Worn & Wound)?
- What specific watch brands do they admire (even if they're competitors)?
- What YouTube channels do they follow (e.g., Teddy Baldassarre, The Urban Gentry)?
- What other luxury or design-focused interests might they have?
I’ve put together a sample table of how you might structure these interest groups for testing. You'd create a separate ad set for each theme to see which one performs best.
| Ad Set Theme | Example Interests to Layer | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Media Enthusiasts | Hodinkee, Worn & Wound, Revolution Watch, Fratello Watches | Targets an engaged audience that actively seeks out information about watches and is likely educated on the topic. |
| Microbrand Admirers | Zelos Watches, Baltic Watches, Christopher Ward, Halios | Targets users interested in independent and custom watch brands, making them more receptive to a new creator. |
| Luxury Goods & Design | Sartorialist, Mr Porter, Design Milk, Highsnobiety + Engaged Shoppers | Broadens the audience to those with an appreciation for design, craftsmanship, and luxury, who may not follow watch-specific media. |
Middle & Bottom of Funnel (MoFu/BoFu): Retargeting for the Kill
This is where most of your sales will come from. For a considered purchase like a watch, very few people buy on the first visit. Retargeting is essential. You will create custom audiences to show specific ads to people who have already interacted with your brand:
- Website Visitors: Anyone who visited your site but didn't take further action. Show them brand-building ads, maybe telling your story.
- Product Page Viewers: People who looked at a specific watch. Show them an ad featuring that exact watch, maybe with a customer review for it. This is called Dynamic Product Ads and it's incredibly powerful.
- Add to Cart / Initiated Checkout: These are your hottest leads. They were *this close* to buying. Show them an ad that overcomes potential objections. Maybe it reminds them of your free shipping policy or highlights your warranty. A small sense of urgency can work wonders here.
We ran a campaign for a women's apparel e-commerce store where implementing a robust retargeting strategy was key. We achieved a 691% Return on Ad Spend by showing the right message to users at the right stage of their journey.
Let's talk numbers and what you should really be aiming for
So, what should you expect in terms of cost? Selling a high-ticket item is different from selling a £15 t-shirt. Your Cost Per Click (CPC) will likely be higher, in the £1-£3 range, because you're competing for a more valuable audience. Your website conversion rate for a first-time visitor might be low, maybe 0.5% to 1.5%. This means your initial Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) could feel high.
But CPA is the wrong metric to obsess over. The only metric that truly matters for an e-commerce business is Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). If you spend £100 on ads and it generates £400 in sales, your ROAS is 4x. That’s a successful campaign, regardless of what the CPA was.
To help you understand these dynamics, I've built a simple, interactive calculator. Play around with the sliders to see how changes in your average watch price, your website's conversion rate, and your ad costs impact your potential ROAS. This will help you set realistic goals and understand which levers you need to pull to become profitable.
This is the main advice I have for you:
To wrap this all up, your path forward is clear, but it requires a fundamental shift in your approach. You need to transition from thinking like someone promoting a product on social media to thinking like the owner of a professional e-commerce brand. Here are your concrete next steps.
| Step | Actionable Task | Why This Is Your Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pause All "Messages" Campaigns Immediately. Appeal the rejected ad once. If it fails, delete it and move on. | Stops you from wasting more money and time on a flawed strategy that attracts the wrong audience and cannot scale. Frees you to focus on building a proper foundation. |
| 2 | Build a Professional E-commerce Store. Use a platform like Shopify. Invest in high-quality photos/videos, write detailed descriptions, and be transparent about your brand and policies. | This is the single most important step. It builds the trust required for a high-value purchase and creates the automated sales engine your business needs to grow. |
| 3 | Install the Meta Pixel. Set up standard events like ViewContent, AddToCart, and Purchase on your new website. | This is the 'brain' of your advertising. Without it, Meta is flying blind. The pixel provides the data needed for sales optimisation and powerful retargeting. |
| 4 | Launch Your First "Sales" Campaign. Start with a small budget (£20-£50/day). Create separate ad sets to test the ToFu interest themes we discussed. | This aligns your ad spend with your actual business goal: generating revenue. You'll start gathering valuable data on which audiences and creatives actually lead to purchases. |
| 5 | Implement Retargeting Campaigns. Once you have 100+ website visitors or Add to Carts, launch MoFu/BoFu campaigns to bring interested users back to complete their purchase. | This is how you convert browsers into buyers. For a considered purchase, retargeting isn't optional; it's where the majority of your profitable sales will happen. |
| 6 | Analyse ROAS, Not Vanity Metrics. Your north star metric is Return On Ad Spend. Make decisions based on what is profitable, not on which ad gets the most likes or messages. | Focusing on profitability is the only way to build a sustainable and scalable e-commerce business using paid advertising. |
I realise this is a lot to take in. It's a completely different way of thinking about advertising, and the learning curve can be steep. Getting the technical setup right (Pixel, catalogues, campaign structures) and then correctly interpreting the data to optimise for profit takes expertise and experience.
This is where working with a specialist can make all the difference. Instead of spending months and thousands of pounds on trial and error, you can leverage professional experience to build the right system from day one. We've helped numerous e-commerce brands, from apparel to high-ticket items, navigate this exact transition and build highly profitable advertising engines.
If you'd like to discuss your specific situation in more detail, we offer a completely free, no-obligation 20-minute strategy session. We can have a look at your products and give you some more tailored advice on how to best move forward. It's a great opportunity to get an expert pair of eyes on your business and get your questions answered.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
