Looking to post an ad? Classified sites are a great way to reach your audience, with craigslist being one of the most popular advertising platforms.
With just a simple post, you can reach thousands of people in your local area, and even potentially millions more across the world.
However, Craigslist has one major drawback that can make advertising there a nightmare – your ads being flagged.
The problem is so extreme in some cases your craigslist ad is flagged immediately once you post it.
The result of this is that your message does not reach the intended audience, and sometimes, you can even go for days without realizing that the advert is no longer active.
But fear not! Below, we have compiled all the information about the problem, and several solutions that can help you to avoid it when posting an advert.
Why does my craigslist ad keep getting flagged?
To better avoid craigslist flagging, it is important to understand why your post can be selected for removal. Here are several reasons:
- You are posting an ad immediately after opening your account: For some reason, new accounts can’t post ads sometimes. In this case, your ad is removed immediately after posting. You’ll have to wait for about 12-24 hours before posting an ad for it to go live.
- You are violating craigslist terms of service (TOS): For example, adverts advertising or soliciting for prohibited goods and services such as weapons, drugs, endangered animals, child pornography, sex, and other items are against the terms of service and will be removed immediately once they are identified.
- Your ad is considered spam: Craigslist can also penalize you for posting ads in a way that is deemed to be spammy, for example, too many ads or ads with spam links.
- The Craigslist community flags your ad for removal: If your ad(s) receive too many complaints from other users, they will be immediately removed, even if they were not against the TOS.
For example, users have complained of competitors flagging their posts to gain an unfair advantage.
Another common reason why your Craigslist ad is flagged immediately is when users troll your ads, causing them to be removed.
How to post on craigslist without getting flagged
Despite the prevalence of the problem, it is possible to stop craigslist flagging when posting your ad.
Below is a look at some tips on how you can post your advert successfully:
1. Make sure your ad content is not against TOS
To avoid the Craigslist moderation system, you should ensure that your adverts do not contain any inappropriate content. This will give you a better chance of reaching your audience.
Here is the Craigslist TOS if you haven’t read it yet.
2. Post content that is relevant and interesting
Like other online users, Craigslist users are easily annoyed by content that is not relevant or boring, which can lead to them trolling your ads.
To avoid this, ensure that you post adverts that are relevant and contain all the important information for your audience (and any other person viewing them).
3. Avoid using language or words that are too “salesy”
Spammy language will usually be spotted by the Craigslist admin, and if not, the users will definitely flag it.
To avoid such situations, ensure that you use “appropriate” language that offers information to the readers.
4. Don’t post too many ads within a short period
Too many ads from the same IP address and within a short time can be taken as an attempt to spam the forum.
Therefore, if you have to post several ads, ensure that they are spread out over a period, and if possible, use different accounts for the posting.
Related: Craigslist IP ban – How to fix
5. Don’t post repetitive ads
Craigslist has different sections where you can post your ad, depending on what it is about. Unfortunately, some people abuse this feature by posting the same ad in several different sections.
This leads to users seeing the ads repeatedly on their web pages, something that can be very annoying; and consequently, cause your ad to be flagged for removal.
Was your Craigslist ad flagged immediately after posting? There are several reasons why it could have been removed. Luckily, with the above tips, you can avoid a future scenario and repost your flagged advert successfully.
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