Meta introduces Comment Controls for Facebook and Instagram advertisers

Meta this month announced an update to its advertising platform introducing comment control capabilities for businesses advertising on Facebook and Instagram. This new feature enables advertisers to manage public interactions on their promotional content across both social media platforms, addressing growing concerns about brand safety and content moderation.

According to Meta's announcement, advertisers can now access a new inventory filter option within their ad sets. The system provides two distinct settings: 'Public,' which maintains the traditional open comment section and remains the default option, and 'No one,' which completely disables comments on feed advertisements. This control applies uniformly to all Facebook and Instagram feed advertisements within the specified ad set.

Stacey Cass, Paid Social Account Director at Dentsu, who participated in the product alpha testing, shared her experience with the new feature. According to Cass, one client faced "a barrage of openly racist hostility on their ads when they used diverse models, and this was particularly bad when advertising children's wear." The situation often resulted in thousands of comments per ad, creating an unmanageable moderation burden and causing mental distress for team members responsible for content moderation.

The introduction of comment controls addresses several critical challenges in digital advertising:

Moderation Resource Management

• Reduces staff time dedicated to comment monitoring
• Decreases moderation-related costs
• Streamlines advertising operations

Brand Safety Enhancement

• Prevents potentially harmful user interactions
• Protects brand reputation
• Maintains ad campaign integrity

Campaign Performance Protection

• Enables ads to run their full scheduled duration
• Prevents premature campaign termination due to comment issues
• Maintains consistent brand messaging

The feature brings Meta's advertising capabilities in line with other social media platforms. Industry professionals note that platforms like TikTok have offered similar comment control features, indicating an industry-wide shift toward enhanced advertiser control over user interactions.

Advertisers implementing the new feature should consider:

• Default Setting: Comments remain public unless explicitly disabled
• Scope: Controls apply at the ad set level
• Platform Coverage: Affects both Facebook and Instagram feed ads
• Application: Works on new and existing campaigns

Key Facts

• Launch Period: Advertising Week 2024
• Platform Coverage: Facebook and Instagram feed advertisements
• Control Level: Ad set implementation
• Available Settings: Public (default) or No one
• Current Status: Testing phase
• Previous Capabilities: Limited to post-publication moderation

Factual Summary

• Meta introduced comment control feature for advertising
• Controls allow complete comment disabling on feed ads
• Implementation occurs at ad set level
• System offers two distinct control settings
• Early testing demonstrated benefits for brands facing moderation challenges
• Feature works across Facebook and Instagram platforms
• Tool aligns with existing features on competitive platforms
• Testing phase shows positive impact on brand safety management
• Addresses specific concerns about content moderation resources
• Provides solution for managing hostile or inappropriate comments