IV therapy ad copy: how to write ads Google's health policy allows

Which Google rules an IV ad usually runs into

Google's Healthcare and medicines policy is long, and most of it covers online pharmacies, prescription drug names, addiction services and clinical trials. A hydration and vitamin drip menu rarely touches those sections, apart from one line: Google does not allow "Promotion of speculative and/or experimental medical treatments."

The rules a drip menu is more likely to run into sit in two other policies. The Misrepresentation policy covers health claims, scare tactics and pricing. The Editorial policy covers punctuation, capitals, emoji and phone numbers in the ad text. Both apply to every advertiser, so Google reads a mobile IV ad with the same rules it uses for a shoe store.

If you also offer injections or name prescription medications, the guide on Google Ads for a med spa covers the drug term and audience rules that apply there.

Describe the visit and leave out the result

Google's unreliable claims rule lists "Making unproven claims of cures for incurable medical ailments" as not allowed, and the same page says Google may defer to local regulatory guidelines for health claims. In the United States, that points to the FTC. In 2018, when the FTC brought its first case against an IV therapy marketer, Chairman Joe Simons said "Health claims must be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence."

An ad does not need the word cure to make a health claim. Each of these phrases tells the reader what the drip will do to their body, and each one needs evidence you would have to defend:

• Detox, flush toxins or cleanse
• Boost your immunity or fight off the flu
• Cure your hangover, beat jet lag or fix fatigue
• Anti aging, weight loss or glowing skin from a drip
• Works better than vitamins by mouth

What you can say freely is everything true about the appointment: who comes, where they go, how long it takes, what is in the bag by name, the price and how to book. That is also the information a searcher uses to choose between you and the next ad.

Instead of: "Detox and boost your immunity with our IV drips." Try: "A licensed nurse comes to your home in [town]. Book your drip online."

Only add "same day" or an arrival window if it is true on your busiest day. If you are unsure whether a line is a health claim, ask your medical director before it runs.

Leave fear and pressure out of the headline

Seasonal ads drift toward fear quickly. Google's clickbait rule says "Ads that use negative life events such as death, accidents, illness, arrests or bankruptcy to induce fear, guilt or other strong negative emotions to pressure the viewer to take immediate action are not allowed."

Illness is on that list by name. A headline like "Sick and miserable? Don't wait, book now" leans on it. You can still run a flu season campaign if you write it around your availability instead of the reader's dread.

The fix is usually one swap. Take the scary half of the headline out and put a real fact about your week in its place. "Don't let the flu ruin your week" becomes "Mobile IV visits in [town] this week." Urgency still works when it is true and about your business: the date an offer ends, open slots this weekend or a nurse already working in the area today.

Show the full price, fees included

The Misrepresentation policy also covers money. Google says "Failure to clearly and conspicuously disclose the payment model or full expense that a user will bear before and after purchase is not allowed."

For a mobile IV business, the cost that hides most often is the travel or trip fee. Memberships carry their own details: the monthly charge, what it includes and how to cancel. Put each of these where people decide:

• If your ad shows a starting price, show the same price on the landing page near the booking button, with the travel fee beside it.
• If the travel fee changes with distance, say so on the page and show the zones or the rule you use.
• If you sell a membership, put the monthly price, what it includes and how to cancel on the page people land on, before checkout.
• If a price is for new clients only or for certain days, say that in the same line as the price.

Formatting slips that get IV ads rejected

The Editorial policy rejects ads for small things, and a few of them are easy for an IV ad to break.

• Repeated punctuation. Google's own example of what is not allowed is "Punctuation or symbols repeated consecutively, like “flowers!!”", so use one exclamation point at most.
• Emoji. The same page lists emoji as an invalid character, so leave out drop and sparkle emoji.
• A phone number typed into a headline or description. The Editorial policy bans "Entering a phone number in ad text". Add a call asset instead, which puts a call button on the ad.
• Capitals used for shouting, like FREE or BOOK NOW. Capitalize the way you would in a sentence or a title.
• Letters broken up with periods or swapped for symbols to grab attention.

Headlines like these stay inside those rules and still tell the searcher what they need:

• Mobile IV Therapy in [Town]
• A Licensed Nurse Comes to You
• See Drip Prices and Book Online
• Home, Hotel and Office Visits

What to do when an ad is flagged

Open Campaigns, then Ads, and read the Status column. Add the Policy details column to the table too. Google's status help says that column provides information about why a disapproved ad isn't "Eligible", or why an "Eligible (limited)" ad is limited to a certain audience. Eligible (limited) means the ad can run, though not in every situation. It can show up even when your drips break no rule, because Google says this limitation can also apply if your website content contains terms associated with regulated industries. Disapproved means the ad will not run until you fix it.

1. Read the policy named in Policy details. It tells you which rule the reviewer applied.
2. Edit the line that broke it, using the rewrites above. Google's fix steps say the edited ad is automatically re-reviewed, which typically takes 24-48 hours.
3. Leave the ad alone while it says Under review. Google's status help warns that "any modification resets the review clock."
4. Appeal only if you believe the reviewer got it wrong. You can appeal from your Google Ads account. Say plainly what the ad offers and point to the page it sends people to.

Fix a disapproval the week you see it. For unreliable claims, Google says a warning will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account, and it tells advertisers who cannot fix a violation to remove the ad so repeated violations do not lead to a suspension later.

Make the page say what the ad says

Google reviews the destination along with the ad. Its misleading ad design rule lists "Inconsistencies between the ad and the landing page/app" among the things that are not allowed, and the policy applies to ads and destinations alike, so a cure claim on your drip page can flag an ad with clean text.

Before you launch, read your treatment pages with the list from above in hand. Look for detox, immunity and cure language in drip descriptions, FAQ answers and text inside images. Then check that the price, the travel fee and the service area on the page match the ad word for word. If your ads go to your homepage today, read where your ads should point first.

Sources

• Google Ads policy: Unreliable claims
• Google Ads policy: Misrepresentation
• Google Ads policy: Healthcare and medicines
• Google Ads policy: Editorial, punctuation and symbols
• Google Ads policy: Editorial
• Google Ads Help: Check the review status of an ad or asset
• Google Ads Help: Eligible (limited) definition
• FTC: First action targeting an IV cocktail therapy marketer (2018)

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