Why Was My Campaign Rejected? Common Reasons

Why do campaigns get rejected?

A campaign is rejected at review when a reviewer cannot confirm that it is clear, legitimate and allowed. On Sharklio that usually means one of four things: the instructions or proof requirement leave users guessing, the starting link or page does not work as described, the product or content is on the prohibited list, or the task would make users break the rules of another platform. The rejection comes with a written reason, and in most cases the fix takes a few minutes.

Sharklio calls this status Changes needed rather than “rejected”, and that is an accurate description. It is a request to change something, not a verdict on you or your product. This guide explains how the review works, goes through each reason with its fix, and shows how to get the campaign moving again.

How campaign review works on Sharklio

Every campaign is checked by our staff before it can run. The reviewer looks at whether the task is legitimate, whether it is clear enough to complete and to check, whether it is allowed under the campaign rules and the Terms of Service, and whether the link works. Reviews usually finish within a few hours of submission.

There are two possible outcomes:

• Approved. The campaign is set to Paused, not straight to active, and you get an email and a dashboard notification. Check the details one last time, then choose Resume on your Campaigns page to go live.
• Changes needed. The reviewer writes a reason for your campaign in their own words and sends it back. You get it by email with the subject “needs changes”, in a dashboard notification, and in a red Changes requested box at the top of the campaign and its edit page.

There is no fixed list of rejection codes. Each reason is written for the campaign in front of the reviewer, so read it closely: it usually points at the exact field to change.

Reason 1: the task or proof is unclear

This is the most common send-back. Typical notes read something like “The instructions do not say when the task is finished” or “The proof requirement does not say what the screenshot must show.” If a reviewer cannot tell what counts as done, users cannot either, and you would end up rejecting completions that followed your words in good faith.

How to fix it: rewrite the instructions as numbered steps with one action each, name the exact finish line, and describe what must be visible in the proof. Write instructions that pass review has before-and-after examples, and Proof requirements for every task type gives ready-made proof wording for sign-ups, installs, purchases and more.

Reason 2: the link or page does not work as described

Reviewers open your starting link. They send the campaign back when it does not load, asks for a login first, redirects somewhere unrelated, leads to a different product than the instructions describe, or only works in a country or on a device the reviewer cannot check.

How to fix it: test the link in a private browser window on the devices you target. If the task begins on a specific page, turn on Require that users click on a starting link first, so users must open it before they can send proof. If your offer is limited to certain countries, use Notes for our review team to explain that and link screenshots of the landing page. Those notes are never shown to users. Our landing page checklist covers the rest.

Click campaigns have stricter page rules. The page has to load normally and stay on the URL you entered, with no random redirects to other offers, no pop-ups or pages that stop users from leaving, and no direct file downloads. The builder already refuses page URLs that end in .exe, .msi, .bat, .cmd, .scr, .apk or .dmg.

Reason 3: the offer or content is not allowed

Some campaigns cannot be approved in any wording. The campaign rules and the Terms of Service rule out, among others:

• illegal, misleading or fraudulent offers, and “get rich quick” schemes, pyramid schemes and scams;
• adult content and adult dating, weapons, drugs, and hate speech;
• malware, phishing, cryptocurrency mining, and anything that asks users to send money, crypto or gift cards;
• on click campaign pages, also violence or fighting content, content that infringes copyright, and browser-locking pages.

Gambling, betting and casino campaigns are a special case. They are accepted only from operators that hold every license required where they target, only where promoting them is lawful, only for people of legal gambling age, and only on publisher properties approved for age-restricted offers. Reviewers may ask for proof of license. If your gambling campaign was sent back, the note will usually say which of these is missing.

Reason 4: the task asks for too much data

A task must never ask users to hand over passwords, private keys or account credentials, or sensitive personal or financial data beyond what the proof requirement states. The fix is to ask only for what you need to check the task: a username, an order number, the email used to register. The Terms also limit what you do with that data: you may use completion details only to review and improve that campaign, never to contact users outside the offer or build profiles of them.

Reason 5: the task breaks another platform’s rules

Users on the offerwall are rewarded for completing your task. Many platforms forbid exactly that kind of reward for engagement on their service, and the campaign rules do not allow tasks that make users break the terms of the platform you send them to. Two examples, from the platforms’ own policies:

The same applies to app store ratings and reviews. Can you pay for app reviews? explains what Google Play and Apple allow. How to fix it: reward an action on your own property instead, such as a sign-up, an install that reaches a level, or a first purchase, and let the follow or join happen on its own. How to get more Discord members without fake ones shows compliant ways to grow a community.

Reason 6: undisclosed referral or affiliate links

If your starting link is a referral or affiliate link that pays you when users sign up, the instructions must say so clearly. Undisclosed referral links are sent back. The fix is one plain sentence in the instructions, such as “This is a referral link; we earn a bonus when you sign up.”

How to fix and resubmit a rejected campaign

1. Open the campaign and read the Changes requested note in full.
2. Choose Edit. While a campaign needs changes you can edit every field, including the campaign type.
3. Change what the note names, then read the whole task once more as a stranger would.
4. Add context in Notes for our review team if something cannot be checked from the page alone.
5. Choose Submit for review. The old reason is cleared, and the campaign goes back into the queue.

If you would rather start over, a campaign that needs changes can be deleted, or you can copy any campaign as a new draft and submit that instead. Remember that you need a balance of at least $1 to submit. A low balance does not reject a campaign; it simply stays a draft until you can submit.

Can a live campaign be sent back?

Yes, in two ways. First, editing the task content of an active or paused campaign sends it back to review. That covers the title, instructions, proof type, proof requirement, and the starting link setting and URL. Changes to targeting, bids, caps, budget and notes apply right away without review. Second, staff can pause a live campaign, or send it back as Changes needed, if it breaks the rules after launch, for example because the landing page changed. Either way, it stops appearing in the offerwall until it is approved again.

Keep this apart from two other kinds of rejection. When you reject a user’s proof, that is a completion rejection, which the user can dispute. And an account suspended for a serious breach pauses all of its campaigns; that is handled separately from campaign review.

Frequently asked questions