Preflight launched in October 2026 and now comes with every HawtAds plan. It takes one ad image, checks it against the published creative rules of five networks, and returns a verdict for each placement with the rule and the fix attached. Free accounts get 300 credits to spend on any HawtAds service, Preflight included.
One image in, five networks out, one verdict per placement.
A live check costs 100 credits, whatever the number of placements.
Every plan includes it. Free accounts start with 300 credits.
A rejection at the worst possible moment
The ad set is built, the client has signed off, and the launch is in the morning. Twenty minutes later the rejection arrives, names a policy category, and says nothing about which part of the creative broke it. You guess, resubmit, and lose another day. A couple of those in a month and the account starts to carry a record. The five pre-submission checks cover the manual version of the same routine.
Preflight exists to move that guess to before the submit. You upload the image once and see how each placement reads it, with the exact rule quoted from the network's own policy page.
How it works
- Upload the image. Preflight checks the file type, size, dimensions and aspect ratio against each placement before anything else.
- Choose placements. Five networks are supported: Meta, Google Ads, ExoClick, TrafficJunky and TrafficStars. Meta covers Facebook Feed, Stories, Reels, Marketplace, Search Results and Audience Network, plus Instagram placements. Google covers display and responsive display. ExoClick, TrafficJunky and TrafficStars cover banners, native and push formats.
- Read the result per placement. Four outcomes are possible: pass, limited, needs review, and fail. The overall result is the most serious verdict among your targets, so one failure is not averaged away by the passes around it.
- Read the fix. Each finding carries the rule, a plain-English explanation, the remedy, the policy link, and a verbatim quote from the policy page.
Want to see the shape of the output before you upload anything? The product page runs the check on a sample creative, and the docs list what each network covers.
One creative, four different answers
The demo on the product page is a drink ad, a fictional brand, submitted to four placements. It comes back with one failure and three limits, and the reasons are not interchangeable:
- TrafficStars Native fails. The rule: "Images of Alcohol, Drugs, or any related paraphernalia are not permitted". The remedy is to remove every drink, bottle, glass and brand from the image.
- Google Ads responsive display is limited: "Alcohol ads on the Display Network".
- Meta Feed and Instagram Feed are limited: "Alcohol ads must follow local law and industry codes".
Same file, a different answer from each placement, and a different edit for each. That is the part a generic policy checklist cannot tell you. For a longer worked example of the same idea, the weight-loss crop that Meta rejects walks through one failing image and six directions that clear it.
What a check costs
A live check costs 100 credits, whatever the number of placements you select. Test checks cost nothing. Refused requests are not charged, and billing is per attempt, so a check that is charged stands even if one target ends without a verdict. Owners and admins can cap monthly spend per API key.
Preflight comes with every plan. On a free account, the 300 starting credits cover 3 live checks, or any mix of checks and ad generation that suits the week. Credits are sold with plans and as top-ups; there is no separate Preflight subscription to buy.
What it does not do
Preflight reads a still image. Video, HTML5 and animated GIFs are not supported yet, landing pages are not reviewed, and rules that exist only inside a network's advertiser account are outside the check. Treat the result as advice: it tells you what the published rules say about that file, and the network still makes the final call on every ad.
Built for teams that submit every day
An in-house team launching weekly uses it to stop the obvious rejection before the media buyer spends an afternoon on it. An agency uses it across client accounts, where one failing format costs a day of the retainer. A platform embeds the API so a customer uploading a creative sees the verdict inside its own product; API access is turned on per organization, by emailing hello@hawtads.com. Owners and admins can give each key a monthly spend cap in credits, and a check that would go over the cap is refused before it is charged.
HawtAds is a general ad creation tool, with additional features for regulated verticals. Preflight is the piece that reads the rules for you, whichever vertical you run.
FAQ
Does a pass mean the network will approve the ad?
No. A pass means no violations were found in the rules checked for that placement. Networks apply rules beyond the published set, including account history and reviewer judgment, so a pass is a clean first filter and not a guarantee.
Can I check a video ad?
Not yet. Preflight supports still images, including the common banner, native and square formats across the five networks. Video, HTML5 and animated GIFs are outside the current check.
Which networks can it check, and can I add one?
Meta, Google Ads, ExoClick, TrafficJunky and TrafficStars today. If a network you buy on is not listed, email hello@hawtads.com and ask for it.
Run one on your next ad
Upload the creative you were about to submit, pick the placements, and read the rule behind each answer. A failed check costs nothing, because the charge only follows a live check that runs.
Preflight checks published creative rules for the placements you choose. It cannot see account-level history, it does not review landing pages, and it is not legal advice. The network reviews the ad and decides.
Meta and Google Ads are trademarks of their respective owners. HawtAds is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by them.
