Your ad check
0 flags
Checking
If it runs as written
The five questions before it goes live
A first-pass word check, not legal advice. It cannot see your images or video, so check the words on them too.
Most Malaysian ads never meet a regulator. They meet a platform’s review system first, and the trouble is usually one word in the headline. This checker follows our guide to advertising law in Malaysia and the review the ZenWeb team runs before client campaigns go live, and it reads English, Malay and Chinese.
1. How do you use this ad copy compliance checker?
Quick Answer: Paste the headline, main text and any words on the image, then say what you sell and where the ad will run. Tell the checker whether the ad collects contact details and whether you can prove every claim today. It marks each risky phrase in your text and explains what to fix.
- Paste your ad text. Or try a sample ad.
- Pick your sector. Some carry extra rules.
- Pick where it runs. Paid ads, organic posts, influencer posts or print.
- Answer the KKLIU question. Shown only for health products and clinics.
- Say whether it collects details. A lead form or a chat asking for a number.
- Say whether you have evidence. An award, survey or certificate on file.
Nothing you paste leaves the page. It reads words, not pictures, so check the text on your image too. Already rejected? See our fixes for a rejected Facebook ad and disapproved Google Ads.
2. Which claims get Malaysian ads rejected most often?
Quick Answer: Unsupported superlatives cause 31% of the ads flagged before launch across ZenWeb-managed Malaysian campaigns, followed by health, beauty or outcome claims at 23%. Price or “free” claims without conditions, missing sector approval, testimonials used as proof and data capture without consent make up the rest.
The six causes the checker looks for:
| Cause | Words the checker marks | Share of flagged ads |
|---|---|---|
| Unsupported superlatives | best, No.1, cheapest, terbaik | 31% |
| Health, beauty or outcome claims | cure, lose 5kg, no side effects, guaranteed | 23% |
| Price, discount or “free” without conditions | free, up to 70% off, from RM99 | 18% |
| Missing or expired sector approval | no KKLIU number on a health ad | 13% |
| Testimonials used as proof | real results, I lost, it worked | 10% |
| Data capture without consent | a form that never says what the number is for | 5% |
Source: aggregated from ZenWeb-managed campaigns, Malaysia, 2024–2026. Ads flagged at internal review or rejected at platform review before launch.
Superlatives top the list because they feel harmless. “Malaysia’s best” is a claim about the whole market, and the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 expects evidence for it.
Key takeaway: Roughly half of all flagged ads fail on a superlative nobody can prove or an outcome claim nobody should make. Fix those two first.
3. What do the Fix and Check flags mean?
Quick Answer: A Fix flag is a phrase to change before the ad runs, because it matches a common rejection cause and you have no evidence or approval for it. A Check flag is a phrase you may keep, as long as the proof is on file. High risk means a sector rule or missing approval is involved.
- Fix: remove the claim rather than soften it, or add the missing conditions.
- Check: you said you hold the evidence. Keep it on file, because a competitor can ask for it.
- High risk: a health ad without its KKLIU number, guaranteed returns in finance, or alcohol and smoking products.
Influencer posts count too. The brand owns what a paid creator says for it, so brief creators like copywriters; see our guide to working with Malaysian influencers.
Running ads every month?
A rewrite costs an hour; a rejection costs a launch window.
See how our digital marketing team checks claims →4. Does your sector need approval before the ad runs?
Quick Answer: Medicines, health products, clinics and healthcare services need Medicine Advertisements Board approval before any ad aimed at the public is published, with the KKLIU number shown on the ad itself. Other sectors carry claim restrictions rather than blanket pre-approval, and the checker adds each sector’s rule to the result.
- Health products and clinics: approval from the Medicine Advertisements Board first; no cure claims, no before-and-after imagery.
- Financial services: licensing-dependent; no guaranteed-return or risk-free language.
- Property: permit-dependent; watch prices, artist impressions and completion dates.
- Food and drink: health and halal claims must be substantiated and certified.
- Education: accreditation and job claims must be accurate.
- Alcohol and smoking: public advertising is largely prohibited.
Lead forms add a second layer: our PDPA compliance checklist shows what the form should say.
Key takeaway: Check the approval question before creative work starts. A missing KKLIU number cannot be fixed at the booking stage.
Ads getting rejected and you cannot see why? Restricted categories add their own review rules: fix a special ad category rejection.
5. What can a flagged ad cost your business?
Quick Answer: The fine is rarely the biggest cost. In ZenWeb-managed campaigns, a platform rejection delays launch by 1–3 days, and repeated rejections can restrict an account for 1–3 weeks. Paused spend and a missed festive window usually cost more than any regulator does.
- Platform rejection: 1–3 days of delay and a rewrite.
- Account restriction: 1–3 weeks of paused spend after repeated rejections.
- Complaint to a regulator or Advertising Standards Malaysia: weeks to months, withdrawn creative and reprints.
- Enforcement: a company’s fine for a false trade description reaches RM250,000 for a first offence.
- Consent breach: the PDPA (Amendment) Act 2024 raised penalties to RM1 million for serious offences.
Delays are observed medians from client accounts, not legal timeframes. A campaign paused through a Raya or year-end window rarely wins that revenue back.
Want your ads reviewed before they run?
We review your claims, landing pages and lead forms alongside the campaign plan, so nothing gets paused halfway through a launch window.
Talk to our digital marketing team →6. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is this ad copy compliance checker free?
Yes, with no sign-up. It runs in your browser, so the text you paste is not sent anywhere. It is a first-pass word check, not legal advice.
2. Can I say my business is the best in Malaysia?
Only if you can prove it. “Best”, “No.1” and “cheapest” are claims about the whole market, and unsupported superlatives are the most common reason Malaysian ads are rejected before launch.
3. Does the checker read Malay and Chinese ads?
It marks common Malay and Chinese forms of the same claims, such as terbaik, termurah, percuma and 最便宜. Treat the lists as a first pass and read the full ad yourself.
4. Are organic posts and influencer posts covered too?
Yes. The Content Code does not care whether you paid to boost a post, and a creator’s paid, gifted or commission post is advertising.