10 Common Errors in Financial Promotions (and How to Avoid Them)

Financial promotions are under more scrutiny than ever. In 2024, the FCA required nearly 20,000 promotions to be withdrawn or amended, almost double the number from the previous year. That scale of intervention shows just how easy it is for firms to get things wrong and how costly the consequences can be.

Many of the problems that trigger rejections are simple, preventable mistakes. They are rarely deliberate breaches of the rules, but they still waste internal time, damage trust and create unnecessary risk.

Based on common pitfalls we've experienced across the industry, here are ten errors marketing teams frequently make with financial promotions and how to avoid them.

1. Using restricted or high-risk words

Certain words are red flags to compliance teams. Phrases like cheapest, guaranteed, or single premium often breach FCA expectations and can instantly derail a campaign.

How to avoid it: Keep a live list of barred or high-risk words and train marketing teams on suitable alternatives. It is far easier to prevent non-compliant language than to edit it out at the last moment. You could also consider using an automated content check system like SeeDynamic.

2. Repeating the same small inaccuracies

Out-of-date phone numbers, old office addresses, and inconsistent opening hours are frequent culprits. These small errors may feel trivial, but they signal poor quality control and create unnecessary compliance challenges.

How to avoid it: Establish a single, authoritative source for company and product details, and make sure every campaign draws from it.

3. Missing mandatory disclosures

Every product comes with required disclosures, from investment disclaimers to the small print for insurance. Leaving these out is one of the most common reasons compliance teams reject content.

How to avoid it: Use templates that include standard disclosures, and make sure your teams understand when and how they must be applied.

4. Publishing outdated information

Interest rates change, products get withdrawn and regulatory terminology evolves. Promotions that carry outdated information not only confuse customers, they can mislead, ultimately breaching FCA rules.

How to avoid it: Apply version control to your marketing assets. If a product or term changes, ensure every related promotion is updated before the next campaign goes live.

5. Making claims without evidence

Marketers love bold claims like award-winning, market leader, environmentally friendly. But without substantiation, these statements don't meet FCA standards of being “fair, clear and not misleading.”

How to avoid it: Document proof before using these claims. Link to the award, show the independent ranking, or provide data.

6. Leaving out risk warnings

From mortgages to investments, risk warnings are non-negotiable. Missed or misplaced warnings are a regulatory red line.

How to avoid it: Standardise risk warnings by product type and build them into campaign templates. They must be accurate, prominent and consistent across channels.

7. Writing in jargon-heavy language

Financial promotions should be understandable for the intended audience. Dense jargon, legalese or unexplained acronyms fall foul of Consumer Duty requirements.

How to avoid it: Test content for readability. Tools such as Flesch Reading Ease scores are useful benchmarks. Always aim for clarity first.

8. Allowing typos to slip through

It sounds basic, but spelling mistakes in a disclaimer or product name undermine credibility and slow approvals. Regulators and consumers alike expect precision.

How to avoid it: Use spell-checks that account for financial terms and acronyms, and build proofreading into the workflow before compliance review.

9. Forgetting footer and legal details

Missing or inconsistent footers which include company details, regulatory statements, contact information, are a frequent compliance blocker.

How to avoid it: Maintain standard footer templates that update automatically with any new regulatory wording or company information.

10. Waiting for compliance to spot problems

The biggest error of all is reactive behaviour and sending content to compliance without anticipating the issues they will inevitably flag.

How to avoid it: Train marketing teams to check content against common compliance risks before submission.

A few closing thoughts….

Financial promotions don't fail compliance checks because marketing teams lack the ability; they fail because preventable mistakes slip through the cracks.

By understanding and addressing these ten common errors, firms can avoid unnecessary rejections, improve time-to-market, and build consumer trust in the process.

Final FAQs

What counts as a financial promotion?
A financial promotion is essentially any marketing message that is an invitation or inducement to engage in a regulated financial activity, such as an investment or a financial service, communicated in the course of business and intended to have an effect in the UK.

Who regulates financial promotions in the UK?
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the regulator responsible for approving and overseeing financial promotions.

What are barred or restricted words in financial promotions?
These are terms that firms prohibit internally (such as “cheapest”, “easy”, “safe” or “guaranteed”) because they can be misleading or unfair without context.

What is the Financial Promotions Order?
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order sets out exemptions and conditions for when promotions can be made.

What happens if a financial promotion breaches FCA rules?
The FCA has a wide range of enforcement powers… In 2024 alone, nearly 20,000 promotions were withdrawn or amended following FCA intervention.