A+ Content Rejected? Here's How to Fix It Fast

Your A+ Content Got Rejected — Now What?

You spent hours designing your A+ Content, uploaded it to Seller Central, waited 7 business days, and then received the dreaded rejection notification. It is frustrating, but it is also fixable. The key is understanding exactly why Amazon rejected your content and addressing the root cause before resubmitting.

Amazon's A+ Content rejection rate for first-time submissions hovers around 30-40%, according to seller community data. You are not alone, and most rejections stem from a small set of common, easily fixable issues.

This guide walks you through the most frequent rejection reasons, provides specific fixes for each one, and gives you a resubmission checklist to ensure your next submission clears review.

Understanding Rejection Notifications

When Amazon rejects your A+ Content, you will find the notification in Seller Central under Advertising > A+ Content Manager. The rejected submission will show a status of "Rejected" with a reason code or brief explanation.

Here is the problem: Amazon's rejection messages are often vague. You might see something like "Content does not comply with our guidelines" without a specific pointer to the offending module or element. This means you sometimes need to audit your entire submission against the rules.

Pro tip: If the rejection message references a specific policy, focus your fix there. If it is generic, review every module using the systematic approach below.

The 10 Most Common Rejection Reasons (and How to Fix Each One)

1. Promotional or Pricing Language

What triggers it: Any mention of pricing, discounts, sales, deals, free shipping, or promotional offers within your A+ Content — including within images.

Common offending phrases:

• "Affordable," "budget-friendly," "great value"
• "Save 20%," "special offer," "limited time"
• "Free Prime shipping," "free returns"
• "Buy 2, get 1 free," "bonus included"

The fix: Search your entire submission — both text fields and text within images — for any language that references price or promotions. Replace value-oriented language with benefit-oriented language. Instead of "affordable daily moisturizer," use "lightweight daily moisturizer designed for all skin types."

Time to fix: 15-30 minutes for text-only changes; longer if text is embedded in images that need to be recreated.

2. Incorrect Image Dimensions

What triggers it: Images that do not match the exact pixel dimensions required for the selected module type. Even being off by a single pixel will cause rejection.

Common dimension errors:

• Submitting 970x599 instead of 970x600
• Using Premium A+ dimensions (1464x600) for Basic A+ modules
• Confusing mobile and desktop dimension requirements

The fix: Open each image in an image editor and verify the exact pixel dimensions. Check them against the requirements in our A+ Content image sizes guide. If an image is close but not exact, resize it (do not crop, as this can cut off important content). Many image editors have a "resize canvas" or "image size" function that handles this precisely.

Time to fix: 5-10 minutes per image.

3. CMYK Color Mode Instead of RGB

What triggers it: Images saved in CMYK color mode (used for print) instead of RGB (used for digital/web display). This is extremely common when working with professional designers who use print-oriented workflows.

How to detect it: Open your image in Photoshop, GIMP, or a similar editor and check the color mode. In Photoshop, go to Image > Mode — it should say RGB Color. You can also check image properties in most operating systems.

The fix: Convert the image to RGB color mode and re-export. In Photoshop: Image > Mode > RGB Color. In GIMP: Image > Mode > RGB. Re-save as JPEG or PNG.

Time to fix: 2 minutes per image.

4. Competitor Brand Names or Logos

What triggers it: Mentioning competitor brands by name in text, comparison charts, or images. This includes subtle references like "compatible with [Brand] devices."

Common scenarios:

• Comparison charts that list competitor products by brand name
• Text like "better than [Competitor Brand]"
• Images showing competitor product packaging
• Compatibility claims using brand names ("works with Apple AirPods")

The fix: Replace all competitor brand names with generic terms. In comparison charts, use "Brand A," "Brand B," or "Standard Alternative" instead of actual names. For compatibility claims, use generic device descriptions when possible ("compatible with most wireless earbuds") or check if Amazon allows the specific brand reference in your category (some accessory categories permit compatibility claims with specific brands).

Time to fix: 15-30 minutes.

5. Unsubstantiated Claims

What triggers it: Absolute or superlative claims without proper backing — "best," "number one," "#1 rated," "most popular," "award-winning," "doctor recommended."

The fix: Either add the specific citation or soften the language:

Time to fix: 10-15 minutes.

6. Warranty or Guarantee Language

What triggers it: References to warranties, guarantees, satisfaction promises, or return policies within A+ Content.

Common offending phrases:

• "Lifetime warranty"
• "100% money-back guarantee"
• "30-day risk-free trial"
• "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back"

The fix: Remove all warranty and guarantee language from A+ Content entirely. This information belongs in the product's dedicated warranty section in Seller Central, not in A+ modules.

Time to fix: 5-10 minutes.

7. External Links and Contact Information

What triggers it: URLs, email addresses, phone numbers, social media handles, or QR codes anywhere in your A+ Content.

The fix: Remove all external references. Your A+ Content should be self-contained within the Amazon ecosystem. If you want customers to find your brand elsewhere, that information can go in your Amazon Storefront, not in individual listing A+ Content.

Time to fix: 5 minutes.

8. Poor Image Quality

What triggers it: Blurry, pixelated, stretched, or visually distorted images. Amazon's reviewers check for professional-quality visuals.

Common causes:

• Upscaling small images to meet dimension requirements
• Over-compressing JPEGs to reduce file size
• Taking screenshots instead of exporting at proper resolution
• Using low-resolution product photos as source material

The fix: Start with the highest-resolution source images you have. If your product photos are too small for the required dimensions, reshoot or use AI upscaling tools (but verify the output quality). When saving JPEGs, use quality settings of 80% or higher. Never screenshot-and-crop your way to the required dimensions.

Time to fix: Varies — minutes if you have high-res originals, potentially hours or days if you need new photography.

9. Text Legibility Issues

What triggers it: Text within images that is too small to read, lacks sufficient contrast against the background, or uses decorative fonts that sacrifice readability.

The fix: Ensure all text in images meets these minimums:

• Font size equivalent to at least 16px when displayed on mobile
• Strong contrast ratio between text and background (dark text on light backgrounds or vice versa)
• Standard, readable fonts (avoid script or decorative fonts for body text)
• Test by viewing your images at mobile display size (approximately 400px wide)

Time to fix: 15-30 minutes per image with text.

10. Missing or Keyword-Stuffed Alt Text

What triggers it: Leaving alt text fields empty, or filling them with repetitive keyword strings instead of genuine image descriptions.

Bad example: "premium dog bed dog bed for large dogs best dog bed orthopedic dog bed memory foam dog bed"

Good example: "Large orthopedic dog bed with memory foam cushion in gray, shown with a golden retriever resting comfortably"

The fix: Write natural, descriptive alt text for each image. Include one or two relevant keywords, but the primary purpose is describing what the image shows for accessibility.

Time to fix: 5-10 minutes total.

The Resubmission Process

Before You Resubmit

• Identify the specific rejection reason from Seller Central
• Fix only what needs fixing — do not redesign your entire submission if only one module is the problem
• Run through the compliance checklist from our A+ Content guidelines guide to catch any additional issues
• Preview on mobile — check that text is readable and images display properly at phone screen sizes

How to Resubmit

• Go to Advertising > A+ Content Manager in Seller Central
• Find the rejected submission
• Click Edit on the rejected content
• Make your fixes
• Submit for review

Important: Each resubmission enters the same review queue with the same 7-business-day timeline. There is no expedited review for resubmissions. This is why getting it right the second time is critical — a third rejection means potentially a month of delays.

What If You Keep Getting Rejected?

If your A+ Content has been rejected multiple times for different reasons:

Simplify your content. Complex designs with lots of text overlays, comparison charts, and detailed claims have more surface area for compliance issues. Start with simpler modules — clean product images, straightforward benefit callouts, and minimal text within images.

Review Amazon's official guidelines directly. Go to Seller Central > Help > search "A+ Content guidelines" for the most current policy document. Policies can change, and community guides (including this one) may lag behind official updates.

Consider using compliance-aware tools. AI-powered A+ Content generators like zonfy are designed to produce content that meets Amazon's guidelines by default, avoiding the common pitfalls that cause rejections. This is particularly helpful for sellers who have been stuck in rejection cycles.

Contact Seller Support. If you genuinely cannot identify why your content keeps getting rejected, open a case with Seller Support and request specific details about the rejection. Be polite, reference the case number, and ask for the exact policy violation.

Pre-Submission Checklist

Run through this checklist before every A+ Content submission:

Content Review

• [ ] Zero pricing or promotional language (text and images)
• [ ] Zero competitor brand references
• [ ] All claims are substantiated or softened
• [ ] No warranty or guarantee language
• [ ] No external links, URLs, or contact information
• [ ] No time-sensitive or dated claims
• [ ] All text is in the marketplace language

Image Review

• [ ] Every image matches exact module pixel dimensions
• [ ] All images are RGB color mode
• [ ] All images are JPEG or PNG format
• [ ] File sizes are under 2 MB each
• [ ] No watermarks, QR codes, or barcodes
• [ ] All text within images is legible at mobile size
• [ ] Image quality is sharp and professional

Alt Text Review

• [ ] Every image has descriptive alt text
• [ ] Alt text naturally includes 1-2 keywords
• [ ] No keyword stuffing in any alt text field

Final Checks

• [ ] Previewed on mobile device or at mobile dimensions
• [ ] Category-specific rules checked (health, beauty, food, electronics)
• [ ] Brand name matches Brand Registry exactly
• [ ] All modules display correctly in preview

Preventing Future Rejections

The most effective way to avoid A+ Content rejections is to build compliance into your design process from the start, rather than checking for it afterward.

Create a brand style guide that includes Amazon-safe language. Train anyone who writes or designs your A+ Content to avoid prohibited terms automatically.

Templatize your module designs at exact Amazon dimensions. When your templates are already the right size, dimension errors become impossible.

Build a review workflow where someone other than the creator checks the content against compliance rules before submission. Fresh eyes catch issues that the creator overlooks.

These practices, combined with the checklist above, should bring your first-submission approval rate above 90%. For the complete set of A+ Content rules, reference our comprehensive compliance guide.