Ad Policy

Last updated: April 2026

DCHappyHours.com accepts ads from approved advertisers and runs them in designated slots across the site. This page lays out what we accept, what we won't, and what advertisers should expect from the review process. By submitting an advertiser request or any individual ad creative, you agree to these terms.

Who can advertise

  • You must have a DCHappyHours.com account in good standing.
  • You must request advertiser status from /account/become-advertiser. Each request is reviewed by an admin.
  • We focus on businesses, events, and products relevant to the DC metro area happy-hour and dining audience. Off-topic advertisers may be denied at our discretion.

What ad formats are allowed

  • Image + Link. A static image with a destination URL. Animations, autoplaying video, and audio are not permitted.
  • Text + Link. A short headline (≤80 chars) and body (≤280 chars) with a destination URL.

Custom HTML, JavaScript, and third-party ad-network tags are reserved for the site administrator. Advertiser-submitted ads cannot include scripts, iframes, or third-party tracking pixels.

Content standards

We will reject ads that are or contain:

  • Misleading claims, fake discounts, or bait-and-switch offers
  • Adult/sexual content, gambling promotions, or weapons
  • Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age
  • Promotions that encourage excessive drinking or violate Virginia, Maryland, or DC alcohol advertising rules
  • Trademarked logos or copyrighted material you don't have rights to use
  • Political or religious advocacy unrelated to the DC bar/restaurant scene
  • Anything illegal under federal, state, or local law

Quality standards

  • Images must be high resolution and look reasonable when rendered at the slot's pixel dimensions.
  • Text must be free of obvious typos and use sentence-case capitalization.
  • Destination URLs must lead to a working page that matches the ad copy. Dead links, redirects to unrelated content, and download prompts will be rejected.
  • Specials advertised must actually be available at the time the ad is running.

Review process

  • New ad submissions land in admin moderation. Most reviews are completed within 1–2 business days.
  • Approved ads are placed by the admin into one or more ad slots (placement is not configurable by advertisers). The admin will email you to let you know where your ad is running.
  • Rejected ads receive an explanation by email and can be edited and resubmitted from your My Ads dashboard.
  • Editing an already-live ad automatically requeues it for review. We do this to prevent surprises — the version you submitted is the version we vetted.

Pricing

Advertising on DCHappyHours.com is currently free while we build out the platform. We may introduce paid plans in the future; we'll give existing advertisers notice before any change.

Tracking and reporting

We track impressions and clicks per ad and surface those numbers on your My Ads dashboard. We do not share advertiser performance data with third parties. We do not allow advertisers to embed third-party tracking pixels or scripts.

Suspension and removal

We may pause or remove any ad — without notice — if we discover:

  • The destination URL has gone dead or now points somewhere unrelated
  • The advertised offer is no longer being honored at the establishment
  • The advertiser's account is involved in policy violations on the site
  • We receive credible reports of misleading or harmful content

Liability and indemnification

You represent that you have all necessary rights to the content in your ads (images, text, trademarks). DCHappyHours.com is not liable for advertiser content or for damages arising from interactions between users and advertisers. You agree to indemnify DCHappyHours.com against claims related to your advertiser content.

Changes to this policy

We may update these rules from time to time. Material changes will be announced via email to active advertisers. Continued use of the advertising service after a change constitutes acceptance.

Questions

Reach out via the contact form or reply to any email from us about your account.