1. Who can advertise
In short: Our audience is mostly young people and students, so we only run honest ads that treat them with respect.
- You must be at least 18 and able to make a binding agreement, or act for a registered business or organisation.
- We ask for your name, business name, phone number, email and a clear photo of a valid national ID. We use the ID only to confirm who you are, keep it private, and never show it to students or other advertisers.
- One verified advertiser account per person or business. Giving false details is a reason to close the account.
- These terms are part of the agreement in our Terms and Conditions; how we treat your information is in the Privacy Policy.
2. Be honest
- Say clearly who you are and what you are offering. Prices, fees, deadlines and conditions must be shown, not hidden.
- Do not make claims you cannot prove, such as "guaranteed results", or "100% free" when it is not, or fake reviews, awards and testimonials.
- The page an ad opens must match the ad, work properly and not trick people into downloads, payments or sign-ups.
- Ads are always labelled "Sponsored" so students know they are adverts. Never make an ad look like a message from a friend, a lecturer, a school or HostelGig.
3. What we do not accept
- Alcohol, tobacco, vaping, drugs or anything illegal.
- Betting, casinos, lotteries and other gambling.
- Adult or sexual content, dating-for-money, or anything that sexualises people.
- Loans, "quick cash" and credit offers that hide their costs, and any scheme that asks people to pay in to earn: pyramid, MLM-style recruiting, "get rich quick", forex or crypto "signals" and investment promises.
- Cheating services: exam leaks, paid assignments or essays written to be handed in as the student's own, fake certificates or degrees.
- Hate, bullying, violence, weapons, or content that mocks people for their body, tribe, religion, gender, disability or background.
- Medical or health promises (miracle cures, weight-loss or "enhancement" products) and anything that plays on fear, shame or insecurity to sell.
- Party-political or religious campaigning that pressures people, and ads that copy another brand's name or logo.
4. Protect young people
- No pressure tactics: no fake countdowns, "only 2 left" when untrue, or guilt and fear to make someone buy.
- Do not collect personal details, phone numbers or ID from students through an ad unless it is clearly explained, needed and lawful (see Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012). Never sell or pass on what you collect.
- No tracking or hidden software on landing pages, and nothing that harms a phone or a browser.
- Products for adults only must never be aimed at people under 18.
5. How ads are placed and checked
- Every ad is reviewed by us before it runs. We usually answer within one working day and tell you why if we say no.
- We keep ads few and tidy: each page shows only a small number of clearly marked slots. We decide where they appear and do not guarantee a position, a number of views or results.
- We may pause, change or remove an ad, or close an account, at any time if an ad breaks these terms, is reported by students, or harms our community. Three different people reporting an ad pauses it until we have looked. Serious or repeated breaches mean the account is closed.
- Please answer our questions quickly if we contact you about an ad.
6. Prices, counting and payment
- You prepay a balance through our secure payment gateway (smallest top-up GH₵50). Your campaign stops by itself when the balance runs out, and restarts when you top up.
- You pay either per 1,000 views (CPM, from GH₵5) or per click (CPC, from GH₵0.50), as shown in the campaign builder before you confirm. The price is fixed when you send the campaign for review.
- A view or click is counted once per person, per ad, per hour. We do not charge for bots, repeats, mistakes, or clicks and views we find to be fake or automatic. Our own counts decide what is charged.
- Spent money is not refunded. Unused balance can be returned on request if your account is in good standing. If we reject or remove an ad because of our own mistake, you get the unused part back.
7. Your content and responsibility
- You must own, or have permission to use, every image, logo, song and word in your ad.
- You are responsible for what your ad says and for what you sell. Complaints about your products or services are between you and the customer.
- You allow us to show, resize and store your ad for the time it runs and for our records.
8. Privacy
We show ads based on simple things like the part of SchoolYard, the campus and the page someone is viewing. We do not sell students' personal details to advertisers. You only receive totals (views, clicks, spend), never who exactly saw or clicked. You may download your own results from your dashboard.
9. Ads on student articles
Ads that appear on a Crimson article written by a student share part of the money with that writer. This does not change the price you pay or what you receive, and your ad is never shown "in" an article without the usual label.
10. Changes and contact
We may update these terms and will tell active advertisers. Using the advertiser portal after a change means you accept it. Questions or reports: info@hostelgig.com.