How To Avoid An Instagram Shadowban?
What is a Shadowban on Social Media?
A shadowban is when a user is muted or blocked on a social media platform (or forum), without receiving any official notification about it.
Your posts, comments or activities may suddenly be hidden or obscured; you may stop showing up in searches, or see a drop in engagement because no one (including your followers) can see your marketing content in their feeds.
You may not have broken the terms of service or done anything that would call for an out-and-out ban, but you’ve done something that the moderators or admin aren’t happy about. And now, you’re being punished, but because no one tells you explicitly that you’ve been shadowbanned, it’s impossible to make an appeal to fix it.
Instagram Shadowban
When a ban happens on Instagram, you will notice that your engagement is decreasing. It could be due to the changes in Instagram algorithm or a ban.
When you have been banned, your hashtags will become ‘invisible’ in the platform’s discovery tab. You can still use them but your posts will only show up in the feeds of your followers. You will not be able to reach new audiences and gain new followers. This is the opposite of what you want when using digital hashtags on Instagram.
How To Avoid An Instagram Shadowban
Buying followers
Instagram has made it clear that they don’t approve of users increasing their followers in ways that aren’t organic. Using automation tools and bots to increase your following will get you on their bad side for sure. Buying followers is also a big no-no and you should not do it under any circumstances.
Instagram has its ways of detecting such fraudulent tactics and these might lead to an Instagram shadowban. We suggest you build your following in an honest and ethical way.
Broken Hashtags
You have to be sure that the hashtags that you’re using aren’t ‘banned’ by the platform. If you find that only top posts show when you’re searching for a hashtag, it could be that it was blocked. Don’t use it. It is recommended that you do this kind of search often to avoid using hashtags that could get you banned.
You may think that your hashtag is innocent and harmless but in the wrong context, even a simple word can be twisted in meaning. Be careful. Sometimes, Instagram will show a message in the hashtag feed to explain that posts were hidden. That would be because they broke community guidelines.
Activity
The activity on your Instagram account can also affect how you are seen by the platform. If you are suddenly unfollowing or following people, liking and sharing a high number of posts, Instagram will get suspicious. It might look like unnatural activity and could lead to a ban. Make sure your activity is consistent and never go over-the-top with your posts per day. Also, your engagement must be organic and not seem like something that a robot would do.
Hashtag Repeats
Using the same hashtag for months on end can come across as spam. Although you could be doing it to be consistent, it could backfire on you. Change your hashtags every now and then to prevent this kind of negative attention. It’s not clear yet when you should change things to be safe, but keep things as fresh as you can. Even brand’s hashtags can’t be trusted, in case you were wondering.
Software
You could be using software to bulk up your activity on Instagram and they do not like that one bit. Instagram is giving users the ability to post automatically after many users have been waiting for this feature for years. You need to be using Instagram’s Business API to use it though.
You Were Reported
When you have been reported by an unhappy (or jealous) Instagram user and your account flagged. It is possible that Instagram could shut down your digital account, even when you’re certain you didn’t break any rules. It is not always easy to find out why users reported you. However, the platform’s official policy requires it to review any account before just acting on a complaint. You can appeal against Instagram’s decision if you feel you have been wrongly banned.