You’ve built a following on Instagram from the ground up. You’ve been authentic. You’ve been consistent. You’ve poured value into your posts…
and suddenly your engagement drops despite doing everything right.
Let us introduce you to the Instagram shadowban.
Instagram has denied the existence of shadowbanning. This comes as no surprise because it’s an elusive term created by Instagram users. However, that’s not to say Instagram doesn’t practice similar measures that users generally label as shadowbanning.
Let’s clear the confusion. Read on to understand the Instagram shadowban and what it could mean for your social media performance.
What is an Instagram Shadowban?
An Instagram shadowban is when the platform takes action to reduce your visibility, such as serving your content to fewer people and not displaying your posts on any hashtags you use. A direct result of this is a drop in engagement. Your followers will see less of your content and your chances of being discovered by potential new followers are slim to none.
What’s worse is you may not even notice it is happening. Instagram limits the reach of users without taking any direct action against them. A shadowban can be undetectable. You have to do some troubleshooting to determine if a shadowban is to blame.
How to Tell if you are Shadowbanned
When you first notice a drop in engagement you may suspect that you have been shadowbanned. Now there are a lot of culprits for a drop in engagement so consider a few of these before you jump to shadowbanning.
The search and feed algorithm of Instagram changes all the time. When a change happens your reach could increase or decrease without Instagram taking any action against you.
Also, take note of anything you may have done to cause your target audience to lose interest. Did you change up the type of content you’ve been posting? Have recently implemented a new social media strategy? Look at your account as a whole and try to analyze any new direction you may have taken.
If your hashtag content is not showing up on the explore page, you may have been shadowbanned. This is the indicator that gets the most attention around the Instagram shadowban.
Instagram has stressed that being in the explore section is not a guarantee. Sometimes you get the spotlight and sometimes you don’t. You can’t know for sure that you aren’t showing up in the explore section because of a shadowban.
Triberr is a site that will test to see if you’re shadowbanned on Instagram. Again, you can’t know for sure but it’s a place to start on your shadowbanning rabbit hole.
How to Avoid an Instagram Shadowban
Now don’t be alarmed. Instagram doesn’t shadowban accounts out of the blue. There is likely a set of actions you have taken on your account to prompt Instagram to take these measures. Here is a list of best Instagram practices to keep in place so that you don’t get shadowbanned.
Stay Away From Bots and Bot Behavior
There are ways to use apps to connect your account and get bots to drive your engagement. This means it looks like you have more followers and likes but they aren’t real people. Bots can also automatically like posts from your account making it look like you are more active, without actually doing anything.
You can see how bots are tempting but they are also a really good way to get shadowbanned. Instagram hates bots so stay human and grow your community authentically!
You also want to avoid bot behavior. While engaging with your followers and related accounts IS a good practice, this doesn’t mean you should go on a mass liking spree. You don’t want to comment with a 😀 on every post. Keep your Instagram engagement authentic and thoughtful to prevent you from being flagged for bot-like behavior.
Avoid Third-Party Apps
Some Instagram users use third-party apps to collect analytics from their accounts. They monitor follows, unfollows, likes, comments, etc. Instagram does not like this. They have some official partners that they allow you to connect with but anything else is off-limits.
Some Instagram-approved third-party apps are:
- Buffer
- Hootsuite
- Later
- Planoly
- Tailwind
- Sprout Social
- Simply Measured
- Iconosquare
Follow Instagram’s Community Guidelines
If you break the rules on Instagram they will just give you the boot. If you get close to breaking the rules but you don’t cross the line… they shadowban you.
Make sure you are aware of what Instagram’s Community Guidelines are and then avoid any other inappropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior includes anything that most people don’t want to see. Behavior that would not be socially acceptable outside of Instagram is also not socially acceptable inside the Instagram app.
Inappropriate content in these categories could get you shadowbanned:
- Violence
- Shocking images
- Sexually suggestive
- Spam
- Posts with false information
Instagram doesn’t want any content on their site that would turn people away from using their site. They want to maintain a reputation for high-quality content. If your content is damaging to that reputation then they are going to reduce your visibility.
Instagram moderators flag borderline content while reviewing policy violations. Instagram’s algorithm then uses those labels to identify borderline content and suppress its reach.
Avoid Getting Reported
Anybody can report you. So it is unlikely that you will break the rules and get away with it. If you are posting content that is in that grey area, you really need to think about your followers and what they want to see. If you know your audience and you are keeping them happy, they won’t report you.
Try not to post shocking or inappropriate content to get people’s attention. It’s not a good idea. This will get you the wrong kind of attention and you will find yourself with an Instagram shadowban.
Avoid Using Restricted and Banned Hashtags
Banned hashtags are hashtags that Instagram users have reported because the posts including them go against guidelines. This means any post using that hashtag will not show up in searches.
If you do a hashtag search and nothing shows up, that means that hashtag has been banned. A hashtag may not be permanently banned and new hashtags are always being added to the restricted list. This means you need to regularly be checking your hashtags to make sure they are good to go.
How to Remove an Instagram Shadowban
If you have determined that you have been shadowbanned, it’s time to clean up your act! To remove the shadowban, you must be extra cautious about the actions you take on Instagram moving forward.
A lot of users have found that taking a break from their Instagram account did the trick. A few days without logging in can help you start over fresh. When you come back, you need to continue being a stranger to the line.
Another option is to report a problem to Instagram. Instagram support may review your account if you reach out. However, you should refrain from using the term shadowban, since the platform has a firm stance on not engaging in these kinds of practices. Just express your concern about followers not being able to see your posts. They may be able to pinpoint if you’ve violated any community guidelines.
If you notice a drop in engagement, first check your content. Then run through this list of possible offenders and see if you are getting close to the line. In order to win the Instagram game, you have to follow all the rules.
