To prevent yourself from getting shadowbanned, it is important to understand what it actually is.
The Instagram shadowban is “a ban that renders your hashtags undiscoverable by the vibrant users. Only your followers will be able to see your feed and not the entire Instagram community. The ban is superficial and happens only when a rule has been broken,” according to the website Business 2 Community.
Although the ban is superficial, it is necessary to avoid it so your brand can be discovered on Instagram.
Below we outlined ways to avoid getting shadowbanned:
1. Watch your activity on the app
Activity on Instagram isn’t exclusive to just liking and commenting on others’ content, it also includes how much you post on your own profile.
So, doing too much of any of these activities will alert Instagram and can lead to banning.
Additional things to avoid are posting more than three times a day and going on mass comment and like sprees.
According to Radiant Elephant you should, “Keep your hashtags in the captions, not the comments.”
Lastly, avoid editing your captions after posting a picture. Being mindful of all these steps can help you to avoid being shadowbanned.
2. Don’t use the same hashtags on every post
Just like with excessive activity, using the same hashtags can also be seen as spamming.
“For some users using the same set of hashtags have been the cause of shadowban,” says Hiren Khambhayta. “So keep your hashtags fresh and keep rotating them. It’s advisable to have some 10-20 different combination sets. And use them with time instead of the same one every time.”
3. NEVER use apps that grow your followers
Since Instagram updated its algorithm, it started to crack down on fake accounts following brands and influencers.
So much so, that many famous beauty gurus saw a loss of hundreds-of-thousands of followers in an instant.
“If you use any kind of automation or bot-like software on your account, there’s a good chance that a) Instagram knows, and b) you’re going to be shadowbanned,” writes Benjamin Chacon of Later.
We suggest using websites and applications like Planoly.
According to their website, “Planoly is an end to end Instagram visual management platform. They help brands and influencers manage their content and marketing campaigns for Instagram,” by scheduling posts onto a grid and sending notifications to you when it is time to post on Instagram.
This way you follow all of Instagram’s newest guidelines and dodge the ability to be shadowbanned.
4. Don’t get reported
Possibly the simplest and most obvious way to avoid being shadowbanned is to not be reported to Instagram.
This includes avoiding any of the cautions listed above, as well as not being rude, inappropriate, or blasphemous. If Instagram verifies that you are at fault in an incident and violated their terms, they may disable your account, or shadowban you.
As long as you’re sticking to Instagram’s rules and you follow the guidelines above, you won’t have anything to worry about in terms of shadowban.
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- 4 Ways To Boost Your Brand Awareness Online
- 13 Ways To Increase Your Instagram Engagement
- How To Use Instagram Hashtags Correctly
Claire Erickson is currently a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger.com. Claire has just returned from studying abroad at the London College of Fashion and will finish her senior year studying retail merchandising back at her home university – University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). She is looking forward to having a future in buying, trend research, or planning.
[…] Why? It is a punishment for posting too much. Though Instagram says this is not real, we cannot be sure. Check this article out on how to not get shadowbanned. […]