Everything You Need to Know About an Instagram Shadowban
When you’re looking to grow your Instagram following, you can use Explore and hashtag pages to expand your audience and reach. But when your content isn’t showing up after all the work you put in, it’s disappointing for your social media marketing in Baton Rouge.
If you feel like your posts are suddenly receiving fewer likes and comments, or they aren’t appearing on certain hashtags, it’s possible that you’re being shadowbanned. Let’s learn more about what a shadowban means, how to tell if you are being shadowbanned and the reasons why it may have happened.
What is an Instagram Shadowban?
An Instagram shadowban refers to the act of hiding a user’s content without informing them that it’s happening. Usually, this happens when the user has violated the rules or the content is inappropriate. If you are shadowbanned, your content won’t be found on anyone’s news feed, Explore or hashtag pages unless they already follow you.
The purpose of shadowbanning content is to filter out accounts that don’t follow the rules. For example, some people buy followers or use hundreds of hashtags that have nothing to do with their content. To ensure that users are getting the best experience, Instagram hides certain content.
Are You Shadowbanned on Instagram?
To tell if you are being shadowbanned, there’s an easy way to check. First, post an image with a hashtag that isn’t used often and ask a few people who don’t follow you to search the hashtag. If no one sees your post, it’s probably because you’re being shadowbanned.
If, however, a few people do see your post, you’re probably seeing a drop in engagement for other reasons and not shadowbanning. In this case, you’ll have to refresh your social media marketing strategy so that you can grow your follower base and engagement rates.
Why Are You Being Shadowbanned?
If you are being shadowbanned, it’s important to find out why. Not only will this get you out of the shadowban but also prevent it from happening again. Here are some of the most common reasons why users get shadowbanned, along with their fixes:
- You use bots or other automated growth tools. To stop being shadowbanned, get rid of the automated services completely.
- You use broken hashtags. Remove all broken hashtags from your content. Here’s a full list of banned hashtags for 2021.
- Your account is often reported. If your account is being reported, take a break from Instagram. This will reset your account and get you back on track.
- You’ve been posting, commenting or following people too quickly. Be sure to follow all of Instagram’s guidelines. For example, share the content you have permission to share and avoid posting content that is misleading.
Hopefully this has cleared up some of your questions about shadowbanning on Instagram. If you feel that you’re not getting the engagement on Instagram that you should and you’re not sure why, contact the social media marketing experts at WSI Star Web Solutions.