Instagram shadowban is one of the most common Instagram issues that may occur for multiple reasons! Go no further than yourself.
It’s almost annoying for those who have faced it more than once and puzzling for those who don’t really know what it is and how to get out of the grip of it.
As Instagram grows and produces outstanding results in sales, marketing, and brand awareness, its rules and limitations go forward to bring users security and convenience.
We all like a safe and healthy environment on social media like Instagram to experience an enjoyable life.
A sudden drop in engagement, losing followers over a night, and disappearing from hashtag search results are the three most important factors that warn the Instagram shadowban. We mainly come to this topic to help you overcome freezing your Instagram growth.
What is Instagram Shadowban?
Instagram shadowban is one of the most common Instagram limitations that occur due to an Instagram account’s weak performance for violating Instagram community guidelines.
This limitation disappears your content on Instagram without any announcement or exact reason. So, if you fall into the trap of Instagram Shadowban, you suddenly experience losing reach, engagement (likes, comments, views, shares, saves), and hashtags to attract new users.
Overall, when an Instagram account is shadowbanned, content no longer appears anywhere, including hashtag list, explore, and feed, unless someone follows your account to access all your Instagram page content.
Like a home-alone person, you start living in the crowded and fierce world of Instagram; oh, I know what a devastating situation is!
Why does Instagram Shadowban exist?
We all know how to Instagram shadowban can ruin the Instagram accounts reputation and efforts, which struggle to stay ahead in the competitive Instagram market. On the contrary, it can be a great solution for those breaking the Instagram rules.
Many Instagrammers or marketers are spending a lot of time and cost to learn Instagram algorithm updates and improve their skills in such fields, while some might think about how to bypass the Instagram algorithm to achieve overnight success, such as buying Instagram followers, using Instagram bots and constant overusing irrelevant and popular hashtags.
So, Instagram Shadowban acts as a two-sword knife that helps organic and high-quality content be seen and promoted. It also avoids artificial content violating Instagram rules to keep its atmosphere more secure, positive, and respectful.
How to know if you’ve been shadowbanned on Instagram?
1. Check your Instagram insight
If you are experiencing a sudden drop in engagement, it mostly means you have been shadowbanned. The best metric that can reveal whether you get into trouble with Shadowban is checking account reach. If an account reaches a high number, the percentage of people who do not follow your account increases the rate.
2. Do a manual test with a hashtag
One of the best things you can do to know if you have been shadowbanned or not is to publish an Instagram post with two or three unpopular hashtags and ask someone to search the hashtag on the Instagram search bar to find out whether
3. Check your hashtag pages
Maybe you’ve been shadowbanned if you go to the pages of hashtags you use frequently and find a notification saying that posts have been hidden. When you get shadowbanned on Instagram, your posts still show up for your followers, but new users and people who don’t follow you can’t see your post on those specific hashtags.
For example, #mustfollow hashtag, You may not see any posts tagged with this hashtag on Instagram, even if yours does not violate their rules, because other users have flagged recent posts using this hashtag as inappropriate.
4. Try the Instagram Shadowban test
Whether or not you have been shadowbanned from Instagram cannot be determined with any degree of certainty. Some programs claim to be able to achieve that, but they are not to be trusted. Here are some steps you can do instead.
What causes Instagram shadowban?
Here is Instagram Shadowban with multiple reasons that address what you did wrong to get shadowbanned in the first place so it doesn’t happen again.
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Using banned or broken hashtags
Hashtags play an essential role in forming your business’s Instagram strategy, but the important thing is which ones you’re using because if you accidentally use a banned or irrelevant hashtag, it can harm your content strategy and put your account at risk of blocking.
Excessive use of hashtags is a major warning sign on Instagram that leads to shadowban. You can also get shadowbanned for using irrelevant hashtags (Eg. Popular hashtags) to increase your posts’ exposure.
In addition, if you use a group of repetitive hashtags in every post, you will get hit by the Instagram Shadowban.
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Breaking Instagram’s daily limits
It’s no surprise that Instagram limits the number of times a user can follow, unfollow, like, comment, or post in a time period which, if surpassed, could affect your post, Reels, and Stories promotion, or worse, get shadowbanned. If it happens more than once can result in a temporary ban or even can cause a permanent ban.
If you start following 80 accounts in an hour, it’s probably a bot and not you. These steps may increase your likes and followers quickly, but they won’t help you make meaningful connections with your target audience to share your interests.
Also, engaging in such actions would most certainly result in a shadowban, which will greatly limit your ability to reach a wider audience.
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Using Bots as an Instagram growth tool
You need to implement a dedicated and effective Instagram marketing strategy to grow your account to help you connect with your audience.
When you prioritize establishing meaningful relationships with your target audience, you keep your content away from artificial growing tools like bots, which may result in shadow banning.
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Being account reported
Constantly being reported by other Instagram users is one of the most common ways to get shadowban and permanently banned.
There are various reasons for being reported, including personal animosity, impersonation, spamming, and abuse of Instagram’s conditions and guidelines.
Investing in creating a high-quality and inspirational content strategy, paying attention to any of Instagram’s rules, and not directly or indirectly insulting or annoying people’s beliefs can help avoid getting banned.
How long does an Instagram shadowban last?
There is no single right answer for the Instagram Shadowban account duration, but recent research shows it takes about two weeks.
There may also be varying degrees of shadowbans on Instagram. Although many users report their accounts are back to normal activity and growth within a few days, others claim their accounts never recovered and are still stagnant nearly a year later.
How to Fix an Instagram Shadowban
1. Stop any bots or other automated services right away
You’re not growing your following organically if you’re not putting in the work yourself. Instagram discourages this; in their statement up top, for example, they advise users to have a strategy that prioritizes connecting with the right audience. Using bots is a spammy tactic that could lead to a shadowban.
2. Take a break from Instagram activities
Some Instagram users have reported success in removing their shadowban by logging out of the app for two to three days and not using it at all during that time. However, this method is not foolproof; success ultimately depends on the original offense.
3. Deactivate and reactivate your Instagram account
Some users have found that removing their account from use for a couple of days removes a shadowban. You can give it a try at your own peril, as there is no solid proof that it is effective. Don’t forget to use the reversible deactivate option. Contrast this with erasing your account, which also isn’t the same thing.
4. Delete the post that got you shadow banned
If you face shadowban after posting a particular content, one good option is to delete the content (post/story). This way helps you check whether your engagement has improved with new posts.
5. Delete all hashtags from recent posts
One quickest ways to fix the shadowban problem is removing hashtags for your recent posts in 3 to 7 duration. Although deleting these hashtags might do nothing but at least it can come as an easy and heck option.
6. Don’t use hashtags that have been banned
Instagram has removed certain hashtags after receiving complaints about their misuse. Typically, hashtags are removed from Instagram because their use is considered offensive or against the platform’s guidelines.
7. Follow Instagram’s rules and regulations
When considering the need for Instagram regulations and rules it is very important to follow these tips to avoid getting shadowban:
- Share self-created and unique content or content have the rights to share.
- Avoid posting misleading content
- Share highly shareable content
Conclusion
Instagram shadowban is the worst possible thing that can happen to an Instagram user, so being aware of the set of actions that can get you banned is crucial. If you follow the the key tips you will never fall in to trap of getting shadowbanned.