What is an Instagram Shadowban & Why Should You Care?

On a platform where it’s all about being seen, an Instagram shadowban can be devastating. Your recent posts are funneled into some type of black hole, unseen by your followers. A quick search leads to no results under your username. You feel like you’re being disappeared. 

In this article, we will explain the Instagram shadowban, why you should be paying attention to it, and some reasons why it may be happening.

What is an Instagram Shadowban?

An Instagram shadowban, sometimes called “ghost banning”, refers to the reduction of visibility of your content by the platform.

When someone is shadowbanned, posts are taken down, muted, or hidden without the creator’s knowledge. The term “shadowban” originated in the early 2000s as a way of moderating against harmful bots, trolls, or anyone else creating problems. But as the Internet has evolved over the years and exploded in use, the growing need for this kind of moderation with its complex algorithms has become unsustainable. 

Is shadowbanning real?

Shadowbanning is not specific to Instagram, however. More and more social media platforms use shadowbanning, although they deny it. So, this begs the question, is shadowbanning even real? A lot of debate has occurred since Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri stated in 2020 that “Shadowbanning is not a thing.”

Mosseri explained that if you are gaining an audience, your content will appear in followers’ feeds as long as they are still using their accounts. He also said that not everyone gets Explore page placements. But upon further investigation, it has become clear that shadowbanning is real based on actual user experience. It turns out Instagram just doesn’t call it that.

To them, it is simply a consequence of posting borderline content. Instagram is on a mission to reduce the visibility of questionable content. This includes content that hasn’t necessarily violated Instagram Community Guidelines (and thus, Instagram’s Terms of Use) but is still teetering on the edge.

Instagram moderators will label this borderline content, then the Instagram algorithm will use the labels as a way to identify similar content. This will limit the content’s reach to wider audiences routed through hashtags and Explore page. So what exactly is borderline content?

Instagram has been a bit hazy on the subject, leaving us to speculate and guess. Based on the evidence, it seems that borderline content may be any of the following: 

• Violent content
• Misinformation
• Spam
• Graphic or shocking images
• Sexually suggestive images

Why You Should Care about Instagram Shadowbans

So when you experience an unexpected lull in Instagram engagement, it may be easy to assume you’re being shadowbanned. This may not always be the case, but if it is, this could be devastating if you are trying to grow your followers. If it has happened, you may not even realize it at first. When someone is shadowbanned, they are still able to post, follow, unfollow, like, reply, and comment.

But if you investigate and troubleshoot further, you will see that your posts are not appearing on hashtag pages or Explore feeds. You may not even be showing up in username searches. Or you may see a drastic drop in your likes and be unable to reach out to potential new followers or be discovered by them. Effectively, a shadowban. 

This form of secret censorship is quietly silencing opinions; whether from a person, about a specific topic, or involving a community of people. Since we don’t know the exact rules of why someone has been shadowbanned, we are forced to speculate.

This can cause us to become suspicious and distrustful of social media platforms, which then harms their integrity. It can be hard to know whether you are being shadowbanned or your content just isn’t cutting it. If you are in this predicament, not to worry, we can help you narrow down exactly where the issue is coming from. 

What Causes Shadowbanning

If you think you might be on Instagram’s naughty list, there will a reason if that is the case. Here are some common reasons someone might get shadowbanned:

Using hashtags that are banned

Instagram hashtags that are linked with content that goes against the community guidelines can be banned by Instagram. These no-no words and phrases, if used, could potentially limit discoverability because the hashtag feeds have been removed. It is also thought to cause people to get shadowbanned.

To tell if a hashtag has been banned, look up your hashtag pages. For banned hashtags, the page will be blank. There will be no content on it or follow button. Check any questionable hashtags you have before you post to make sure it meets the ‘gram’s guidelines. 

Be aware that Instagram continually updates its naughty hashtags list, so you’ll want to check if your hashtags work regularly. Besides looking up the hashtag itself, you can check out your Instagram Insights to see if your reach by way of hashtags has declined. This could signify that one or more of your hashtags is banned. 

Using automated growth tools and unapproved third-party apps 

Instagram encourages authentic, organic growth on its platform. If you are using bots or other growth tools that are run by automation, this can be regarded as spam. It could then cause you to get shadowbanned. When you’ve overwhelmed with social media marketing, it often helps to streamline your work by using a third-party app.

Although many of these apps work well for getting your Instagram strategy under control, some third-party apps can perform actions that resemble bot behavior. For instance, they may follow or unfollow many Instagram accounts at a time, which can look suspicious to moderators. 

Make sure that the app you choose has been officially approved by the platform. If the app isn’t on the list of Official Instagram Partners, you may want to keep searching for the right scheduling tool that is. 

Using broken hashtags

Sometimes even a seemingly innocuous hashtag you use will become inactive. These broken hashtags may be caused by the feed being too big or spammers spamming it up too much. This often happens to very general terms like #facebook or #photography (which are both working now).

When a hashtag becomes broken, the popular hashtag is removed completely or it becomes limited. Although this won’t necessarily get you shadowbanned, your posts won’t be categorized, which can also lead to less visibility to new followers. To combat this, try to use more specific hashtags rather than general. You are more likely to find your niche that way!

Your account gets reported often

If are often getting reported, the platform assumes you are posting Instagram content that is violating the terms of service. They will either disable your account or may shadowban you. 

Overdoing it

Sometimes if you post, comment, or follow people too quickly, Instagram may mistake you for a bot. The platform has limits on how much you can interact on the platform per day or per hour. If you follow 100 people in an hour, this comes off as a bot milling around for followers, not a regular human being.

Your account can get flagged, and you may be prevented from interacting on the platform for a while. Do you ever copy/paste the same comment over and over as a reply to generic comments on your Instagram posts? It may seem like a good idea to gain Instagram followers and increase your engagement.

But when you overdo it, it can lead to a shadowban: the opposite effect of what you wanted. Instead, set aside time to write custom replies to your followers. Be original and creative; that means no copy/paste! Not only will it prove you aren’t a spammy bot, but your audience will also feel more engaged and connected with you.

It’s the little things that help build an organic, loyal following. 

Reusing your hashtag list

When it comes to your hashtag list, keep it short and descriptive. Although Instagram allows 30 hashtags, they recently stated that 3 to 5 hashtags should be the goal. It can be tempting to slap together the same hashtag list you’ve used for your previous 12 posts.

But as it turns out, Instagram views this as repetitive content (yes this applies to hashtags too). You can, however, reuse branded hashtags or campaign hashtags. The ‘gram just doesn’t want the same 30 hashtags used over and over again. Because that’s bot behavior. 

Instead, mix up your hashtags to keep ‘em fresh. Add new keywords that pertain to your content material. Not only will you not look like a bot, but you will use hashtags that can extend your reach to new audiences. Also, prove you’re human by changing up the order to avoid the same hashtag sequences. 

Publishing content inappropriate for some users

The Community Guidelines have clear rules as to what kind of content is not allowed on Instagram. However, sometimes Instagram’s rules are not so black and white and you may fall into a gray area. Perhaps your content is inappropriate for children but doesn’t go against the guidelines. Instagram responds by limiting the visibility of your content. 

If this is the case, make you aren’t posting inappropriate content. Or, if being edgy is part of your brand, instead try to focus on growing your audience while delivering content that doesn’t fall within the ambiguous gray area. Then consider leading your followers to a new platform that will accept the content you’d like to make. 

Reposting content

As of April 2022, Instagram has decided to prioritize any type of content that is original. This means that reposted content will be moved further down the feed. So, if you repost collaborations or shared content with influencers and other brands, you may get deprioritized for that.

This also can include any user-generated content that you’ve gotten from your Instagram users and reposted on your account. Instead of reposting your collabs, try making a new post using the Collaboration tools available on the platform. This allows it to show up on both of your accounts as original content. 

Not tagging sponsored content

Transparency is rewarded by the platform. If you aren’t disclosing your branded content, you may be shadowbanned. The rule is, that if you are getting paid to post, you must use the Branded Content tools available. 

How to Remove a Shadowban

If any of the above causes sound like your situation, you could be on Instagram’s naughty list. So what next? Fortunately, there are a few ways to get your account back on track. 

• Report a problem: If followers can’t see your posts or you aren’t showing up on the Explore page, try contacting Instagram support to report the problem.

• Take a break: If you think your shadowban is caused by your unhealthy addiction to the like and follow buttons, it might be time to take a break. Since the ‘gram only allows 500 actions a day, you might have overdone it. If this is the case, try taking a 48-hour break. Go outside, smell the roses, and meet people IRL. We promise you Instagram will be right where you left it when you come back.

• Switch to a personal account: If you are shadowbanned on your business account, try switching to a personal account to help lift it. 

Step Out of the Shadows and Succeed 

Shadowbanning can be a scary experience. Being isolated from your followers and potential new followers can be devastating for the growth and success of your brand. We all want to succeed and can’t do so from the shadows. So how to avoid the black holes of Instagram content creation?

The best way to ensure success and Instagram growth is to provide value with your content. And connect authentically with your followers on a human level. All in all, don’t act like a bot. When the platform sees that you working at a normal pace and creating value with your brand, you will be blessed by the algorithm gods. 

Then, enjoy the rewards of your success with Tappie.