{"id":1457,"date":"2020-07-28T14:08:37","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T07:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christweten.com\/?p=1457"},"modified":"2020-11-11T13:49:05","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T06:49:05","slug":"instagram-shadowban-fix-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christweten.com\/instagram-shadowban-fix-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"The Instagram Shadowban Explained, How to Fix It and Banned Hashtags"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is shadowbanning on Instagram?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

What Instagram shadowbanning means is that your content is blocked from being seen by anyone that isn\u2019t following you on Instagram. Shadow<\/em>ban implies that you will not<\/em> be notified of this whatsoever. This means you can expect a massive dip in views, engagement and follower growth. No one will see your posts in Discovery or from hashtags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn money if you sign up for any Instagram software I mention. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens when you\u2019re shadowbanned on Instagram?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When shadowbanned on Instagram, only your followers and people going directly to your profile will see your posts.Most people lose followers while shadowbanned. If you\u2019re gaining followers by directing them from websites or other social media, your follower growth rate would merely slow down rather than halt. It is also possible that your follower growth rate dips lower than your churn rate and you marginally lose followers during a shadowban period. If you can make it out of a shadowban without losing followers (or losing a significant amount), I would call that a win. It is<\/em> possible to come out positive and I\u2019ll go over how to gain followers on Instagram while shadowbanned if you read to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another notable observation I\u2019ve found is that your posts may appear lower in the feed of your followers than normal, assumingly as a penalty of sorts. Mechanically, I think this is done by placing lower weight value on your account in the content distribution algorithm or there\u2019s a completely separate account status variable.This is potentially valuable intel for those with massive amounts of Instagram data, as it could potentially reveal patterns in how to optimize reach to existing followers during a shadowban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"what<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How to Check if You\u2019re Shadowbanned on Instagram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Instagram Shadow Ban Test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Instagram shadow ban test is very simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you have to do is make a new post using only a handful of hashtags that aren\u2019t so popular. I would recommend hashtags that have been used 25,000 times or less. After this, ask family, friends or colleagues to search the hashtag and see if they can find your post. The account cannot be already following you to perform the test.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Make a new post with an unpopular hashtag to make searching for it easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Search for the hashtag from an account not following the potentially shadowbanned account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Look for the new post. If found, you are not shadowbanned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You May Have Been Shadowbanned on Instagram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shadowbans happen when Instagram flags an account as spam. It\u2019s important to note that moderation on Instagram is handled by 2 coordinating parties: the automated moderation system and the human content moderation team. The algorithm may think you\u2019re a spammer when a human wouldn\u2019t, so playing it safe in the eyes of both is important to avoid a shadowban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you avoid Instagram shadowban? To put it simply: don\u2019t appear \u201cspammy\u201d. Terms of Service violations are obvious grounds for shadowbans but you need to at least appear to be legitimate to both Instagram and those who see your content. If enough people report your posts as spam (or for other reasons), it can trigger the automated moderation system to dish out a shadowban or other penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Using the Same Hashtags Too Often<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I highly recommend using a variety of hashtags, as hashtag research is a core part of my Instagram growth strategy. But the practice has another benefit as well – avoiding Instagram shadowbans and reach penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hashtag generators<\/a> are the most cost-efficient solution to constantly coming up with new hashtags to use. They can create lists of 30 different hashtags for each of your posts in a jiffy. Randomizing the order of your hashtags and waiting between posts to use the same hashtag will help you out a ton. It boosts engagement, follower growth and defends your account from shadowbans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IG<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Using Banned Hashtags<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Instagram has banned over 70,000 hashtags and the list will continue to grow over time. Censorship on social media is a bittersweet, necessary evil. Preventing the spread of harmful content is imperative of those running our communication platforms and banning hashtags is a simple solution that cuts out some of the fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hashtags are banned on Instagram typically for abusive behavior or directly violating terms of service. On the other hand, there are boatloads of seemingly harmless banned hashtags that would shock you. #Skype is a great example. Yes, you can get shadowbanned for using #Skype. Here’s a handful of banned hashtags you’ll want to avoid using, courtesy of Ingramer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"banned<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I don’t want to sound like a broken record but it’s in the best interest of hashtag generators to exclude banned terms, so it’s usually your safest bet when content planning for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Instagram Automation without TLC<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Posting and Engaging Over the Limits Gets You Shadowbanned (or Banned)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Like all things in life, there are limits placed on you. Instagram is no different, where every account has limits to abide by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram bots<\/a> especially<\/em> have to abide by these limits, lest you have no attachment to your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are hard limits and there are soft limits. The hard limits of Instagram are the maximum amount of requests the API will allow. I won\u2019t cite specific numbers, as these values are adjusted over time and not always for the worse. The soft limits are the sweet-spot range where marketers roam free posting and engaging to just below the point where Instagram flags them as a spammer. Deeply understanding of hard limits versus soft limits is an important skill in using Instagram bots effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, Instagram puts limits on each action you can take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are limits on commenting, liking posts, upload posts, DMing, following and unfollowing. Instagram has security measures in place to prevent bot networks, spammers and nefarious marketers from abusing their platform at scale. Avoid the hard limits at all costs and stay at a safe level below the soft limits. Keep that as your rule of thumb and you\u2019re golden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingramer<\/a> has default automation settings that will keep you well within the safe zone, so I\u2019d recommend giving them a try if you\u2019re just starting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re automating activity or doing it manually, the limits are the same.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is what is generally accepted as being soft limits of Instagram activity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n