If you become “shadowbanned” on Instagram you will notice your visibility, and subsequently your engagement and reach, being negatively impacted.
The Instagram shadowban seems to be a response by the platform to limit the reach of posts that come from overly active accounts, and accounts that regularly post content which the platform believes to be violating certain policies or values.
Perhaps most importantly, it seems (from extensive research carried out and shared by users) that the Instagram shadowban is most likely to affect users that post content which is deemed mildly inappropriate but not in direct violation of any terms of regulations.
To shadowban a user and their content seems to be somewhat of a loose punishment that is not directly referenced, but which contributes towards a significant drop in exposure and visibility on Discovery / Explore pages and in connection hashtag searches.
So, how do you reverse a shadowban on your profile and account?
The Biggest Issue with a Shadowban on Instagram
The biggest challenge is that Instagram does not acknowledge and will not confirm the presence of a shadowban policy – and so ascertaining exactly what causes it, and how to reverse it, can be difficult for users.
So, it is up to users to take steps to identify whether they may have been shadowbanned by Instagram, and then adjust the way they use the platform to try and reverse the limitations that have been put on their account.
3 Ways to Identify a Shadowban
- Test new post shares to see how many users are seeing them. You may notice more posts from brands that have seen a drop in engagement, asking followers to like a post to indicate that they have seen the post on their newsfeed.
- Check that the hashtags you use have not been banned by Instagram. The platform does not openly advertise when a hashtag is banned, but there are certain (often unexpected) hashtags that are banned and subsequently hidden, which could be impacting your Instagram performance.
- Check your Instagram Insights. A sudden drop in engagement and impressions is a good indicator that something is at play, and that something is impacting the visibility of your posts.
5 Ways to Get Un-Shadowbanned on Instagram
With no clear guidelines on how long the restrictions of a shadowban last on an Instagram account, the best thing that users can do is to follow these five steps.
- Reassess your posts and stop posting any content and hashtags which may be in breach of the regulations and guidelines set out by Instagram. Toeing the line is the best way to reset Instagram’s approach to and view of your profile.
- Remove the permissions of third party apps that might be impeding on Instagram’s privacy settings.
- Posting, commenting, liking, and following too many accounts and too frequently can make your account look – to Instagram – like it is being controlled by a bot. If you post too often, your account will appear suspicious, which is why stripping your activity back is one of the most important steps to take in un-shadowbanning your account.
- Take a break from Instagram completely. That is, avoid accessing the app for a few days and let the algorithm reset itself – most users find that this step returns their account to normal activity and visibility.
- Report the issue to Instagram and wait to hear back on why your account seems to have been limited!
We hope that this helps. There’s never a good time to notice your Instagram visibility start to wane, but taking the aforementioned steps can be an effective way of resetting your reputation and status on the app.
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