The subject of getting shadowbanned on Instagram has been been widely talked about for years now. Basically, it’s the idea that you’re getting punished by the powers that be. You’ve been put in Instagram jail, if you will.
This punishment usually results in halting reach on your posts. Which means that, for example, your posts:
- Won’t reach a new audience
- Are blocked from large segments of your current audience
- Don’t show up under hashtags
A lot of people, my son included, believed they were shadowbanned due to a major decrease in their engagement and far less followers coming in.
So, what are some of the common things that might cause you to be shadowbanned?
Number 1: Too many outside softwares, apps or services linked to your Instagram account.
Instagram wants you to stick primarily within their platform. They don’t want you to use a bunch of different scheduling apps or automated DM services. Not to mention, some of these things might even be against Instagram’s policies and guidelines for their users.
Number 2: Multiple people logged into one account at the same time.
Let’s say you’re logged into your Instagram account and your virtual assistant — who’s halfway around the world — is also logged into your Instagram account. Even if you’re both not using it at the exact same moment, the fact you’re both simultaneously logged can be a red flag for IG.
Number 3: Too active on Instagram.
“Too active” is basically what Instagram would label as spammy behavior. It’s more than maybe 50 interactions in an hour — you can do up to about 1 thousand in a day. If you go too far over either of those numbers, that could be seen as overuse by Instagram’s part. And you could get shadowbanned for that.
Examples of too much activity:
- Liking 300 pictures in an hour
- Commenting on everyone who uses a certain hashtag
- Following 400 people a day
- Unfollowing a thousand people at once
Number 4: Inappropriate content.
Anything that’s against Instagram’s guidelines:
- Nude
- 18 plus
- Infringing on copyright, like music
Now onto the juice and why you’re here…
How do you know if you are, for real, shadowbanned? Well, check out this Build Your Tribe episode to find out, plus my son, Brock’s, personal (and riveting) shadowbanning story:
And don’t forget to subscribe to BYT for weekly social media content that’ll get your socials on another level!