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Maybe It’s not Instagram, It’s you.
Have you found yourself continuously scanning the #instagramdown hashtag on Twitter, hoping to figure out why you’re suddenly losing Instagram followers?
If so, let me tell you the terrible news: there might not be anything wrong with the Instagram servers.
The most likely reason you’re suddenly losing Instagram followers, especially if you usually gain new followers every day, is that you’ve been shadow banned’ by the social media platform.
A shadow ban basically prevents your content from appearing under the hashtags specified in the post’s captions (or comments section).
To make matters worse, there is no formal notification when you have been shadow banned, albeit a rapid decline in followers should raise red flags.
The best approach to spot whether you have been shadow-banned or not is to go through a few of the hashtags that have been used in your newest posts and see if your posts show up in the feed for that hashtag.
This may be easier to do if you’ve used an obscure hashtag, as there will be fewer posts to sift through. Needless to say though, this should be checked by a second account just to be certain.
What can cause a shadow ban?
Instagram has denied that there is an official shadow ban, but we all know there is one.
From my experience creating multiple Instagram accounts over the last many years, I can confirm that I have had my own experience with the aforementioned account restrictions, which can be rather demoralising because Instagram provides no explanation as to why it occurred.
That being said, past experiences has showed that there are numerous reasons why you may get shadow banned on Instagram. Some are more evident than others, but all may be avoided.
Without further ado, here are some of the reasons that your account may be restricted:
Using bots
Instagram has recently clamped down on users who abuse the site, particularly those who utilize bots to automate not only their content but also their engagement.
If you’ve been using the site for a while, you’ve probably heard of the now-banned ‘Follow/Unfollow approach’ for growth.
Many people were utilizing bots to automate this strategy, which involved following an account in the hopes that they would follow them back, only to unfollow them after a few days.
This procedure would be automated around the clock, and after a few years of success, Instagram had enough.
Not only has the social networking site fined violators with shadow bans, but it has also banned specific users from the platform indefinitely.
The Follow/Unfollow method is just one of the ways that a bot can automate your Instagram tasks, however, all of them have come under huge scrutiny in the past year or so.
If you’re thinking about using bots to further your Instagram account growth, then I would highly recommend that you avoid doing so.
Repetitive hashtags
This may seem unusual, but Instagram might restrict your account if you consistently use the same hashtags.
The reason for this is that the repetitive use of hashtags can be interpreted as a spam tactic, which could be easily accomplished by using a bot to schedule hundreds of posts in advance – all with the same hashtags – and then simply sitting back and letting the followers pour in.
Obviously, Instagram wants to maintain the site as socially engaged as possible, so any accounts that appear to be participating in bot-like behavior will be penalized.
To prevent being shadow banned for the repeated usage of hashtags,
it goes without saying that you should mix up your hashtags regularly.
The best way to do this is to use hashtags that are relevant to the content that you’re posting, especially as Instagram is getting smarter by the day.
Don’t be surprised that Instagram’s algorithm can detect the content within an image or video, and scan your captions and hashtags for relevancy at the same time.
Reported content
Maybe the content you’ve posted violates the community guidelines of Instagram, to find out the the laws, click here.
So, How to remove the shadow ban
Fortunately for you, the shadow ban can be reversed if you avoid the previously outlined sins and first take a break from Instagram.
To clear the ban, take a pause before using the platform and avoid repeating the aforementioned faults in the future.
As well as, try the following methods:
- 1) Delete the banned post.
- 2) Check and delete hashtags from recent posts.
- 3) Stop posting for a few days.
- 4) Revoke permissions from third-party apps.
- 5) Deactivate and activate your account.
- 6) Prioritise Reels.
- 7) Reach out to Instagram support.
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