Yes, yes it does. If you're a content creator on Instagram you are all too familiar with the concept of shadowbanning. While shadowbanning exists in its different forms on virtually all platforms, I'll be specifically talking about shadowbanning on Instagram and how it affects your business/page.
Now, before I get into the details, I assume you already know a bit about shadowbanning which is why you've looked it up on the internet. But just so we're clear I'll be talking about shadowbanning as a form of penalization that occurs when Instagram's algorithm detects suspicious activity on your account. This can include using third-party apps or services, buying followers, engaging in spammy behaviour, etc. When your account is shadowbanned, your posts will no longer show up in the hashtags you've used nor the explore page, making it difficult for new people to discover your content. It's also important to note that this type of ban is usually silent. It can also be applied to your account alongside an action block or permanent ban.
What are action blocks and permanent bans?
Action block
Action blocks are temporary bans that deactivate some components of your account. For example, if you were to write 200 comments in a day, you might get an action block and be prevented from commenting for the day. If you're fortunate, it will just last a few hours, but it can last up to two days.
You'll usually receive these action blocks for offences that involve spamming. Though it's important to note that this doesn't apply to all user actions, as you can reply to an unlimited amount of direct messages.
Permanent ban
Permanent bans completely deactivate your account for all of time. Good luck getting your account back after it gets this type of ban.
Either way, it's important to note that none of these bans are healthy for your brand or your interactions with followers.
Why does Instagram do it?
Instagram wants to manicure the content on the platform, it is a form of moderation to protect users and their interests, or so they say. It does this through the community guidelines you never read after signing up to the platform. On the bright side, Instagram has a summarized version of its community guidelines where it says the following:
. You can read the long version here.
Getting shadowbanned
I've grown accounts for over 5 years now and I can say that I've shamefully dabbled in almost all forms of mass actions on Instagram. We're talking about buying likes, followers, story views and much much more. So I can attest to the drop in engagement shadowbans can cause.
So why won't Instagram admit to shadowbanning? Well, they do...sort of. While Instagram has denied the existence of shadowbanning in the past, they have come around to being transparent about it and have given us ways to check for it. More on that later.
Let's first look at the reasons you might've been shadowbanned:
1. You spam too much
One of the most common ways an Instagram user can get banned is because of spammy actions taken on their account. Whether it be through a 3rd party service or manual interaction, excess interactions with other peoples' accounts is a big no-no.
What’s considered excess? There are no official figures given out by Instagram on how many posts to archive, like, share, comment, etc… As a general rule of thumb though, If you’re spending more than a few hours constantly engaging on your Instagram, you’re going to get shadowbanned eventually.
I know how it can be tempting to automate or to take large actions on your account for reasons like growth, speed and efficiency. But if you get shadowbanned, months of work can go down the drain. So be sure to do this in moderation.
Actions that can get you banned are usually ones that include some sort of interaction with other Instagram users. These have some exceptions like replying to direct messages sent to you. The reason for the distinction is that actions like the latter don’t ruin the Instagram experience.
As far as engagement goes, Instagram doesn't have a specific number of engagements that it allows. But rather the community has come up with rough estimates that your account can usually follow and still be on the safe side.
Those figures are:
Maximum number of likes per hour: 60
Maximum number of comments per hour: 60
Maximum number of follows per hour: 60
Maximum number of messages per hour: 60
But if your account is fairly new, the limits are different:
Maximum number of likes per hour: 30
Maximum number of comments per hour: 30
Maximum number of follows/unfollows per hour: 30
2. Banned keywords
Using banned/blacklisted keywords in your bio/posts/comments can put you on Instagram's bad side as well. This especially applies to hashtags that Instagram has banned. Remove them from old posts and avoid them in your future posts. How do you check if a keyword or hashtag is banned?
Go to the search bar and type your keyword in and hit the corresponding hashtag. If no hashtags show up, make sure you've spelled your keyword correctly. If nothing shows up after you've double-checked, you're likely good to go, as no one has posted on that hashtag before. This doesn't mean that hashtag won't be banned in the future, especially if it's inappropriate. So make sure to keep on checking your hashtags for changes, as hashtags are always in the process of being banned or unbanned.
Here's what a banned hashtag looks like when you've clicked on it:
4. Third-party applications
Using third-party applications can trigger some flags at the Instagram HQ. Multiple and frequent log-ins are not something you want to get your account used to. If you must, use 3rd party applications and make sure they're as passive as possible. Don't go for applications that take any action on behalf of your account, that can go south really fast for you and your account's future.
5. Sexual or sensitive content
Instagram doesn't tolerate any nudity or violent content except in certain cases. Though just because this content is allowed doesn't mean Instagram likes it, nor does it mean that it will allow it to get more exposure. Hence it should be avoided entirely.
6. Trademark & copyright infringement
If the content you post is not yours, make sure you deal with any content owner asking you to take down it down. If this issue is escalated to Instagram, it could mean big trouble for you. Sometimes posts might get taken down automatically as content is run through a database to clear it for infringements. This is usually the case with trademarked content. This stuff is taken seriously by Instagram and they will take action.
7. User Complaints
Getting reported by many accounts can not only get you shadowbanned but permanently banned from the platform, so you should be careful how you carry yourself when interacting with people on Instagram. This can happen even when you're not in the wrong, so make sure you give Instagram as little reason to ban you as possible.
In December of 2022, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram came out with the "Account status" feature. This feature enables you to check whether your account has violated its terms of service.
Check account status: follow the steps
What you want to see:
Getting unbanned
Not to worry though, you can still get “unshadowbanned” so to speak. If you find that you are shadowbanned, don't stop posting. A lot of people make this mistake, but it's important that you are posting consistently to see long-term growth of your account (even if you got banned because you were posting too much).
Keep on posting your regular posts, while making sure they don’t violate any terms and services and wait it out. Violating terms of services usually means spam for most people, but keep in mind this can also mean posting graphic content, spreading rumours, harassment, etc... If you find that these terms are news to you it'll be worth your time to thoroughly read the terms of services on Instagram here.
Waiting is going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done because your metrics are going to be down. If these metrics are your motivation to get up in the morning then you’re going to have to find a way to manage because you’re shadowban can last up to weeks. You’ll also likely notice the momentum drop of followers and see them slowly trickling in if you were used to bursts of new followers.
Still shadowbanned?
If you're still shadowbanned even though Instagram says you're not violating any of its terms of service and you've waited for months and months. It just may be that you're not shadowbanned at all. Double check by looking at your metrics and seeing if they've taken a hit.
Otherwise your last hope is to report the issue to Instagram. Don't keep your hopes up though because they likely won't respond.
That's not all
Assuming that you follow Instagram guidelines ask for similarly sized pages (assuming they don't go against the guidelines either) if they're experiencing the same drop in reach and growth, it could very well be that fewer people are on Instagram. With fewer people on Instagram, Instagram has fewer people to spread around to the hundreds of thousands of accounts on the platform.
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