Have you ever been in a situation where you posted something on Instagram, only to realise that your viewer engagement is much lower than others? If yes, then it’s highly likely that Instagram might have shadowbanned your account. In this article, we will explain what a shadowban is, how to check if your Instagram account is shadowbanned and tips to avoid getting shadowbanned on Instagram.

What is a shadowban?

A shadowban is the state where your posts and or activity aren’t viewable by others. This will lead to a significant drop in reach and overall engagement. This doesn’t mean that you have been officially banned from the platform, but it won’t show your content to as many users as before.

How to check if your Instagram account is shadowbanned

To confirm if your Instagram account is shadowbanned, use a hashtag that isn’t popular and post from your account. After posting, search for the hashtag you used from a different account that doesn’t follow you and check if you are seeing the post in the Recent section. If you see your post in the hashtag feed, your account is not shadowbanned. However, if you don’t see your post, your account could be restricted.

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Tips to avoid Instagram’s shadowban

• Follow Community Guidelines

This may sound a bit obvious but the easiest way to reduce the risk of getting shadowbanned is by following Instagram guidelines. Incase you have not seen it before, you can access it here.

• Don’t Buy Instagram Followers

At times, you see other Instagram users with lots of Instagram followers which may lead you to consider buying followers for yourself. DO NOT BUY FOLLOWERS. This is a recipe for disaster. By buying, you will get followers alright, however, your account is at the risk of getting a shadowban, or even worse, a permanent ban.

• Avoid 3rd party apps that connect to your Instagram

There are plenty of apps that can access your Instagram account. Say you want a scheduling app, you can easily connect it to your Instagram and it does the work for you. This may make you work more efficiently but can potentially put you at risk of getting shadowbanned. To know what apps have access to your Instagram account, open the ‘Settings’ page and search for ‘Apps and websites’. If you find suspicious apps here, remove them and reset your password.

• Use relevant hashtags

• Block Instagram bots that follow you

You may have seen a few of these around Instagram. These accounts can be easily identified by someone. For example, an account with multiple photos posted within a short period of time and has few followers, a new account with innappropriate content or one using multiple numbers like [name][very long number]. Getting followed by a bot account is not avoidable but you can block them when you spot them.