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Instagram Rules: How To Stay Within the Guidelines

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Plixi Team

Mar 04, 2024 11 min read

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It’s important to stay within the rules on Instagram to ensure your account remains intact. Hence, you must read and follow the Instagram rules with every action you take. Once you break them, there can be warnings, suspensions, and even bans. 

Many users have commented that they have experienced shadowbans. They can last for weeks and even months, so it’s best to avoid them. 

Read on to learn everything you need to know about following Instagram’s rules.

Instagram Rules: How To Stay Within the Guidelines

The Instagram Community Guidelines

It’s a good idea to start by checking out the Instagram community guidelines. This ensures you can stay on the right side of the law while using the website. Here are some of the top takeaways from the guidelines that you should know about:

  • Follow the law: The guidelines state that you must follow the local laws of your country. Therefore, you need to know what social media laws are relevant to Instagram from your login location. This also includes when you’re traveling during a vacation. 
  • Harassment: You cannot harass other users on the platform, so watch your communication approach. For example, you cannot spam comments or send too many direct messages to the same person. This usually isn’t a problem since you can always block Instagram users harassing you. 
  • Appropriate content: You can only share content appropriate for a diverse audience. This means no nudity or extreme content that is inappropriate for children. Also, the content cannot suggest sexual themes. 
  • Misleading content: You cannot trick your audience with misleading content like fake reviews. You need to have genuine interactions on Instagram that lead to honest communication.
  • Hate speech: You cannot participate in hate speech or racist comments. You must be respectful of other people with the comments and content of your post. Also, you may get a warning when you have broken the rules regarding hate speech.
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Instagram Subscription Rules

Now, let’s turn our attention to the Instagram subscription rules to understand the hurdles you must overcome.

Firstly, you need to be 18 and prove this with personal identity documents. This might be a passport or driving license; photo identification is usually necessary. 

Furthermore, you need to have at least 10,000 followers on your account. You must also agree to the Terms of Use for Instagram Subscriptions. It’s important to read these, so you understand the terms of the deal. 

Instagram subscriptions allow us to monetize our accounts, which is ideal for influencers. The amount of money that you can generate varies on a wide range of factors. This includes the type of audience you have and the amount of traffic you can generate. Therefore, growing your Instagram account can lead to higher levels of monetization.

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What Are the New Rules of Instagram?: Everything You Need to Know

Are you wondering what are the new rules of Instagram? The content rules on the social media platform are always changing, so it’s important to keep up to date. Here are examples of the more recent ones you should consider:

  • IG account age: Instagram accounts older than three months can engage with the platform more freely. Instagram does this to protect the community from users who create new accounts to harass others. Therefore, don’t be surprised if your new Instagram account has a few limitations. 
  • Engagement and followers: Instagram views accounts with more followers and engagement as more authentic. Therefore, having more activity on your account can lead to lower limitations. However, there are no specific rules, such as milestones to hit. 
  • Instagram community guidelines: You must constantly review the IG community guidelines to stay updated on the latest changes. They may add new areas of focus that you need to consider. Otherwise, you may accidentally post content that breaks the guidelines. 
  • Instagram ads: There are specific things that you cannot promote when using Instagram advertisements. For example, you can’t promote firearms, health products, lottery products, and more. This list of prohibited items is constantly updated, so you must keep informed.
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Is It Against Instagram Rules To Buy Followers?: Learn the Hard Truth

Are you wondering if it is against Instagram rules to buy followers? Yes, it’s against the rules to buy Instagram followers. Instagram has an automated detection system that will catch users. However, there are ways to overcome the detection system or reduce the chances of getting caught. Here are a few ideas for buying IG followers without getting caught:

  • Steady rate: You need to acquire new followers on your account steadily. This means there shouldn’t be sudden spikes in your follow count. Otherwise, Instagram will see the red flag and conclude you have bought followers. However, when you gain a large following organically, Instagram may see the breadcrumbs. 
  • Real followers: Use a supplier that sells real Instagram followers from active accounts. This ensures that your account isn’t associated with followers from bot accounts. Also, real followers will add value to your account since they will engage with the content. This can lead to sharing and even more users finding your account. 
  • Reputable sellers: Do background research before you choose a vendor to buy followers. This ensures you can find sellers who will send real followers at the rate you want. Otherwise, you are risking your account in the hands of unknown sellers. You can research their reputation on social media websites and review websites like Trustpilot. 

What Are the Rules for Instagram Username?: Create the Right IG Handle

Do you want to find out what are the rules for Instagram usernames? They are fairly simple to understand, and the on-screen instructions will inform you when breaking them. Here are the rules that you must follow:

  • Your username must be unique. 
  • Don’t use punctuation marks or symbols. 
  • Your username cannot be longer than 30 characters. 
  • Letters, numbers, and periods are only allowed. 

Coming up with an interesting Instagram username is a fun and engaging process. Standing out from the crowd is a good idea since that’s important on social media platforms. Likewise, you need to avoid picking a username that’s too complicated. That’s because users will have difficulty remembering what type to use to find your account. 

Are you trying to increase brand recognition on Instagram? Having the same username as your brand name is a good idea. This ensures that users can find your brand on Instagram from other platforms.

What Are the Rules for Reposting on Instagram?: Follow Them Today

Do you know what are the rules for reposting on Instagram? You don’t always need permission from the creator to repost their content. However, having permission makes things simpler. This allows you to figure out if you will have trouble down the line if the content gets a lot of attention. 

You should repost content that is copyrighted since that’s breaking the law. You need to understand copyright law before reposting content to avoid issues.

Here are some more ideas to consider when reposting content:

  • Tag original creator: It’s good etiquette to ensure the original content creator is tagged if you post their content. This allows users to view content from the original user if they are interested. 
  • Comply with guidelines: The original content creator may have guidelines that you need to follow for reposting. Breaking these guidelines may block you from being able to repost their content again. 
  • Add value: It’s a good idea to take the content and make it your own with a unique twist. This might be reaction-type content where you share an opinion or enhance it differently. 
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What Are the Rules for Using Music on Instagram: The Simple Format

Do you know what are the rules for using music on Instagram? Here are some of the top things to keep in mind when considering rules for music use on Instagram:

  • Live music: You can use recorded live music on any Instagram content type. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about copyright infringement when you’re at a live gig. 
  • Full-length tracks: As a general rule of thumb, you should refrain from using full-length tracks in your content. Ideally, you should use small sections of a track within your content. This increases the chances that you won’t be flagged or copyrighted. There are no clear rules on what short means, but you can experiment to find out. 
  • Video component: Make sure that any music you upload also has a video component. This ensures you are not simply uploading the music with no additional content. Instead, you’re using the music to enhance your content. 
  • Different countries: Note that copyright laws vary in different countries. You must read the relevant copyright laws to avoid breaking them. 

You must remove the relevant content when you get hit with a copyright strike. Also, you may have the option to re-upload the content with the right changes. However, you may face legal issues if you don’t remove the content after a request.

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What Can You Do When Your Followers Break Instagram Rules?

It’s unavoidable to run into users who break the rules and ruin your experience. However, there are a few steps that you can take to fight back and take control over how you experience Instagram.

  • Direct messages: You can take the time to send a direct message to Instagram users who are breaking the rules. Tell them what they are doing wrong, and you may get the problem solved. They might be simply unaware of the trouble they are causing. This is arguably the most diplomatic way of solving the issues. 
  • Restrictions: You can also add restrictions to the account that is breaking rules. For example, you can limit someone from commenting if they are spamming. This means the user can continue following your account and enjoy the other privileges. Users can add a wide range of restrictions, so check them out. Hence, you can better understand what tools you have at your disposal. 
  • Account blocking: As a last resort, you can block users who continue breaking the rules on Instagram. This removes them as a follower and blocks them from being able to interact with you. Therefore, they cannot see your Instagram profile or send direct messages. Likewise, you cannot message them or tag them in your posts. 

The Consequences of Breaking Instagram Rules

Instagram can take several actions against your account after breaking the rules. They may reach out and let you know that you have broken a rule and give you a warning. This depends on the severity of the rule that you have broken. 

Alternatively, Instagram may suspend you or ban you. When you get a suspension, the length may be shared so you know when to come back. You can appeal if you believe that the accusation has no merit. 

Finally, you may get hit with an Instagram shadowban, which means you can’t share content with non-followers. The length of shadowbans varies, so you’ll need to monitor the situation manually.

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Are Instagram Rules Hard To Follow?

Following Instagram’s new rules is straightforward if you understand them. Hence, keeping updated and checking out the latest rules is vital. Also, you need to use common sense and act in a way you would like others to behave. This makes it simple to avoid penalties and suspensions. 

Now that you understand the Instagram Rules, use the platform to its full potential. Instagram is an excellent place to increase brand recognition and sell products. This is far easier when you don’t undo the hard work by breaking the rules. 

Are you looking for strategies to grow your Instagram account? Then, take advantage of the services provided here at Plixi. We provide a combination of an in-house algorithm and Instagram influencers to target specific audiences. 

So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.

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