Instagram Shadowban: Removing Silent Censorship

Do you think that your account received the dreaded Instagram shadowban? Then you’ll need to read the rest of this article to figure out how to overcome the problem. Note that it’s not always possible to get it removed, but taking the right steps tilts the odds of success in your favor.

Furthermore, we’ll share a few organic growth strategies, so you can avoid getting shadowbanned in the first place. There are many ways to grow your Instagram account, and you can avoid a shadowban with the right approach. Read to the end of this article to learn exactly how.

What Is Shadowban on Instagram?

A shadowban is not an official term, but it refers to limiting your content visibility on Instagram so that it has a smaller reach. This usually means that your content is only shared with followers and has lower overall visibility on the social media platform.

Instagram itself won’t admit that shadowbans exist, but the practice appears to be real, according to the experience of many account holders. Do you suspect that your Instagram account received a shadowban? Then continue reading the rest of this article to learn the best step you can take to potentially remove your Instagram shadowban.

What Does Shadowban Mean?

Are you wondering what shadowban means? It’s a restriction placed on your account and reduces the number of users who will get to see your content. Let’s focus on the negative implications of receiving an Instagram shadowban. This helps put some context for why avoiding the ban is a great idea.

Will You Lose Followers?

An Instagram shadowban doesn’t result in losing followers since they will continue to receive your content. This is one of the only positive aspects of a shadowban—your followers aren’t affected.

However, you’ll unlikely receive new followers because non-followers cannot see your content. Therefore, you can expect your follower growth rate to grind to a halt. You can check this for yourself in the Instagram Insights software to verify.

Note that a decline in the follower growth rate doesn’t automatically mean you are shadowbanned. You might have a slow week or month as a natural fluctuation.

Instagram Shadowban Check: What Steps To Take

You can do a few things to perform an Instagram shadowban check. These steps will not guarantee figuring out if you’ve been shadowbanned, but it’s a good start. Having a detailed knowledge of your Instagram account allows you to understand better if you’ve shadowbanned. That’s because you’re more likely to notice the differences.

• Review Instagram Insights: Take a close look at your Instagram Insights metrics to determine if your content is sharply declining. Depending on your data, a shadowban can lead to obvious drop-offs in metrics you’ll discover at a glance. 
• Check hashtags: Instagram has shared with the community that some hashtags are controversial. You should check your hashtags per post and look for signs of questionable ones. You may see a note under some hashtags that they are not within the community guidelines. 
• Look at your posts: Create a new post with a popular hashtag and get some of your friends to take a look at the post. Make sure these friends don’t already follow your Instagram account. Your IG account may be shadowbanned if they cannot find your posts by searching for the attached hashtags.

How Long Does Instagram Shadowban Last?

Are you wondering how long an Instagram shadowban lasts? This question has no specific answer since Instagram officially doesn’t issue shadowbans. However, in user experiences, shadowbans can last for a few weeks, months, or longer.

It may vary on several factors, including the reason for the shadowban and if users took steps to reverse the action resulting in the ban. In the article’s next section, we’ll share the steps you can take to increase the odds of removing a shadowban. Note that these steps are speculation, but it’s the best action you can take to remedy your Instagram account.

How To Remove Shadowban on Instagram

Are you trying to figure out how to remove a shadowban on Instagram? You cannot know why you received a shadowban in the first place, so it’s difficult to say what specific action contributes to a removal. However, follow each step in this section to increase your odds of restoring your account to regular status.

Remove Shadowban on Insta: Get Rid of 3rd-Party Apps

Your Instagram shadowban might result from questionable 3rd party apps that the social media platform isn’t happy about. Many apps on Google Play and the App Store require Instagram app access to work.

However, some apps are not approved by Instagram, and allowing them to access your account may cause a shadowban. Therefore, go through the list of apps to figure out the questionable ones.

Terms of Service

Review the Instagram terms of service and stop any activity that isn’t allowed. For example, if you’re buying followers and likes, your account may have been penalized because of this activity.

IG is constantly improving its algorithm for detecting foul behavior, so break the rules at your own risk. If you stop breaking the rules, you may find that the shadowban lifts within a few weeks.

IG Shadowban Because of Hashtags

Accounts using restricted or banned hashtags may receive an Instagram shadowban. Therefore, you must look at every piece of content you release on Instagram and pay attention to the hashtags. 

It’s vital to ensure your hashtags do not fall under the restricted category. Make a note of the restricted ones so you don’t use them by accident in the future. Take the time to audit your IG account by looking at every hashtag. You can use the search function within the Instagram Insights console to find the used hashtags.

Remove a Shadowban With Customer Support

You may have a chance to remove your Instagram shadowban by contacting customer support. On their end, they may spot a few problems with your account. This will give you direction for what specific steps you need to take to ensure your IG account returns to normal conditions.

Note that the Instagram customer support team may not admit that your account is shadowbanned, but they may still help you remove a limitation that’s there.

Avoid Bot-Like Behavior

To remove your Instagram shadowban, stop using a strategy similar to how a bot account would act. Even if your strategy isn’t breaking the rules, the app could flag you as a bot account. This includes an unusual spike in behaviors such as many followers or likes in a short period of time relative to usual account activity. 

However, if the fluctuation is not within your control, simply wait, and the account will return to normal metrics. This means the shadowban status may also lift, so there’s nothing you need to do on your end.

Don’t Get Reported by Other Users

It’s not in your control whether other IG users will report you. However, if you don’t break the rules, the chances of getting reported will drop significantly. You need to understand your community and avoid releasing borderline content. This includes different types of content, such as Instagram Reels.

You cannot expect to please everyone in your IG community, and some users will report regardless of your content strategy. Fortunately, only some instances of receiving a report result in you getting shadowbanned. 

Take A Break From the Platform

This strategy will not fix your account from the infamous Instagram shadowban, but it’s the best action you can take. Let’s say you’re running a business that drives traffic to the website from an IG account. In this case, you can focus on other marketing channels, such as email marketing and PPC.

Return to the platform in a few weeks or months, and your IG account may return to regular standing. You can continue marketing on Instagram; in the meantime, you’ve been productive with your other marketing activities.

Avoid an Instagram Shadowban With Organic Growth Strategies

Do you wonder what organic growth strategies will help avoid being shadowbanned on Instagram? Then read this section to discover the top methods for growing your IG account without fearing a shadowban. However, these methods are not 100% guaranteed to avoid a shadowban since it can happen to anyone.

Learn From Popular Instagram Accounts

Look at the top-performing Instagram accounts in your niche and learn what strategies they use and the posted content type. Strategies that work for the top accounts are unlikely to run into shadowban problems.

However, don’t copy the content you come across since that’s not in the spirit of being a social media creator. Instead, use the information you find for research purposes to develop your own unique spin on the topic. 

Don’t Tackle Controversial Topics

There’s a lot of sensitivity surrounding some topics, and avoiding them altogether might be the best approach. Therefore, you don’t put your account in the conversation to possibly receive an Instagram shadowban. 

On the other hand, if you take on sensitive topics, you’ll always look over your shoulder to avoid getting into trouble. It’s up to you how much risk you want to take since tackling controversial topics may generate more attention.

Use Trusted Influencers

Take the time to find influencers with a good reputation to avoid getting the Instagram shadowban. You’re unlikely to get into trouble when your content and account are advertised and supported by a fellow IG account with a good reputation.

However, Instagram influencers can change over time and begin tackling questionable topics that might get your account shadowbanned by association. Hence, you must constantly evaluate the influencer content to avoid getting into trouble.

Listen to Your Community

Do you need help with content ideas that will not break the guidelines on Instagram? Then, you should consider what the community is asking for. Pay attention to the types of topics they enjoy and what they don’t want to see anymore. The latter might be topics that Instagram frowns upon, so use the information to avoid generating a shadowban. 

Don’t Buy Followers

You might be tempted to buy Instagram followers to increase your follower count quickly. This is especially true if you have goals for the account related to commercial success. However, you can undermine the entire venture if Instagram discovers you’re artificially boosting the account.

However, if you still want to want to buy Instagram followers, then here are a few tips:

• Small numbers: Don’t buy a large number of Instagram followers in a single purchase. Instead, purchase small amounts so they increase over a long time. Hence, the result looks like natural growth instead of artificial boosting. 
• Reputable vendors: Buy from reputable vendors that don’t use fake accounts. Those fake accounts may be flagged, and any followers they generate will make Instagram suspicious.
• Genuine followers: Make sure you buy targeted and genuine followers. This ensures they interact with your content and look like regular followers who find your content interesting.

Hire a Marketing Service

Consider outsourcing the work of growing your Instagram account to a professional social media marketing agency. They should understand what actions lead to an Instagram shadowban and will help you avoid them.

Furthermore, they can help grow your IG account quickly without getting you into trouble. Therefore, the money you invest into the service might return to you through more sales.

Make sure to look for a good quality Instagram marketing service. Start with inspecting the reputation by looking at what other customers share. Also, give them a free trial for a few weeks to see if they deliver on their promises.

Grow Your Instagram Community the Right Way With Plixi!

To conclude, there are many reasons why you might get an Instagram shadowban tag on your account. This includes posting banned content, using the wrong hashtags, artificially boosting metrics, and much more.

However, there are many steps you can take to avoid getting banned. For example, you can contact customer support on Instagram to figure out the problem or scan your hashtags for problematic ones. 

You can avoid getting shadowbanned by using proven strategies to grow your Instagram account. At Plixi, we offer a white-hat service that combines Instagram influencers and an in-house algorithm. So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!