Instagram is an excellent tool for growing businesses of all kinds, and it’s equally as powerful for enabling people to stay in touch with their loved ones. But not many users are fully aware of the platform’s guidelines, which can result in several issues.

Shadowbanning is one common problem that many people face on Instagram. What is shadowbanning, though—and how can your account receive a hit of this kind? Let’s find out.

What Does Being Shadowbanned Mean on Instagram?

When you get shadowbanned on Instagram, you won’t have your account removed and can still use the platform. However, your content won’t be as visible to as many people as before. It's essentially the limiting of your reach.

Instagram usually shadowbans accounts because they have breached the service’s official guidelines. Unlike when you receive an actual ban, Instagram won’t tell you if it has shadowbanned your account. You’ll most likely notice a significant drop in engagement when your account is shadowbanned.

Can Reporting a Post Get Me Shadowbanned on Instagram?

If you report someone else’s post, Instagram probably won’t shadowban your account. And if another user reports your content, your profile won’t instantly receive a hit.

However, problems arise if multiple people report your posts. In such cases, Instagram might choose to give you a shadowban—and depending on the severity of your offense, you might have your account removed altogether.

Even if your post doesn't violate guidelines, Instagram sees reports as a signal that people don't want to see your posts. So it will appear lower in that person's feed. If many people report your post or your account, this could have an affect on where you appear in their feeds.

What Can Get You Shadowbanned on Instagram?

Now that you know the meaning of being shadowbanned on Instagram, we can look at potential contributing factors. If you’ve done any of the following and noticed changes to your account, the company might have penalized you.

1. Using Too Many Hashtags

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Using Instagram hashtags correctly provides an excellent way to increase awareness—and Instagram allows you to use a maximum of 30 on each post. In the platform’s early days, using all 30 was both common and a simple way to increase your posts’ reach. Now, however, things have changed.

If you use 30 hashtags on your Instagram posts these days, the social network might think that you’re trying to spam. As a result, you risk getting shadowbanned.

Instead of using all 30 hashtags, try to limit the amount to less than 10. Think about how you would search if you were looking for your post as someone else, and use that as a guideline.

2. Using Irrelevant Hashtags

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When you look through your Instagram posts, how many of your hashtags are genuinely relevant to your published content? If the answer is “not many”, you might have received a shadowban because of this.

Hashtags like “#instagram” and “#picoftheday” might have helped you get more likes and attract more followers in 2015, but the platform has changed significantly since. Neither are relevant to most posts, and you probably won’t attract the audience you want.

Instead of using high-volume hashtags because you think that it might increase your engagement, only use ones that are relevant to your content. As an example: if you upload a photo from your travels, you can use the official hashtag for the tourism board in a place you visited.

3. Using Disingenuous Engagement Tactics

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In the early days of Instagram, many users tried several tactics that no longer work to increase engagement on their posts. Engagement pods are one example, and leaving irrelevant comments on other people’s content is another. Neither of these work anymore, though, and continuing to use them could result in a shadowban.

Since engagement pods involve multiple people simultaneously commenting on your posts and liking them, the algorithm can easily detect that these engagements aren’t genuine.

Similarly, Instagram can tell if you leave irrelevant comments on other people’s posts. The network might think you’re spamming, which will often result in a shadowban. And let’s be honest: receiving comments with nothing but a fire or 100 emoji are annoying for the user.

While you should interact with other people on Instagram, your engagement should be genuine. You should only use authentic ways to get noticed on Instagram. If you like another artist’s work, for example, tell them what you enjoy the most and leave helpful feedback.

4. Posting Inappropriate Content

A hand holding a smartphone.

Considering how big the internet has become, keeping tabs on inappropriate content is challenging—especially for parents. And on social media sites, the job becomes even trickier. Networks like Instagram are responsible for looking after their users, and publishing content that Instagram deems inappropriate might land you in hot water.

The term “inappropriate” is subjective, but you can expect at least a shadowban for any of the following, among other things:

  • Sharing content that promotes violence.
  • Sexually-explicit posts.
  • Content that discriminates—or promotes discrimination—against others.

When your post content is deemed inappropriate, Instagram might choose to ban your account altogether if your offense is considered bad enough.

5. Not Having a Genuine Following

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Anyone that has used Instagram for an extended period will know how irritating bot accounts are. But if the platform doesn’t think that your followers are genuine, you might receive a strike for spam. So, even if you didn't want these, not dealing with such followers could risk a shadowban.

If you’re followed by an account that you think is a bot, you should block and report it as soon as possible. Similarly, you should avoid buying followers; since it’ll almost certainly result in a shadowban, you’ll have wasted a significant amount of money for no reason.

Instead of trying to “hack” Instagram’s algorithms, you’re better off focusing on posting content that brings value to others. Over time, you’ll attract an audience that genuinely cares about what you do.

6. Using Certain Banned Hashtags

Person holding phone using Instagram

Some hashtags that are inadvisable to use are pretty obvious. For example, you should refrain from mentioning derogatory words, groups that seek to harm others, and so on. However, you might have received a shadowban for using an Instagram hashtag that you didn’t even know was banned.

Instagram has banned several hashtags that seem pretty harmless to the average user. Three of these include:

  • #iphoneography
  • #kansas (yes, you read that right)
  • #workflow

Before using hashtags on Instagram, we recommend checking to ensure you can. If you cannot, look for alternatives or try the plural version (or an emoji).

7. Using (Some) Third-Party Apps

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Instagram is pretty user-friendly, but several apps have integrations with the app and can simplify your time online even further. However, you might unknowingly have shadowbanned yourself by using some of them.

If you use third-party apps that aren’t partnered with Instagram or ones that don’t align with its guidelines, you might receive a shadowban for your troubles. Make sure that any tools you use are compatible with Instagram’s guidelines, and revoke access to those that aren’t.

Play by the Rules to Avoid a Shadowban

So, there you have it—now you know the meaning of getting shadowbanned on Instagram.

Growing on the platform is trickier than in the mid-2010s, but using outdated tactics will likely result in your account receiving a strike. So, any short-term gains you make will balance themselves out in the long run.

Many of our listed ways to get shadowbanned on Instagram are easy to avoid. Think carefully about the hashtags you use, and do proper research to ensure that you’re not using ones that are banned or people won’t search for. You should also focus on building genuine connections that will pay off over time.