This is my first guide here, so please forgive the spelling errors. Take what you like - hopefully, you will learn something. It is a quick write from a thread I did on another site.
Why this? I been lurking on Blackhat for a few years -- Every couple days I see
I started on Instagram 3 years ago this month -- with a whopping 32 followers the first day(my facebook friends). 3 years later -- 3.1 mill total followers in 33 accounts. Along with that journey I did what everyone did - pray to the hashtag Gods for the best -- the killer set of Hashtags that made the holy grail of Hashtags -- the top 9. My content daily mad the top 9 in hashtags, but did not produce the follower's everybody promised if I made it
(I learned an important lesson, content makes you viral -- not hashtags -- they simply rank you vs. the same hashtag.
. Some days I would not see my post at all or my account on any other hashtag I used! ( I did not know what a shadowban was). I started to switch hashtags to comments -- then back to the caption. I used fewer hashtags -- well, guess what? I really started to hate them. Don’t get me wrong, hashtags in some niches are needed until you get to a size only you will know -- not I. For I do not know your niche. Today, my view on hashtags is simple--
I use them as toilet paper
I don’t use them at all -- I do not think they are needed -- for me. Your mileage will vary.
If you use them with success -- keep on using them, keep on doing what works. This article is the event called shadowbanned -- aka, shadowed, throttled via tags.
Instagrams views of shadowbans --
They claim they do not happen. In my view -- what they say and what they actually do is two different things. ( read between the lines). My experience and what I seen from my own accounts when I used them, from friends accounts, client accounts, and others...they live, they are very real and they do hurt your growth -- often with follower loss and ER down to very bad levels.
Many ask am I shadowbanned? While not knowing what the hell it is!! --
A shadowban is when your posts get limited to views only by your followers. That means your post cannot make explore and worse -- only seen by followers of the account. ( that is where ER gets hit the most)
How do you know if you are shadowed?
Go into an account that does not follow your account you want to find out if shadowed. Look up a hashtag you just used ( preferably #accountname hashtag if you use one) and see if your post comes up. If it does not, your shadowbanned. Ask a friend to check also to confirm, MAKE SURE THE ACCOUNT VIEWING target account does not follow!
Many websites check to see if you are shadow banned -- These sites are fake -- nuff said! Often just a landing page. View with your own eyes and use your judgment. Also look for a severe drop in ER for your posts in over days with follower loss. Check via method just mentioned.
What are some ways to get shadowbanned? --
So - just what is the main reason? Simple, using banned or semi banned hashtags. Take for example
#petite or #romance ( at the time of this writing these two are semi banned, they may be off that list land good now.
look them up and go all the way to the bottom… you will see this
CaptureRomance.PNG1019x183 3.39 KB
it is a semi banned hashtag. If you use it, you WILL get shadow banned.
Other reasons ---
If you post something that gets deleted by Instagram -- either against TOS or reporting or whatever -- you will be shadowed. -- you have to wait until Insta lifts the restriction, I do not know of any way to remove it.
If you recover an account and it goes from Disable back to enabled, it will be shadowed. you have to wait until Insta lifts the restriction, I do not know of any way to remove it.
A new one I have seen -- going from private to public -- depending on the account, few days to few weeks. you have to wait until Insta lifts the restriction, I do not know of any way to remove it.
These are the main reasons why.
How long do they last and are they permanent?
They are not permanent!! They will go away of you. If you keep on using the same hashtags -- getting posts deleted -- you will be shadowed. See, stop doing shit that got you in trouble.
A shadowban can last 3 days to 2 weeks -- often 14 days it lifts on the majority of the time.
How do you get out of it? Simple delete ALL banned and semi banned hashtags from the last few posts if just recent, else you need to find ALL and delete them. Same goes for banned ones also.
How do you find which hashtags are bad? Look them up…and test.
Captions vs. Comments.
Some say only in captions -- others say only in comments and others say does not matter -- my view -- it does not matter at all as long as you use 30 or less and not banned. I will not discuss how to get rankings or to use them..Those messages will be ignored. This article is on shadow bans -- no more.
I stopped using them last year around June -- still grow without them and without them, less of a headache.
Why this? I been lurking on Blackhat for a few years -- Every couple days I see
- Am I shadowbanned?
- How long does it last?
- Getting rid of it.
- Will it damage my account?
- Xyz site says I am shadowbanned/not shadowbanned, does it work?
I started on Instagram 3 years ago this month -- with a whopping 32 followers the first day(my facebook friends). 3 years later -- 3.1 mill total followers in 33 accounts. Along with that journey I did what everyone did - pray to the hashtag Gods for the best -- the killer set of Hashtags that made the holy grail of Hashtags -- the top 9. My content daily mad the top 9 in hashtags, but did not produce the follower's everybody promised if I made it
(I learned an important lesson, content makes you viral -- not hashtags -- they simply rank you vs. the same hashtag.
. Some days I would not see my post at all or my account on any other hashtag I used! ( I did not know what a shadowban was). I started to switch hashtags to comments -- then back to the caption. I used fewer hashtags -- well, guess what? I really started to hate them. Don’t get me wrong, hashtags in some niches are needed until you get to a size only you will know -- not I. For I do not know your niche. Today, my view on hashtags is simple--
I use them as toilet paper
I don’t use them at all -- I do not think they are needed -- for me. Your mileage will vary.
If you use them with success -- keep on using them, keep on doing what works. This article is the event called shadowbanned -- aka, shadowed, throttled via tags.
Instagrams views of shadowbans --
They claim they do not happen. In my view -- what they say and what they actually do is two different things. ( read between the lines). My experience and what I seen from my own accounts when I used them, from friends accounts, client accounts, and others...they live, they are very real and they do hurt your growth -- often with follower loss and ER down to very bad levels.
Many ask am I shadowbanned? While not knowing what the hell it is!! --
A shadowban is when your posts get limited to views only by your followers. That means your post cannot make explore and worse -- only seen by followers of the account. ( that is where ER gets hit the most)
How do you know if you are shadowed?
Go into an account that does not follow your account you want to find out if shadowed. Look up a hashtag you just used ( preferably #accountname hashtag if you use one) and see if your post comes up. If it does not, your shadowbanned. Ask a friend to check also to confirm, MAKE SURE THE ACCOUNT VIEWING target account does not follow!
Many websites check to see if you are shadow banned -- These sites are fake -- nuff said! Often just a landing page. View with your own eyes and use your judgment. Also look for a severe drop in ER for your posts in over days with follower loss. Check via method just mentioned.
What are some ways to get shadowbanned? --
So - just what is the main reason? Simple, using banned or semi banned hashtags. Take for example
#petite or #romance ( at the time of this writing these two are semi banned, they may be off that list land good now.
look them up and go all the way to the bottom… you will see this
CaptureRomance.PNG1019x183 3.39 KB
it is a semi banned hashtag. If you use it, you WILL get shadow banned.
Other reasons ---
If you post something that gets deleted by Instagram -- either against TOS or reporting or whatever -- you will be shadowed. -- you have to wait until Insta lifts the restriction, I do not know of any way to remove it.
If you recover an account and it goes from Disable back to enabled, it will be shadowed. you have to wait until Insta lifts the restriction, I do not know of any way to remove it.
A new one I have seen -- going from private to public -- depending on the account, few days to few weeks. you have to wait until Insta lifts the restriction, I do not know of any way to remove it.
These are the main reasons why.
How long do they last and are they permanent?
They are not permanent!! They will go away of you. If you keep on using the same hashtags -- getting posts deleted -- you will be shadowed. See, stop doing shit that got you in trouble.
A shadowban can last 3 days to 2 weeks -- often 14 days it lifts on the majority of the time.
- Get rid of any bad hashtags present!!
How do you find out? Ya gotta search -- or delete ever one with 5 days when you noticed the shadowing. Say you see your account on Friday shadowed..well what I would do is start on the previous Monday and delete the Hashtags or bad hashtags.. If you notice fast enough you can delete it that day and be over it quickly. If you still cannot get out of -- you need to delete more -- when? As much as needed.
How do you get out of it? Simple delete ALL banned and semi banned hashtags from the last few posts if just recent, else you need to find ALL and delete them. Same goes for banned ones also.
How do you find which hashtags are bad? Look them up…and test.
Captions vs. Comments.
Some say only in captions -- others say only in comments and others say does not matter -- my view -- it does not matter at all as long as you use 30 or less and not banned. I will not discuss how to get rankings or to use them..Those messages will be ignored. This article is on shadow bans -- no more.
I stopped using them last year around June -- still grow without them and without them, less of a headache.