Am I shadowbanned? What are shadowbans and how do they work?

Over the years, content creators have noticed that, at random moments, their content is not producing its normal results on social media platforms. There could be several reasons behind this, but it could be due to a shadowban. 

What is a shadowban and how do you get rid of it? Does it affect you on all platforms? These are the most common questions answered and the two most common social media platforms that shadowban accounts. 

What is shadowbanned? 

Shadowbanning or shadowbanned is when a company’s social media posts no longer get the impressions, engagement, and likes they were previously receiving. It often appears out of nowhere and then all of a sudden, metrics can start to go back to normal. 

While Instagram continues to claim that shadowbanning is not a real part of their algorithm, content creators, social media marketers and companies can find themselves with an account that is decreasing in metrics and popularity. 

Based on advanced algorithms and AI in place, these algorithms review content and remove posts from their IGTV, Explore Page, Hashtags, and other categories on the app.

What are the biggest reasons for being shadowbanned? 

Am I shadowbanned? 

The first and foremost reason is using hashtags that are banned on Instagram. If you continue to use a hashtag that has been banned you can get shadowbanned for using that single hashtag. Yup, that is all it takes. One hashtag.

Oftentimes, it is the most simple hashtags that one would consider using on a daily basis within their industry. 

Here is the most recent list of banned hashtags on Instagram. 

Another thing that causes shadowbanning is using the same hashtags over and over again. It is important to do hashtag research to ensure that the most relevant hashtags are being utilized. If you continue to use “#LikeForLike” over and over and over again, Instagram is going to start considering your account spammy. 

How long does it last?

No one is really sure how long this lasts, but marketing agencies all say about 2 days to 3 weeks, and if you believe you have been shadowbanned, take about 2-7 days off the platform.

While Instagram is known to be one of the biggest social media platforms that shadowban content and creators, TikTok has recently started this process as well. 

TikTok shadowban

Have you noticed that your favorite TikTokers are no longer showing up in your FYP? Well, this could be from taking a few days off or they have been shadowbanned. 

This is common that TikTok creators have noticed a decrease in the videos appearing on their account, and for some TikTok creators, they lose their account forever and try to make a new one. 

While your audience might unfollow based on your new content or TikTokers are putting the app down, it is more common to see in the verbiage of posts, “TikTok shadowbanned me, engage with this post.” 

Here are the community guidelines from TikTok that state why an account can be shadowbanned. Again, they do not call it shadowbanned, but it is similar to Instagram! 

While social media marketing is imperative for a company in 2021 and moving forward, it is important to understand guidelines and community standards on all social media platforms. This can save companies the time and hassle of being shadowbanned. 

Are you producing great content and it isn’t getting any reach or likes? This could be a sign you are shadowbanned from TikTok, Instagram, or other social media platforms. 

In the meantime, work on your SEO presence. This can provide another long-term strategy to turn potential clients into customers! For more information on SEO, contact us today!