Running a social media account is hard enough, with the challenges of creating regular and engaging posts and tweets and working out how to build your audience. The last thing you need is to get shadowbanned.
Wait, what? Shadow what?
Yes, shadowbanning is a thing, and with more businesses and individuals than ever managing social media campaigns and accounts across multiple platforms, knowing how to avoid shadowbanning is becoming an important skill.
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter have become global stages where creators connect with their audience, increase reach, drive engagement, and ultimately, generate revenues.
It’s great when it works.
But if you’re in the business of being social, and you rely on your Insta or TikTok, you’ll want to make sure you know how to stay active and avoid any disruption to your content.
Is shadowbanning real?
Shadowbanning might sound like something awful that might happen to Harry Potter. But in fact this term is an unwelcome reality in the realm of social media.
Many users claim that their content visibility seems suppressed, their account reach unexpectedly narrowed, and their posts strangely sidelined. And if you haven’t been outright banned, you might wonder whether you’ve had some other form of flag on your account.
Whether termed as ‘shadowbanning’, ‘ghost banning’, or ‘stealth banning’, these are various names for the alleged practice, by the platforms, of subtly silencing users without them knowing.
And while Instagram’s parent Meta, or most of the other platforms, deny the existence of shadowbanning, evidence suggests that it is a real thing. In fact, while they simply don’t use the term ‘shadow ban’, the fact is that the practice of having your account slyly shaded is very much a thing.
Putting it simply: Yes, shadowbanning is real. Even if the social media behemoths deny it’s existence, there are plenty of people who can testify that it has happened to them.
How do you know if you’ve been shadowbanned?
Identifying if you’ve been shadowbanned can be trickier than it seems. As the term shadow suggests, this form of ban operates in the gray zone. It doesn’t straightforwardly block you or suspend your account. It’s rather more covert.
Common symptoms of shadowbanning include:
- Decreased engagement: Unusual drops in likes, views, comments, and general engagement could be indicators. If your high performing content suddenly fails to gain traction, it’s worth investigating.
- Missing from search results: When your followers have trouble finding your profile or your posts are absent in the hashtag searches you’ve used, chances are you’ve been shadowbanned.
- Unexplained follower drop: When your follower count inexplicably decreases, it could be due to shadowbanning since your content might be less visible to your audience.
However, just because your last few posts didn’t get any traction, doesn’t mean you got shadowbanned. Yet…
Consider things like algorithm changes and other factors like posting time, content relevance, and all that, before jumping to conclusions.
If in doubt, check out your account from a different account and device (ideally one that doesn’t follow you). Search four yourself on Instagram or whichever social media platform you think you’re shadowbanned on.
Want to be sure?
Use the shadow ban checker from Spikerz to find out if you’ve been ghosted by the platforms.
How do you get shadowbanned?
Well, because the social media platforms don’t really admit the existence of shadowbanning, it’s hard to tell what gets you hidden from the timelines.
You can refer to things like Instagram’s community guidelines (here), or check TikTok for their rules and guidance (here).
Some of the common causes of getting shadowbanned on Instagram or TikTok include:
- Fake engagements such as bots or fake followers
- Spam like activity such as excessive posting of comments or adding too many accounts
- Using banned hashtags
- Posting offensive content
- Posting fake information
- Sharing images or videos of graphic violence
- Excessive nudity or adult content
- Being reported for negative commenting or content
These rules tend to apply to all of the main social media platforms. However the application of these rules may vary depending on where you are in the world, the type of content you normally post and the platform you’re using.
While it might seem that some types of controversial content are perfectly normal, er on the side of caution. Avoid harmful behavior such as trolling or divisive content, and if you’re in the business of nude content, be careful what you post on sites like Instagram and TikTok.
Can you reverse a shadowban?
Breathe easy, even if you’ve been shadowbanned, it’s not a life-long sentence. While being shadowbanned on Instagram, TikTok or Twitter can be hard to stomach, it isn’t the end of the world. So long as your account remains active and you can still log in, you should be able to fix your account – with a bit of effort.
How long does it take? Well, it’s hard to say as every case is different. One affected user could undo their shadow ban within a few days, for others it might take a week or two – or even longer.
There are actions you can take to reverse the situation and help to get your social media mojo back:
- Ease off on posting: A brief hiatus can help reset your account activity and signal to the network that you’re not a spammer.
- Engage organically: Social media, after all, is about being social! Engaging genuinely with other users’ content can improve your standing with the algorithms.
- Reevaluate hashtags: Overuse of certain hashtags, especially ones that have been flagged as spam, can cause troubles. Use relevant ones and mix them up to enhance your visibility.
- Report to the platform: Use the official channel to report the issue. This step might not yield immediate results, but it’s worth trying.
- Play it safe: If you produce ‘high risk’ content such as opinion based videos, adult content or other stuff that treads a fine line according to the guidelines, play it safe for a while. Share some accessible content and see how that plays out.
How can you avoid being shadowbanned?
For some people, it might be obvious why you got shadowbanned. Sharing controversial opinions, using bots or automation to manage your account, using risky hashtags or flirting with the dangerous edges of the platform guidelines.
For others, you might have no idea why you find yourself shaded by the social media Gods.
But, as they say, prevention is better than cure, so here are some tips to keep your account from being shadowbanned:
- Follow the Guidelines: Every platform has its own set of community guidelines and standards. Make sure to understand and follow them.
- Avoid Rapid-Fire Actions: Mass liking, following, or unfollowing in a short span might flag your account as spam. Stay genuine and organic in your activities.
- Mix Up Your Hashtags: Don’t overuse certain hashtags. Constantly using the same few ones might get them flagged as spam.
- Maintain Quality Over Quantity: Quality content that keeps your audience engaged is always better than blanket posting.
Shadowbanning can be a real hurdle in the digital game, but with knowledge, caution, and the right strategies, you can hop over this obstacle and continue your successful journey on social media platforms.
If you’re trying to build your influencer content and you want to avoid a TikTok or Instagram shadowban (or any other social media platform for that matter), make sure you’re up to speed with the post guidelines, think twice before posting a negative comment and be careful with your hashtag choice.
Looking for more advice on building a successful social media career? Check out Gymfluencers Agency.
