How to build your reach without getting shadowbanned: 4 tips
We’ve already discussed a couple ways that you can avoid getting shadowbanned: steering clear of banned hashtags and using approved apps. However, these two tactics won’t give your engagement a boost.
In this section, we’ll give you four tips to help you grow your reach without fear of the Instagram shadowban. These tips can also help you rebuild your Instagram engagement if you’ve already experienced the ban (and don’t want it to come back).
1. Focus on creating engaging content
Great content marketing should always be engaging on its own. If you want to get your content shared and boost your engagement rate and follower count (without getting too many unfollows), it’s important to focus on creating content that’s built for success. When you’re confident in your content, you won’t have to rely on hashtags to get the reach you need.
Here are two ways you can create posts that really engage your audience.
Create Visually Appealing Graphics
Whether you’re posting from a personal account or a business account, the posts that perform the best are the ones that grab users’ attention. Great lighting and high-quality visuals are always a must for photos and videos, but if you want to impress your audience with graphics, make sure you’re following the basic principles of design.
Adobe Express’s Instagram templates can help you design stunning Instagram posts and Stories in a matter of minutes. Tap below to choose a template of your choice, then start customizing it with your favorite colors, fonts, images, icons, and more to ensure your brand shines through.
Add calls to action
Calls to action (CTAs) are prompts for users to do something after seeing a post. They can be super persuasive, as Instagram users may be ready to act but just don’t know what to do. In your caption, make a reach-boosting ask—for example, “Tag a friend who could use a vacation,” or “Share this post in your Story if it inspired you.”
Sharing a video-based post, IGTV video, or a Reel instead of a photo? You can even add a CTA at the end of your video in case users miss the caption.
2. Engage consistently with other Instagram users
A great way to get seen by new audiences and encourage users to interact with you is by engaging with other Instagram users. When you like and comment on new posts, or even follow new accounts, your profile will be visible to their followers. High-quality comments in particular can be great for generating interest in your brand.
Even shadowbanned users can still comment on and like posts. It’s an easy way to continue building your follower count, even if you want to take a break from posting until your potential reach jumps back up.
Consistency is a must when it comes to engaging with other users. Instagram has been known to penalize accounts for massive spikes in engagement by putting them in a 24-hour timeout. For example, liking 100 posts in the course of an hour, if that’s not normal for you, may look suspicious. This timeout isn’t technically a shadowban, but it could make you susceptible to one. Constantly following and unfollowing a large number of accounts can also make Instagram suspect you are a bot.
3. Use geotags on your posts
Want an alternative to hashtags that still helps you show up on Instagram search results? Use geotags!
Before you publish any post, make sure to tap “Add Location” to tag your city, your company headquarters, or wherever your photo or video was taken. When people use Instagram search to look up the location, you’ll show up at the very top of the recent posts section, so you can spread your reach without risking an Instagram shadowban.
Geotags are also available on Instagram Stories—just use the “Location” sticker.
Instagram won’t shadowban you for using all 30 hashtags, but using the same 30 hashtags on every post can make you look like a spammer to Instagram. Make sure to switch up a handful of your hashtags every time to make them as relevant as possible to your post. This can even help you better target your audience, since they’ll get served the exact type of content they’re searching for!
With our tips, you can use hashtags and engage on the platform safely, without risking an Instagram shadowban. All the while, you’ll be able to build your reach and engagement based on your content quality alone!
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