• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Female Creatives Association

The Female Creatives Association - Business, Marketing + Mindset for Creative Business Owners

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Courses
    • Facebook Ads Academy for Photographers
    • SHINING LIGHTS
    • Storyteller- WORDS GET CLIENTS
    • Mentoring Masterclass
  • About
  • Blog
  • Member Login

SOCIAL

Everything You Need to Know About the Instagram Shadowban

April 21, 2017 by Ty Merkel 11 Comments

Everything You Need to Know About the Instagram Shadowban

If you are reading this article then you’ve probably heard of the next big Instagram plague— far worse than the non chronological feed debacle and a thousand times worse than the infamous Instagram purge of 2014. The shadow ban. It’s here and it will seriously wreck your precious Instagram account. Whether you’ve been affected or not, read on to discover what causes it, how you can avoid it, and how you can un-shadowban your account.

What is an Instagram Shadowban?

The Instagram shadowban is when your hashtags become unsearchable, undiscoverable, and for all intents and purposes, invisible to anyone outside of your current followers.

You can still use hashtags and from your perspective everything seems dandy. When you click through your tags, your photos pop up where they should. Although, when a stranger searches for a hashtag that’s linked to your photo, like #pnw for example, your post will be totally missing on the gallery page, while other people’s photos are still displayed.

This hashtag specific ban means you will have a difficult time gaining a following, especially if you are a smaller account. Reversely, if you have painstakingly built a fantastic profile with a large fanbase, that account might become stagnant.

How do I know if I’ve been shadow banned?

Believe it or not, some people’s accounts have been banned for months and they are just noticing. Other users notice almost immediately. The primary sign is that you’ll see a drastic drop in engagement, and upon more investigation you’ll realize that virtually all of your likes and comments are coming from your current followers.

If you’ve noticed this downward trend, then you can conduct a hashtag test. You simply put up a new post and tag your photo with an underused hashtag that doesn’t get many updates. Then while you are still on your own account, click through to the hashtag gallery and look at precisely where your photo is located.

Then log onto another account that doesn’t follow/ interact with your profile. If your hashtag pops up, congrats, your account is in the clear. Sleep easy. But if the photo doesn’t show up where it should, you might be shadowbanned.

Update: Now you can use this shadowban checker.

Why did my account get shadow banned?

So you might be asking, why? Why me? I’m not a robot, I don’t use any third party apps, I don’t post nudes —I’m a maternity photographer for goodness sake!

Instagram hasn’t acknowledged this shadowban, let alone stated what actions will land you in time out. After exhaustive research, here is what might be causing your shadowban:

#1 You are using a broken or banned hashtag

We all know that certain tags like #booty is banned. Yet, sometimes perfectly innocent hashtags get overrun with so much spam and nudity that Instagram decides to nix the entire hashtag rather than sort through the rubbish. For example, #Newyears, #Instagirl, #eggplant and even #kansas are banned tags. Also, if you incorporate one banned hashtag into your post, it can essentially poison your entire set and render you invisible on all other legit hashtag galleries.

#2 You are using the same hashtags over and over again

Do you use the same set of 30 hashtags every time you post? Do you only switch up the last tag or two? Well, that might look a little spammy, as Instagram flags any repeat comments (or captions) you post.

#3 You’ve gone on liking sprees and mass following/ unfollowing

Instagram has a limit on how many actions you can make in an hour and if you go on a spree, IG will eventually block that action and say that you can’t use that feature for a while. But even if you don’t go over the limit, Instagram might recognize these surges of engagement as an Instagram bot on a liking rampage.

#4 Other users have reported you

Anyone you interact with can report your actions to Instagram HQ, and this is the one area of IG customer service where they act swiftly. So if you have been spamming, following/unfollowing rapidly, posting nude photos, stealing photos, or posting weird comments— some people might report your inappropriate behaviour, and you could be shadow banned instead of having your account outright deleted. Also, if you have been using the following/ unfollowing method you might be following/ unfollowing the same person a bunch of times, so much that they notice and report you.

#5 Using any kind of instagram automation software

This goes without saying but any service that claims to boost your account or perform any actions on Instagram on your behalf might be sabotaging you. In simple terms, anything automated is directly against Instagram’s terms of service. But maybe you have the automation set to slow speed, to mimic human actions on IG? Well, Instagram will find out anyways, because one minute your automation service is liking photos from an IP address in Washington then a few minutes later you comment on some posts from an IP address in New York. The algorithm will immediately recognize all of that as shifty behavior.

Is this a glitch or is Instagram doing it on purpose?

Instagram has released a statement vaguely addressing the invisible hashtag issue…

Screen Shot 2017-04-13 at 7.37.41 PM

As you would guess, not many people are happy with this answer (and that’s putting it lightly).

The gist is that you should simply not lean on hashtags for growth and instead focus on other avenues, like creating good content and reaching out to potential followers. But hashtags are the main discovery mechanism on Instagram and growing your account without them is like going back to dial up internet.

Additionally, from what we’ve researched no one has personally heard back from Instagram if they reported this issue on the app. So for now, we are in the dark and at the mercy of the Instagram gods. But there are three valid theories which will help you make sense of the hysteria.

#1 Since this summer, Instagram has been changing their algorithms. Why? To crack down on automation services and Instagram bots. So one possibility is that the system is a little overzealous and is incorrectly punishing regular accounts. If this is true, the problem will be remedied when Instagram “gets the resources” and makes their algorithm smart enough to differentiate between bots and normal users, like yourself.

#2 Some people suspect that not enough business users are paying for ads on Instagram, especially considering Facebook’s acquisition of IG. So this could be the beginning of a pay-to-play system that has already been implemented on Facebook for businesses. Where your engagement is lowered automatically by the algorithm and you have run some ads to bring engagement back up.

#3 Many people suspect Instagram is deflecting from the issue, and will just continue to silence various accounts that appear spammy or don’t “behave well” via IG’s mostly unwritten engagement rules. Never communicating with the accounts as to not cause alarm. Scaring people straight with the constant threat of a shadow ban seems like an effective way to punish users who use get-followers-quick tactics.

How can I get my account back to normal?

We know, it sounds hopeless. Instagram’s customer support is notoriously silent in these sort of situations. But here’s what some other users have done to get the hashtag rights reinstated:

#1 Immediately stop suspicious activity

That means no more sprees of any kind. Make sure to do everything in even measure. What seems safe is to engage for a few minutes (5-10) every hour, like a few photos, post a unique comment specific to the post or photo, follow a new user, and like another photo in that order essentially. Don’t move too fast and don’t perform too many actions in a row or excessively.

#2 Revoke API permissions

Remember that one time you signed up for a follower tracker app and gave them your login info? Well, that could be the sole reason you are banned. So log onto your account and make sure that no other applications have access to your account. Additionally, if you have dabbled in any automation services in the past, they won’t show up on this authorized permissions page, because automation programs don’t use Instagram’s API in that way. If you can’t remember what service you used, or you are roped into some godforsaken annual plan, you’ll have to change your password to cut off the automation service.

#3 Switch from a business account to a personal account

It is possible that Instagram is trying to coax you into using ads. Businesses rely on engagement to increase sales, so decreasing reach could definitely force people to use sponsored posts. Reverting back to a personal account might be a way around this.

#4 Take a sabbatical

Take a few days off. Sign off and don’t log back in. No liking, no posts, and no following. Then when you get back on, ease back in slowly, and engage like you are being watched (because you probably are).

#5 Avoid growth hacks and engagement groups

Using 60 hashtags in your comment and caption? Following and unfollowing people by tracking them with a tracker app? Joined up with an engagement group that promises to like each other’s photos at a certain hour, in a certain way? Stop. It. All. These hacks may work for a brief second but if you get shadow banned then it’s all kind of pointless right?

#6 Delete questionable content

If you have posted anything that might be deemed questionable (this applies for hashtags too) go ahead and delete it. Getting rid of banned or reported clutter on your page might do the trick.
In the end, what matters is that you avoid anything spammy or questionable. If you follow these rules and recommendations there’s a good chance you can get your account back to normal. Have any of you been banned? Have any of these solutions helped? Anything that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Filed Under: Featured, Featured1, Friday Feature, MOTIVATE, ONLINE, SOCIAL, TIPS & TRICKS, Ty Merkel, USA Tagged With: Hashtag Glitch, Hashtags, Instagram, Shadowban, Shadowbanned, Social Media

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Photography Business With Instagram

January 19, 2017 by Ty Merkel Leave a Comment

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Photography Business With Instagram

Everyone is on Instagram—reality tv stars, startup coffee shops, Taco Bell, landscape photogs, and flower crown designers. With more than 400 million active users, the app is changing the way people advertise their businesses. High visibility as an “influencer” on Instagram is becoming a coveted status that can quickly transform a fledgling photography business into a money making machine.

However, many photographers are just discovering the app, and you might be wondering if you missed the window when it was easy to amass thousands of followers.

I’m here to tell you it’s not too late, and with a little direction and structure, you can hop on the social media gravy train and drive tons of benefits for your business.

Hold up though—you might be wondering how Instagram can grow your business. The answer is this: Instagram allows you to curate a journey, a story populated with your professional work. It can help you lift the veil between your photography business and clients, and convince followers that they shouldn’t just hire you for your photography skills but also for your unique perspective and personality. Then on the practical end, it increases visibility, adds credibility to your business, and makes you more SEO-friendly. 

Best of all, Instagram allows you to do this all for free, which makes it one of the most effective marketing devices…well, ever.

So yes, you should be on Instagram, if you aren’t already. Here are 10 tips to help you whip your gram’ into shape.

1. Only Showcase Your Best Work

While posting regularly is key to developing your Instagram folllowing, make sure you are posting only cream of the crop images—the kind of photos that incite an automatic wow. Create an Instagram persona that strikes the balance between formal and carefree, and keep your followers hooked by mixing up the sort of images you post. But always share shots that fit distinctly into your brand. India Earl, a wedding and elopement photographer based in Utah, has curated a beautiful Instagram that speaks volumes about her personal style.


#1 Only Showcase Your Best Work@indiaearl

2. Decide your niche ASAP

From the get-go, you must position yourself as an authority within a specific field, because you can’t be a jack-of-all-trades photographer. If you try to specialize in everything, you’re really specializing in nothing. The more narrow your niche (like babies in fairy costumes or enchanting elopements) the better, because it will help you stand out from the rest of the Insta crowd. Additionally, you never want users to be confused about your forte. My advice is to make it so glaringly apparent that a random follower only needs a millisecond glance at your Instagram page to know exactly what your expertise is.

3. Tell Good Stories

When someone decides to follow you on Instagram, they become avid consumers of your work. Your job, then, is to keep them addicted.  Even though you want to represent your brand accurately, don’t be afraid to be funny or too whimsical. Your followers obviously admire your work, but they tune in to connect with you as an artist with an authentic personality. At the same time, don’t feel pressured to spin life changing stories or reveal universal truth. Just be yourself. Like what happened at your last shoot? Did it start to rain during the marriage ceremony? Or did you make goofy faces at a toddler just to grab one good photo of them? I know you possess a unique perspective and stories that only you can tell. So go ahead and narrate them! I promise your followers will fawn over your candor.

3. Tell Good Stories@tecpetaja


Thinking about using social media to grow your business? Facebook Ads Academy for Photographers gives you all of the fundamentals you need to leverage the most powerful social network in the world to make much, much more money than you’re making now. We’ll teach you the tricks & secrets to create a successful Facebook campaign on your very first try.


4. Use Hashtags and Geotags Effectively

Hashtags and geotags increase your post’s reach across the app. While it might be tempting to use a hundred tags to promote a post (I’ve been there), a tactful approach will help you so much more. First off, an effective hashtag is searched but not overused. Your post is probably going to be lost in any hashtag with over 500,000 entries.

Also, avoid common tags such as #sunset, #fun, #dog, and the like, since they are overloaded and the engagement from these tags is quite spammy. If you tag all willy nilly you might attract bots or aimless likes that won’t convert into followers (let alone clients). You want to cultivate an intentional, active and caring following.

In terms of placement, don’t substitute real words in your caption with hashtags. Example A:  “#Sunsets in #Iceland are insanely #beautiful”. Avoid this cardinal Insta sin at all costs. It is just a tad grating to read, and the human attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s while scrolling the Gram, so keep your captions clean and legible to keep your audience captivated.

Instead, put your hashtags at the end of your post or in a comment below, and please try to limit yourself to 20, which is a classy amount. Don’t bombard your poor followers with 50+ hashtags.

Here’s a starter template for deciding what hashtags to use:

  •  Always, always geotag the location of the photo, and if you can, indicate the specific name of the park, building or event (some examples are #losangeles #lacmalights #dodgersgame). Followers invariably want to know where a photo was snapped, and it makes your photo pop up if someone searches that location.
  •  Indicate the type of photography (eg. #newbornshoot, #seniorportraits).
  •  Tag the equipment you used (eg. #canon5ds #35mmsigmalense). 
  •  Pair up your location and expertise (#losangelesweddingphotographer #chicagosportsphotographer). 
  • Tag the details of your shoot (#newbornclothes #weddingdress). 
  • Lastly, use Instagram’s Explore feature to discover trending hashtags such as #newyearseve2016 and #earthday and integrate those trending combos which are relevant to your post.

4. Use Hashtags and Geotags Effectively@kathvphotography

5. Apply For Shoutouts

Besides hashtags, geotags, and interaction, shoutouts remain the single best way to gain followers. But how do you court a feature account, you ask? Here’s how you do it—follow an account that is analogous to your niche, authentically engage with their posts often (aka more than the thumbs up sign), and tag photos that would fit right into their feed. It’s that easy. If you are consistent, the moderators will eventually notice you. Then, when you finally nab a feature, make sure to flex that ethos and issue a heartfelt thanks so they feel compelled to feature you again, because everyone likes doing favors for grateful folks— am I right?

6. Ask Questions In Captions

An effective way to spark engagement is through posts that ask a question. Queries are irresistible because they ask for opinions, and everyone loves to give their two cents.

I have even found breathtaking adventure spots just by asking my followers for suggestions. Get creative. Ask what life-changing book they read this year. Or what is their favorite national park? What kind of cat do they want to be? (Like I said. Don’t be afraid to be whimsical). Ask anything, because your followers will appreciate the fact you care about their thoughts and interests and that following you means a reciprocal show of affection.

6. Ask Questions In Captions@indiaearl

7. Forge Authentic Community

If you feel intimidated by other influencers with a million followers, don’t sweat it. Followers aren’t necessarily fans—and popularity doesn’t denote profitability. Because at the end of the day, you don’t want a successful Instagram, you want a successful business. Back when I was working for a wedding photography company, our Instagram only had 1,200 followers. But half of our business came from the app! Yes, HALF.

While the dreamy goal is to gain a massive following to increase the exposure for your business, you want to first focus on treating your current followers well. Follow them back, like their photos, show them sincere appreciation beyond a nonspecific “thanks.” Always aim to start conversations with followers that prove you care about their support. Because the more you talk to each of them, the more they will not only feel compelled to follow you, but also to support your business financially, and champion you in a myriad of other ways. Also, reach out to current and past clients and flatter them with tags. Puff them up, tell your followers why you had a stellar time working with this client, and just be genuine.

7. Forge Authentic Community@elizabethmessina

This is a bit taboo, but you should also reach out to your competition. Yeah, I said it! Why not convert them into friends instead of foes? Trade marketing secrets, observe each other’s client conversion tactics, and maybe even partner up for a fancy project. This is just another way to increase visibility and become deeply involved with your Insta niche. You could even cross-promote one another, and you just might win over a few of their fans. At the end of the day, only use Instagram to build bridges, never burn them.

8.  Host Giveaways And Advertise Discounts

Giveaways are huge on Instagram. Whereas contests and free prizes on the general internet off the social media grid are always viewed with skepticism, Instagram is a rare exception. Although, in the midst of all the Insta-revelry, remember that the goal is to have users advocate for your brand while pursuing your prize. Here’s how you host one in five steps: 

  • Choose a theme based on your specialty (eg. babies, family portraits, dogs in cool hats).
  • Decide the prize: whether that be free headshots or five canvas prints.
  • Determine how users can enter the contest. They can like a photo, follow your page, share your post, tag their friends and or comment or perform a combo of all the above.
  • Choose an entry deadline. If you are giving away seven separate prizes you might want to give it a week. Or if it is just one prize, 24 hours might suffice. Just make sure to give people enough time to enter and allow the contest to gain traction.
  • Promote your contest. Because who’s gonna enter the contest if they don’t even know it’s happening right? Send out polished emails to past clients, post it on all social media mediums, tell your aunt who likes every single one of your posts. Just get the word out!

Additionally, Instagram is an effective megaphone for advertising discounts sans content. For example, you could announce a 25% discount on a newborn photo session if you book within the next 48 hours. Sometimes a small savings is all it takes for a client to take the plunge and book a session with you.

8. Host Giveaways And Advertise Discounts@kateholsteinphoto

9. Post Behind-the-Scenes Images and Videos

Instagram’s stories are basically a copycat of Snapchat that lets you create photo sequences that expire after a day. It is where you get to be a real human and not just a profit-obsessed robot who happens to take stunning photos. Deposit content into this feature that wouldn’t work in a traditional post—like behind-the-scenes shots, selfies with clients, snaps of your perpetually messy work desk, or you wading into a frigid lake in the middle of freaking winter to get that perfect shot. Since this content only last 24 hours, the stakes are much lower and it won’t affect the aesthetic of your home page.

10. Make Sure Your Linked Page From Instagram Is Sales-Centric

That link in your Instagram bio should lead directly to a “Book Your Session” page instead of more examples of your work, because at this point your Instagram is your portfolio as far as your prospective customer is concerned. Make it painfully easy for followers to arrange a photoshoot so they don’t get cold feet while exploring your site.

The final word:

Obviously, Instagram won’t replace your portfolio or traditional networking. Who knows, it could become the next Vine and die abruptly tomorrow. But for now, 30% of the internet is on Instagram. If potential clients are logging onto the app, you need to get on there and catch em’. Don’t be afraid to get reach out, be inspired, tell good stories, and most of all, have fun! It can only help your business. So log on, post those gorgeous photos of yours, and start meeting your 400 million new besties.

Filed Under: Boost Profits, Featured4, MOTIVATE, SHOOT, SOCIAL, Starting Out, TIPS & TRICKS, Ty Merkel

CATEGORY COMING SOON

July 26, 2014 by The FCA Leave a Comment

CATEGORY COMING SOON

DESKTOP

Filed Under: D.I.Y, SOCIAL, TIPS & TRICKS, Uncategorized, YOUR KIT

Primary Sidebar

Don’t Miss These Posts

Everything You Need to Know About the Instagram Shadowban

Everything You Need to Know About the Instagram Shadowban

By Ty Merkel

How To Build A Tribe Of 11,000 Fans In One Year

How To Build A Tribe Of 11,000 Fans In One Year

By The FCA

Hate Selling? Do These 7 Things Instead Plus Free Checklist!

Hate Selling? Do These 7 Things Instead Plus Free Checklist!

By The FCA

How To Use Facebook To Get Clients

How To Use Facebook To Get Clients

By The FCA

Discouraged or Flat? Read this.

Discouraged or Flat? Read this.

By The FCA

Before Footer

Explore the Blog

Find all the resources you need to jump start your business.

  • Hustle
  • Inspire
  • Motivate
  • Balance
  • Life
  • Editor's Letters
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Online
  • Work It
  • All Posts

Get Free Education!

Sign up for inspiration, insanely useful advice & FREE classes, all geared for creative entrepreneurs like you!

Don't worry, we hate spam too.

Looking for something?

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Member Login

© 2023 femalecreativesassociation.com ·