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- 【How to Increase IG Reach】Has Your IG Reach Plummeted? Your Account Might Be Shadowbanned! (Updated)
【How to Increase IG Reach】Has Your IG Reach Plummeted? Your Account Might Be Shadowbanned! (Updated)
2024 / 10 / 18
Managing an Instagram account requires significant effort. Beyond regular updates, it necessitates consistent tracking of various metrics and analysis. For busy business owners, the most effective way to leverage IG for online marketing is often to enlist the help of an experienced digital promotion agency.
But is there a more convenient method?
The answer is: Yes!
According to Arachne Group Limited, IG Reach refers to the percentage of your account or posts that successfully land in front of your target audience on the Instagram platform. It's primarily used to measure the exposure and influence of your content on Instagram. A higher reach indicates that more users see your content, thereby increasing opportunities for interaction, fostering account growth, and enhancing brand exposure.
How to Check IG Reach? Review Your Account Insights Report.
Currently, the Instagram Insights report is only available free of charge to Business or Creator Accounts. Therefore, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of your IG data, you must first convert your account to a Business or Creator Account.
Upon accessing the Instagram Insights interface, the first section you'll see is the "Overview," which is subdivided into Accounts Reached, Accounts Engaged, and Total Followers. Users can click into each category to view detailed metrics. (Let's focus on "Accounts Reached" below).
Accounts Reached refers to the number of unique users who have had your account content or posts appear on their screen. Generally, a higher number of accounts reached signifies greater visibility for your account or posts within IG. Here, it's crucial to monitor the "Number of Non-Follower Accounts Reached" specifically. If this number is consistently decreasing, it means fewer people who don't already follow you are seeing your content – which is essential for attracting new followers.
"Why Has My Non-Follower Reach Declined?"
Several factors can contribute to this situation. It could be due to suboptimal post content or hashtag usage, preventing the IG algorithm from understanding your content's theme. Alternatively, low account engagement rates might signal to the algorithm that your content quality is poor. Another possibility is that the account has violated Instagram's Community Guidelines, leading to throttled reach or content being hidden.
Therefore, it's essential to "address the root cause" to fundamentally improve IG reach, making the overall management of your IG presence smoother.
What is a Shadowban? How to Detect if Your IG Account is Shadowbanned.
A shadowban is a method used by the Instagram system to penalize accounts that violate its user rules. Shadowbanned accounts typically experience throttled reach or have their content hidden, thereby reducing the exposure of the IG account or its posts.
Arachne Group Limited cautions that if your account encounters the following situations, it might be shadowbanned by the platform:
— Consistent decline in reach rate.
— Follower count shows little to no growth, or even turns negative (losing followers).
— Your posts do not appear on the respective hashtag pages when you click on the hashtags used in the post.
— Decreasing numbers of likes and views.
— Existing followers report not seeing your posts or Stories in their feeds.
— ...
△ Important Update (April 2024 Algorithm): Following an IG algorithm update in April 2024, simple DIY methods to check for shadowbanning are no longer reliable. You now primarily rely on professional detection tools or analyze data gathered from your Instagram Professional Dashboard.
For instance, if you observe in your Professional Dashboard that your "Non-Follower Reach declined slightly, then plummeted sharply, followed by a significant drop – or even disappearance – in Follower Reach," it's highly likely a shadowban. However, sometimes the data might not be this extreme, which can result in an account remaining shadowbanned for a long time unnoticed.
Furthermore, dedicated IG hashtag pages have been largely replaced by the "For You" page. This means search results, regardless of whether a hashtag or keyword is entered, are now primarily presented in a "For You" format. Consequently, if an account has a low credibility score or engagement rate, its posts may not appear on this page.
As the IG algorithm has grown more complex, users might also find that "shadowbanned accounts' posts might still appear in some hashtag feeds." This is because the IG algorithm is highly personalized ("a thousand faces, a thousand feeds"), and post visibility depends on numerous factors. Therefore, the old method of checking specific hashtags to confirm a shadowban is no longer effective under the current algorithm.
It is now recommended to analyze metrics such as "Accounts Reached," "Followers Reached," and "Non-Followers Reached" from your Insights report.
"How to Check if Your Account is Shadowbanned?"
Generally, when an account engages in violations, it may be shadowbanned by the IG platform. If you observe the aforementioned signs, you can perform the following check:
Go to your Instagram Profile -> Settings and Privacy -> Account Status.
Here, Instagram will inform you if any of your posts have been removed for violating community guidelines.
If violating content is displayed, remove it immediately. If nothing appears, it indicates your content currently doesn't have severe violations.
PS: This method primarily checks for the presence of content removed for guideline violations; it is not a definitive test for a shadowban. Typically, only content with severe violations appears here. Accounts with minor violations might not see any listings but could still be subject to reach restrictions ("shadowban").
Additionally, following a 2023 IG update, some users might receive notifications similar to a shadowban warning, as shown in the example below (e.g., a message stating content isn't being shown to non-followers due to potential guideline violations). However, such notifications are usually only sent for accounts with content deemed severe violations.Many users who inadvertently trigger the IG algorithm might be shadowbanned without receiving any notification. Accounts with minor violations often face "reach throttling" rather than complete "hiding," but the impact on the user can still be significant.
What Causes an Account to be Shadowbanned by IG? What are the Solutions?
Instagram highly values user experience. Therefore, if your account contains content involving threats or hate speech, content that targets, degrades, or shames individuals, personal information used to threaten or harass others, or unwanted repetitive messages, IG will likely remove the content and may impose penalties like reach throttling or hiding.
Beyond these clear violations, accounts exhibiting the following behaviors are also at risk of being shadowbanned:
Purchasing fake followers, likes, or comments.
Posts containing illegal content or associated hashtags.
Repeatedly using the identical set of hashtags in every post.
The account being reported by other users.
The account receiving an "Action Block" (a temporary block from specific actions due to frequent, repetitive behavior).
Important Note: Instagram does not have a fixed penalty duration. It primarily depends on the severity of the account's violations, ranging from a few days for minor infractions to permanent restrictions for severe cases. Furthermore, shadowbans are often not automatically lifted. Businesses must correct the issues to prompt the algorithm to re-evaluate and lift the restrictions.
So, what specific steps should you take?
① Cease Purchases and Remove "Fake Followers" Immediately
If your account was shadowbanned due to buying followers/likes/comments, the first step is to immediately stop this practice and remove these fake/"bot" accounts. Purchased follower accounts are often already shadowbanned by IG. Association with these accounts signals suspicious activity to the IG algorithm. While stopping and removing them won't instantly restore your account, it prevents further damage.
② Regularly Cleanse Low-Quality Followers
Even without purchasing followers, your account might attract automatic follows from low-quality or bot accounts seeking attention. To avoid negative associations impacting your account's standing, periodically review your follower list and remove these accounts promptly. This helps prevent the IG algorithm from flagging your account for "suspicious activity," which can lower reach.
③ Regularly Audit Post Content and Hashtags
If your account contains illegal or inappropriate content, or engages in hashtag abuse (using irrelevant, banned, or excessively repetitive hashtags), it risks algorithm penalties. If you've engaged in such practices, promptly edit or delete the problematic content and hashtags.
④ Increase Account Engagement Rate
High-quality content remains the best way to attract users and grow your account. Consistently posting valuable and engaging content encourages more user interaction and participation. Furthermore, actively engaging with your followers by promptly responding to their comments, questions, and direct messages signals to IG that your account is trustworthy and valuable, which can help improve reach.
⑤ Temporarily Halt Instagram Activity
If you've tried all the above methods without success, consider taking a break from all activities on Instagram. This includes refraining from posting, liking, commenting, sending DMs, or following new accounts. A period of inactivity, recommended around 2 weeks, can sometimes help "reset" the account's status. Additionally, since Instagram currently offers a reach boost for accounts posting Reels, you could also try publishing Reels daily for at least one month. Many users on platforms like Reddit have reported this method as effective in recovering reach.
⑥ Consistently Monitor and Improve Account Status
Use the IG Insights report or other analytical tools to regularly monitor your account's health. Track and analyze metrics like IG reach, follower growth rate, and engagement rate. This data helps you adjust your IG strategy timely, guiding the creation of content and interaction methods that resonate better with your audience.
Lifting an IG shadowban requires account operators to strictly adhere to Instagram's user guidelines, consistently deliver high-quality, valuable post content, and foster genuine interactions. This demonstrates positive account behavior, encouraging the algorithm to re-evaluate and remove the restrictions.
● Note: Italicized content indicates updated information.
Arachne Group Limited provides comprehensive digital business solutions, including website design, online promotion, website management & hosting, system development, and other value-added services, fully catering to our clients' business needs. Feel free to contact us. Arachne Group Limited is your ideal partner for expanding online business opportunities.
Contact Number: 852-3749 9734
Email Address: info@hkweb.com.hk
Website: https://hkweb.com.hk
But is there a more convenient method?
The answer is: Yes!
According to Arachne Group Limited, IG Reach refers to the percentage of your account or posts that successfully land in front of your target audience on the Instagram platform. It's primarily used to measure the exposure and influence of your content on Instagram. A higher reach indicates that more users see your content, thereby increasing opportunities for interaction, fostering account growth, and enhancing brand exposure.
How to Check IG Reach? Review Your Account Insights Report.
Currently, the Instagram Insights report is only available free of charge to Business or Creator Accounts. Therefore, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of your IG data, you must first convert your account to a Business or Creator Account.
Upon accessing the Instagram Insights interface, the first section you'll see is the "Overview," which is subdivided into Accounts Reached, Accounts Engaged, and Total Followers. Users can click into each category to view detailed metrics. (Let's focus on "Accounts Reached" below).
Accounts Reached refers to the number of unique users who have had your account content or posts appear on their screen. Generally, a higher number of accounts reached signifies greater visibility for your account or posts within IG. Here, it's crucial to monitor the "Number of Non-Follower Accounts Reached" specifically. If this number is consistently decreasing, it means fewer people who don't already follow you are seeing your content – which is essential for attracting new followers.
"Why Has My Non-Follower Reach Declined?"
Several factors can contribute to this situation. It could be due to suboptimal post content or hashtag usage, preventing the IG algorithm from understanding your content's theme. Alternatively, low account engagement rates might signal to the algorithm that your content quality is poor. Another possibility is that the account has violated Instagram's Community Guidelines, leading to throttled reach or content being hidden.
Therefore, it's essential to "address the root cause" to fundamentally improve IG reach, making the overall management of your IG presence smoother.
What is a Shadowban? How to Detect if Your IG Account is Shadowbanned.
A shadowban is a method used by the Instagram system to penalize accounts that violate its user rules. Shadowbanned accounts typically experience throttled reach or have their content hidden, thereby reducing the exposure of the IG account or its posts.
Arachne Group Limited cautions that if your account encounters the following situations, it might be shadowbanned by the platform:
— Consistent decline in reach rate.
— Follower count shows little to no growth, or even turns negative (losing followers).
— Your posts do not appear on the respective hashtag pages when you click on the hashtags used in the post.
— Decreasing numbers of likes and views.
— Existing followers report not seeing your posts or Stories in their feeds.
— ...
△ Important Update (April 2024 Algorithm): Following an IG algorithm update in April 2024, simple DIY methods to check for shadowbanning are no longer reliable. You now primarily rely on professional detection tools or analyze data gathered from your Instagram Professional Dashboard.
For instance, if you observe in your Professional Dashboard that your "Non-Follower Reach declined slightly, then plummeted sharply, followed by a significant drop – or even disappearance – in Follower Reach," it's highly likely a shadowban. However, sometimes the data might not be this extreme, which can result in an account remaining shadowbanned for a long time unnoticed.
Furthermore, dedicated IG hashtag pages have been largely replaced by the "For You" page. This means search results, regardless of whether a hashtag or keyword is entered, are now primarily presented in a "For You" format. Consequently, if an account has a low credibility score or engagement rate, its posts may not appear on this page.
As the IG algorithm has grown more complex, users might also find that "shadowbanned accounts' posts might still appear in some hashtag feeds." This is because the IG algorithm is highly personalized ("a thousand faces, a thousand feeds"), and post visibility depends on numerous factors. Therefore, the old method of checking specific hashtags to confirm a shadowban is no longer effective under the current algorithm.
It is now recommended to analyze metrics such as "Accounts Reached," "Followers Reached," and "Non-Followers Reached" from your Insights report.
"How to Check if Your Account is Shadowbanned?"
Generally, when an account engages in violations, it may be shadowbanned by the IG platform. If you observe the aforementioned signs, you can perform the following check:
Go to your Instagram Profile -> Settings and Privacy -> Account Status.
Here, Instagram will inform you if any of your posts have been removed for violating community guidelines.
If violating content is displayed, remove it immediately. If nothing appears, it indicates your content currently doesn't have severe violations.
PS: This method primarily checks for the presence of content removed for guideline violations; it is not a definitive test for a shadowban. Typically, only content with severe violations appears here. Accounts with minor violations might not see any listings but could still be subject to reach restrictions ("shadowban").
Additionally, following a 2023 IG update, some users might receive notifications similar to a shadowban warning, as shown in the example below (e.g., a message stating content isn't being shown to non-followers due to potential guideline violations). However, such notifications are usually only sent for accounts with content deemed severe violations.Many users who inadvertently trigger the IG algorithm might be shadowbanned without receiving any notification. Accounts with minor violations often face "reach throttling" rather than complete "hiding," but the impact on the user can still be significant.
What Causes an Account to be Shadowbanned by IG? What are the Solutions?
Instagram highly values user experience. Therefore, if your account contains content involving threats or hate speech, content that targets, degrades, or shames individuals, personal information used to threaten or harass others, or unwanted repetitive messages, IG will likely remove the content and may impose penalties like reach throttling or hiding.
Beyond these clear violations, accounts exhibiting the following behaviors are also at risk of being shadowbanned:
Purchasing fake followers, likes, or comments.
Posts containing illegal content or associated hashtags.
Repeatedly using the identical set of hashtags in every post.
The account being reported by other users.
The account receiving an "Action Block" (a temporary block from specific actions due to frequent, repetitive behavior).
Important Note: Instagram does not have a fixed penalty duration. It primarily depends on the severity of the account's violations, ranging from a few days for minor infractions to permanent restrictions for severe cases. Furthermore, shadowbans are often not automatically lifted. Businesses must correct the issues to prompt the algorithm to re-evaluate and lift the restrictions.
So, what specific steps should you take?
① Cease Purchases and Remove "Fake Followers" Immediately
If your account was shadowbanned due to buying followers/likes/comments, the first step is to immediately stop this practice and remove these fake/"bot" accounts. Purchased follower accounts are often already shadowbanned by IG. Association with these accounts signals suspicious activity to the IG algorithm. While stopping and removing them won't instantly restore your account, it prevents further damage.
② Regularly Cleanse Low-Quality Followers
Even without purchasing followers, your account might attract automatic follows from low-quality or bot accounts seeking attention. To avoid negative associations impacting your account's standing, periodically review your follower list and remove these accounts promptly. This helps prevent the IG algorithm from flagging your account for "suspicious activity," which can lower reach.
③ Regularly Audit Post Content and Hashtags
If your account contains illegal or inappropriate content, or engages in hashtag abuse (using irrelevant, banned, or excessively repetitive hashtags), it risks algorithm penalties. If you've engaged in such practices, promptly edit or delete the problematic content and hashtags.
④ Increase Account Engagement Rate
High-quality content remains the best way to attract users and grow your account. Consistently posting valuable and engaging content encourages more user interaction and participation. Furthermore, actively engaging with your followers by promptly responding to their comments, questions, and direct messages signals to IG that your account is trustworthy and valuable, which can help improve reach.
⑤ Temporarily Halt Instagram Activity
If you've tried all the above methods without success, consider taking a break from all activities on Instagram. This includes refraining from posting, liking, commenting, sending DMs, or following new accounts. A period of inactivity, recommended around 2 weeks, can sometimes help "reset" the account's status. Additionally, since Instagram currently offers a reach boost for accounts posting Reels, you could also try publishing Reels daily for at least one month. Many users on platforms like Reddit have reported this method as effective in recovering reach.
⑥ Consistently Monitor and Improve Account Status
Use the IG Insights report or other analytical tools to regularly monitor your account's health. Track and analyze metrics like IG reach, follower growth rate, and engagement rate. This data helps you adjust your IG strategy timely, guiding the creation of content and interaction methods that resonate better with your audience.
Lifting an IG shadowban requires account operators to strictly adhere to Instagram's user guidelines, consistently deliver high-quality, valuable post content, and foster genuine interactions. This demonstrates positive account behavior, encouraging the algorithm to re-evaluate and remove the restrictions.
● Note: Italicized content indicates updated information.
Arachne Group Limited provides comprehensive digital business solutions, including website design, online promotion, website management & hosting, system development, and other value-added services, fully catering to our clients' business needs. Feel free to contact us. Arachne Group Limited is your ideal partner for expanding online business opportunities.
Contact Number: 852-3749 9734
Email Address: info@hkweb.com.hk
Website: https://hkweb.com.hk
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