Instagram Reach Calculator

Let’s start with a wild guess. Your account reach has dropped considerably in the past few weeks. Follower growth rates have hit zero. And you are wondering what is happening!

Well, you have come to the right place. Our Instagram Shadow Ban checker helps you know the status of your account and identify any issues. Read on to get to know everything you need to know about the tool before getting started.

Already checked your account and detected a shadowban? Don’t worry, we will help you figure out what has caused the shadowban and how to fix it.

What is a Shadow Ban on Instagram?

An Instagram shadowban refers to the act of limiting the reach of an account without giving any proper notification. In the case of Shadowban, the account posts will not appear on the Explore page or even in other feeds. Even though Instagram officially denies the existence of a procedure like shadowban, many users have reported the same experience. It mainly occurs due to reasons like the usage of bots for likes, restricted hashtags, violation of policies, etc.

What is an Instagram Shadowban checker?

The worst part about Shadowban is that you cannot know officially through the app whether your account is banned or not. And that’s where our tool comes in.

Our Instagram Shadowban checker lets you check out whether your account has any restrictions or not. All you need to do is just drop your Instagram username. The tool displays the health status of your account within seconds. And, that too, for free!

How does the Instagram Shadow ban checker tool work?

The working of our Instagram Shadow ban testing tool is simple and straightforward. It works by an advanced algorithm that analyzes the public information of your account, available on the internet, like hashtags, recent posts, engagement metrics, etc.

After a primary analysis, it moves on to check whether your posts appear on the hashtags listed. In case the post does not show up, a red flag is raised. Similarly, the algorithm checks for any unusual trends in the engagement patterns such as a sudden rise in followers, likes, etc.

After all these analyses, the tool displays the account status. Don’t worry! The entire process is completed within seconds.

Main Features of Instagram Shadowban checker

Want to know what our Instagram shadow ban checking tool does for you? Check out the features:

• Ease of Use: The best part about our tool is that you need not be tech-savvy to use it. All you need to do is just paste your Instagram username.
• No Formalities: At Grum, we understand the value of your time and that’s why we provide account status without any formality. No sign-ups. No ads.
• Security: Since there is no need for sign-ups, you need not worry about data loss. Our Instagram shadow ban checker does not ask for any sensitive credentials like passwords. The username that you are entering will be automatically deleted from the database within a fixed time interval.
• Free and Unlimited: Our tools are completely free of charge. You can use it to check as many accounts as you want without waiting for the refilling of any daily quotas.
• Instant Results: Our advanced algorithms are designed to work instantly to let you know your account status within seconds. And guess what? There are no annoying ads on our website to drain away your time.
• Timely Updates: Our tool is regularly updated to keep pace with Instagram’s evolving algorithms, ensuring the most accurate shadowban detection.

How to Use the Instagram Shadowban Tester Tool?

The worst part about shadow bans is that they are not communicated. So, what happens? The creator continues making the same mistake, eventually stumbling to zero views. As a result, a considerable amount of time and effort will be wasted. Lack of knowledge of Instagram shadow ban testing tools is one of the root causes of this. That’s what brings us to this section. Here are five simple steps to use our shadow ban detector tool:

1. Check out our website (www.grum.co). Click on the Free Instagram Tools tab and select Instagram shadow ban checker.
2. Simply enter the username of your Instagram account.
3. Click the ‘Check Shadowban’ button and wait for our algorithm to analyze your account.
4. View the account status within a flash of seconds.

Am I shadowbanned?

Even though Instagram does not give you any notifications about shadow bans, you can check it through the app itself with some simple tricks. Check out them:

1. Manual Hashtag Test

One of the most common ways to detect an Instagram shadow ban is to check whether the post appears on the hashtag searches. For that, use less popular hashtags in your posts, preferably one with less than 1,000 posts. Then, request someone who doesn’t follow you or open a new account to verify whether the post appears on the search results page of the hashtag. If the post is not appearing, your account is probably shadow-banned.

2. Check Instagram Analytics

Instagram provides in-depth audience analytics for business accounts. Make use of it to identify any sharp changes in your engagement metrics. For instance, if the number of impressions of your posts has declined all of a sudden, your account may be facing a shadow ban. You can use our Instagram Engagement Rate calculator to know the overall engagement rate of your account. If it is much below the average rate of 3%, your account may be facing any kind of restrictions.

3. Compare Feed VS Hashtag Performance

As mentioned before, check out the analytics to see how your posts perform in the feed and hashtag section. A significant drop in the hashtag section indicates that your account is shadow-banned.

4. Ask Followers

A direct way to check Instagram shadow bans is to ask the followers whether they see your posts in the feeds. In case even the most loyal followers say that they don’t see your posts on feeds, then it is a warning.

5. Account Status

In 2020, Instagram officially announced the ‘Account Status’ feature to address the issue of lack of transparency in giving restrictions. Through that, you can check whether there are any issues with your account and get guidelines on what to do next. You can see the feature in the account settings option under settings.

However, most users prefer tools to manual checking of account status due to various set of reasons like:

• Most of the manual testing methods are time-consuming.
• Accuracy is not guaranteed.
• Significant effort is needed, especially for the manual hashtag testing method.

Why use a tool for testing Instagram shadowbans?

Instagram shadow bans are not permanent. If you identify it and take corrective measures like removing a specific post or hashtags quickly, the account may retain the previous status soon. That’s why users normally go for Instagram shadow ban testers. Here are some benefits of using them:

• Accuracy: Even though the saying ‘trust your instincts’ is valid, guesswork could be too costly in social media, especially if you are putting in a considerable amount as a content creator. Our algorithms are designed for accurate detection by analyzing various factors that contribute to shadowbanning.
• Save Time and Effort: Manually checking through a hashtag search result page with thousands of posts may be time-consuming. Our Instagram shadow ban checker automates this process and does it perfectly.
• Stay Safe: Identification of shadow bans on time lets you know what has caused the issue. As a result, you can comply with Instagram policies regularly and make sure that your account remains the same.
• Improve Engagement: many brands are complaining about the algorithm for zero reaches even after posting high-quality content whereas the root cause may be a shadow ban. Our tool lets you identify that on time and resolve the issue promptly to increase the reach.
• Account Health Status: Regular check-ups of your Instagram account make sure that you are on the right track. It helps to maintain your account health and performance growth.

Consequences of Instagram Shadow Ban

Although the Instagram shadow bans typically just last for a few weeks, they could cause long-term impacts on your account growth. Have a look at some of the consequences of Instagram shadow bans:

1. Reduced Reach: The first blow of a shadowban could be seen in the reach metrics. The Instagram algorithm may stop promoting your post in feeds and the explore section. As a result, your reach dwindles all of a sudden, no matter how many regular impressions you have.
2. Decreased Follower Growth: As mentioned above, users may find it difficult to view your posts during shadowbans. Therefore, your page’s exposure to new accounts drops down and the follower growth rate may crawl. In the worst case, your current followers may even remove you from the list since they see none of your posts in the feed assuming that you have become inactive.
3. Drop in Sales: If you are running an online-centric business, not only your social media reach is affected but your sales too will be affected. Since none are able to view your posts on the feeds, there will be no leads.
4. Hit in Reputation: As we all know, accounts with less engagement are not trusted by users. That means your brand reputation is also draining along with the social media reach.
5. Uncertainty: Instagram shadow bans are not properly notified and you cannot know how long it will last. It could be really frustrating to see your hard-earned reach at stake overnight.
6. Account Suspension: The worst part about Instagram shadow bans is that you will not know that you are facing a restriction and the reason behind that. So, you may make the violation again, potentially leading to the suspension of your account.

Why does Instagram shadow ban?

“We haven’t always done enough to explain why we take down content when we do, what is recommendable and what isn’t, and how Instagram works more broadly,” Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, once opened up in a blog in 2021.

But that’s not the case anymore. As the number of instances of shadow bans has increased, the knowledge about it too has improved. Let’s have a look at a checklist of some of the common reasons for Instagram shadow bans:

1. Third-party Tools

Instagram strongly takes action against accounts that use third-party automation tools to increase likes, followers, comments, etc. Most probably, this could even lead to a permanent ban. So, the next time you go for an SMM service, think twice. Always keep in mind that 100 loyal followers are better than 1000 bot followers. This is equally applicable to data extraction tools, too.

2. Violation of Instagram Policies

Instagram is very strict about its community guidelines. Read them here and make sure you comply with them always. Even a simple deviation like posting a violent film poster could lead to a punishment like a shadow ban.

3. Spam

Over-aggressive tactics are often the core reason for Instagram shadow bans on brands. Well, Instagram does place restrictions on how often you can post, comment, or engage even though the figures are not explicitly mentioned. As a general rule of thumb, it is better not to put more than 60 likes or comments in an hour. Moreover, posting the same comment repeatedly makes the algorithm view your account suspiciously.

4. Banned Hashtags

Did you know that Instagram bans hashtags also just like accounts? Well, many users do not know and end up in a shadow ban after using such tools. That’s quite common because even common hashtags like #alone, #always, #customers, #attractive, etc., are banned. Check out the complete list of banned Instagram hashtags here. And guess what? More and more hashtags are getting banned each day. Therefore, ensure that you check your hashtags using an external tool before posting them.

5. Excessive Reports

When many users report your account in a short time for violating policies, Instagram may impose a shadow ban on your account. This happens mainly to influencers who post content that hurts the sentiments of the audience.

6. Usage of the Same Hashtags

Constant usage of the same set of hashtags on each post can result in a shadowban because the algorithm may think that you are a bit spammy. So, always make sure to rework your hashtag strategy to make it relevant to your post. Apart from that, posting over thirty hashtags in a single post can also lead to a shadow ban.

7. Interaction through Comment Pods

Have you ever come across engagement groups that agree to comment on each other’s posts? Well, it actually violates Instagram guidelines as the algorithms view it as an unnatural engagement.

8. False Information

Posting misleading or false information, particularly about sensitive topics, can result in a shadowban as Instagram works to combat misinformation on its platform.

9. Engagement with Blacklisted Accounts

Sometimes the reason for the shadow ban may lie in your inbox. Interactions with blacklisted accounts may invite suspicion from algorithms and eventually lead to even a ban.

How to fix shadow ban Instagram?

Once you have identified the issue that caused the shadow ban, the entire process will get easy. Here are some tips on how to remove the shadow ban on Instagram:

1. Report Your Shadow Ban

After detecting a shadow ban, the first thing that you must do is report it to the platform. That’s exactly where you need the new Account Status feature.

Go to Settings and select account status to see the posts that have been taken down. Click on the ‘Report a Problem’ button and describe your issue in a vivid manner.

2. Stop Third-Party Tools

Go to the ‘Edit Profile’ section of your Instagram. Click on ‘Apps and Websites’ to see the third-party applications attached to your account. Remove all the external tools completely, whether it’s for engagement, scheduling, or extraction. Remember, it is not just to make your account safe from algorithms but also from any potential data breaches.

3. Check out Hashtags

Most probably, the core reason for your ban may be hashtags. So, list down all the hashtags used in your previous posts and conduct an in-depth hashtag strategy analysis. Answer these questions: Were they relevant to the post? How many of them were repeated in each post? Check out our free Instagram hashtag generator to get the most trending and relevant hashtags for all your posts.

Then, copy the hashtags of your five previous posts and paste them into an Instagram hashtag checker tool. In case one of your posts contains banned hashtags, delete it on the spot. If that is the issue, the shadow ban will fade away within days.

4. Take a Break

This may sound silly. However, there are many users who reported that their shadow bans were removed after being inactive for a couple of days. Inactive means logging out of the platform. No comments. No likes. Once the ban is lifted, act in a normal manner without any over-aggressive tactics to prove to the algorithms that you are no longer a bot!

5. Use Content Warnings

The first and foremost advice is to always abide by the Instagram guidelines. But in case you want to step out of it to post something sensitive, use a content warning. For instance, if you are posting a Russia-Ukraine violent war visual, make sure to include a warning in the captions itself. And, if you are posting as stories, make it a slideshow with the first slide showing the sensitive content warning. It is not just to please the algorithm but to potentially warn your audiences, too.

6. Copyright Issues

Copyright issues are one of the most common reasons for shadow bans of creative users. The only way out of it is to ensure that you have permission to use the images that you have posted. You can simply upload it to Google Images and do a reverse image search to check whether there are other copies of the image online.

7. Rework your Content Strategy

Review your last ten posts and verify their authenticity. Did they have false information? Or, is the information outdated? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, edit or even delete the post immediately.

Frequently Answered Questions

1. Is it safe to use an Instagram shadow ban checker?

Yes, absolutely. Our Instagram shadow ban testing tool only analyzes the information that is available to the public. You need not hand over sensitive information like passwords. All you need to enter is your username which gets deleted from our database automatically within fixed time intervals.

2. Can Instagram shadow ban you?

Yes, Instagram can shadowban accounts that violate their policies. Some of the common reasons for Instagram shadow bans are:

• Usage of SMM bots.
• Including banned hashtags in the posts.
• Same hashtags on every post.
• Spamming.

3. How does a shadow ban differ from an actual ban?

An actual ban on Instagram may result in disabling your account permanently or for a specific time while shadowban is a more subtle form of restriction. It limits the visibility of your posts without notifying you explicitly. Unlike a regular ban, where you are prevented from accessing your account or posting content, a shadowban allows you to continue using Instagram normally. However, your content becomes less visible to non-followers and does not appear in hashtag searches. As a result, your engagement metrics will be dropped drastically.

4. How long does a shadow ban last on Instagram?

Well, that’s quite a tricky question as there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But a popular fact is that shadow bans may not be as long-lasting as normal bans. As per experts, it may range from a couple of days to even a week. In fact, it depends on the action that has triggered the shadow ban. More serious or repeated violations may result in longer shadowbans. If you identify and resolve the issue promptly, the shadowban will be lifted more quickly.

Bottom Line

Do you feel like your Instagram is hitting the rock bottom? Stop checking shadow bans through manual methods. Verify your account health status with our advanced Instagram shadow ban checker because prompt identification and correction may make the algorithm lift the shadow ban easily. And guess what? The tool is free and you can use it without any restrictions. No sign-ups. No logins. Try out our Instagram shadow ban checker now!