Before I started writing this Instagram lesson, I was going to tackle not only the subject of Instagram mistakes that can decline your reach, but also the most common errors that can negatively impact your engagement. But eventually, I came to the conclusion that this should be a two-part article because even though reach and engagement go hand in hand, they’re still two different concepts. And to kind of categorize it and make it easier for you guys to understand and apply these changes step by step, this post will be all about the mistakes you may be making on your Instagram profile.

So if you’re interested in part 2 of this article, you know what to do. I think it is really going to help you understand the difference between the reach and engagement on Instagram, and what are the few basic things you can tweak in your profile to first, reach more followers and second, turn them into an engaged community.

But that’s enough self-explanatory stuff for now! Let’s go!

Let’s Talk About What Instagram Reach Is, and Why Is It Important for Your Growth?

Instagram reach is, put simply, how many people actually see your content: posts, videos, Reels, stories, lives. And the obvious conclusion is that the more people see your content, the more of them are likely to take action on your posts, and eventually visit your profile and click that “Follow” button, to stay with you for more. I won’t be getting into depth with the algorithm, and how your posts are ranked on Instagram today, this is like the next step, so I’ll focus on the first couple of changes you can apply to your Instagram strategy, to level up your chances to rank higher in your followers’ feeds and in the explore page.

So keep reading till the very end, to make sure you avoid these common Instagram mistakes that limit your reach.

Buying Followers, Likes, or Using Bots

The first mistake has been said everywhere, so let’s just get it out of the way – but I think it’s worth mentioning for some of you who might still consider boosting your reach in some artificial ways. And that’s going to be buying followers and likes. 

I get why this sounds tempting, but it really is a no-no.

Maybe you’re just starting a branded account from scratch and not seeing massive results in your growth, or you really want to have this 10k on your follower count. There could be many reasons, but probably the psychological one is the most valid – our brains are set to think that more means more, more means better and looks more professional, and that’s the misconception that people usually fall for when deciding to go for this option. 

But why is it a no-go? When you buy Instagram followers, you’re paying for a number. Nothing else. No real engagement, or reach increase will come from it. These followers will probably never like or comment on your posts, and if you’re caught with a ton of fake followers, you could ruin your credibility with your real audience, not to mention brands that may have wanted to work with you.

On top of that – Instagram can tell and really pays attention to it. They have been heavily cracking down on accounts that violate their terms and conditions, so if you use bots and fake followers, Instagram can flag or ban your profile.

The second mistake you may be making that causes your reach decline is…

Using Banned Hashtags

If you really pay attention to your hashtag game, make sure to keep them niche-specific and diverse from one post to another, you might be accidentally using banned hashtags.

Banned hashtags are the ones that won’t provide you any reach on the platform. Instagram recognizes them as spam that violates Instagram’s community guidelines, so, any of your posts that use these hashtags will be hidden from viewers.

Also, same as with fake followers and likes – using banned hashtags can result in Instagram flagging your account, and repeated flags can also result in shadow banning or even your Instagram account removal.

The list of banned hashtags keeps changing all the time, but there is a super helpful tool you can use completely for free to spot them with one click, and that’s IQ Hashtags Banned Hashtags search tool. I talk about it in this article, so save yourself some time on research and make sure your posts are always visible to your audience.

Here’s another Instagram mistake that can cut your organic reach:

Using The Same Set Of Hashtags All Over Again 

Coming up with a different set of 30 niche hashtags for every single post is impossible. You will always have a couple of core hashtags representing your niche, and, naturally, you will want to re-use them in your posts as long as they are relevant to your content. Hashtags are a fantastic way to connect with your target audience, but even in this case, Instagram doesn’t appreciate any signs of automation and misleading Instagram users. In order to help the algorithm to categorize your content, and deliver it to the right people you need to be very descriptive in your hashtags, so it knows exactly what to do with your post and deliver it to the maximum number of users possible. So re-using the same set of hashtags may decrease their reach potential.

There’s another quick fix when you run out of your hashtag ideas: and that’s the Hashtag search tool. So if you’re struggling to keep your hashtags diverse, then this option here will answer all of your problems.

4th mistake that limits your Instagram reach is:

Putting Your Account in Private Mode

I mean, it might sound like a self-evident thing for some of you, but not necessarily for all of you, so let’s just cut to the chase with this one and make it very clear to everyone here. If you’re trying to increase your following, set your profile to public! Not many people will be tempted to buy a pig in a poke. What really sells your brand is the general look of your profile, and the quality of your content, so if people don’t have access to it straight away, not a lot of them will want to follow you if they have to request it first.

And the last one on today’s list of most common Instagram mistakes that decrease your reach is:

Not Using Location Tags

Location tags allow you to add your location to any of your Instagram posts or stories. This is especially useful for local businesses or if you want to attract more followers who are in the same location as you.

This is an effortless fix to reach and attract new followers to your profile.

These are all the basic mistakes that can hurt your organic reach, but they can be easily fixed without giving too much thought or time. So go ahead and apply them to your Instagram profile right now.

Of course, let’s keep in mind that reaching people with your content isn’t yet the answer to creating a solid and engaged following. There are other elements to your Instagram strategy, and I’ll be slowly breaking it down into small strategic steps to help you grow your Instagram profile in future Instagram lessons.

But right now, if you found this article helpful, show me some love by staying in touch with the blog!

Thank you so much for reading and being here today!

The post My Instagram Reach Is Down – 5 Quick Fixes (And 5 Mistakes You May Be Making) appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

Your hashtags may not work for several reasons, but that doesn’t mean that hashtags don’t work at all.

The most common reason for this is our own mistakes.

But don’t worry.

They can be fixed very quickly.

In this article we will explain why your hashtags are not working and how to fix it.

Let’s start!

#1 Instagram hashtags not working because… you use banned hashtags

Banned hashtags violate the rules of the Instagram platform, which is why Instagram blocked them.

That’s the fact.

If at least one of your 30 hashtags is banned, all others are restricted.

Some hashtags (for example related to pornography, terrorism, hate speech, verbal and physical violence) are permanently blocked.

Hashtags reported by other users or generating a lot of spam are blocked temporarily, so their status may change from day to day.

Therefore, it is important to check the hashtags before each publication.

You can check them here.

Be sure to check them in “real time”, because some of them can be banned temporarily, and then unbanned and blocked again.

In addition, use the same hashtags tool to check if you have banned hashtags throughout your profile, because it can affect visibility of your account.

If you publish a lot of such content, Instagram may think that your account is focused on publishing content that does not comply with the regulations and may begin to treat all your content as suspicious and limit your reach – and we do not want that!

Go to the IG profile analysis tab, open the list of banned hashtags and be sure to edit the content and remove the banned hashtags from the posts or archive posts with these hashtags.

#2 Instagram hashtags not working because…. you use too large or too small hashtags

Did you know that hitting the TOP9 of the hashtag is responsible for the highest reach of your photo?

TOP 9 is the most popular photos that were published under a given hashtag.

Whether a photo is popular is primarily influenced by the interest it creates: likes, comments, shares, time spent on the photo and reading its description, etc.

Under a large hashtag, the competition is very large and maybe that’s why you don’t get to the TOP9 and have the impression that your hashtags are not working and you do not receive enough views from hashtags.

It is possible that you are also using too small, niche hashtags, under which no one is looking for content, so you have low hashtag reach.

What can you do to get to the TOP9 to increase your hashtag reach?

Correctly specify the hashtag size.

You can use the Hashtags Performance tool by IQhashtags.com to check exactly which hashtag you get to TOP9.

Experiment and then analyze and on this basis determine the range of hashtags.

How do you specify a good hashtag range for your account?

It’s simple!

• Add photos to Instagram and check Hashtags Performance tool, check which hashtags hit your photo to the TOP9,
• Analyze and save hashtags’ ranges,
• Choose hashtags from given range for next photos on Instagram!

#3 Instagram hashtags not working because…. hashtags do not match the subject of the photo

Users searching for content under a given hashtag.

The first thing they see is visual content, so if what they see does not match what they were looking fo, they can report to Instagram that this content is inappropriate.

They can hide your photo using the “Don’t show for this hashtag” from the hashtag view or while they are watching the selected hashtag, and the wrongly described photo will be displayed in their feed.

That is why it is important to add hashtags that are related to the subject of your visual content.

Resume

Don’t worry if one in several photos doesn’t get a high reach.

It happens!

Analyze, experiment and be consistent!

After a few publications, you’ll begin to understand better how hashtags work and see the first results.

The post Instagram hashtags not working? Here are the 3 most common reasons! appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

If you have read the previous article, you already know what they are and why you must avoid them:

However, how do you recognize and check banned hashtags on Instagram?

In this text you will learn:

• The methods for checking banned hashtags on Instagram,
• The tools you can use to automatically check for hashtags,
• The pros and cons of these methods and tools,
• Why checking banned hashtags from the past is important.

Methods for checking hashtags on Instagram

Among the available methods we can currently mention manual analysis and automatic analysis.

It is worth adding that both options have their pros and cons, so read carefully the study for each method to finally choose the best.

Manual analysis is, simply, manual checking of hashtags on Instagram.

Automatic analysis is the use of tools that will check hashtags for you.

Manual analysis

• Method:

Enter the hashtag that you want to use under your new photo or video in the Instagram search engine.

Search for it and then go to its website.

For hashtags permanently banned that also grossly violate the Community Rules, you will not be able to search for them on the site.

Hashtags banned permanently or periodically due to reports or spam, you can easily search.

You will recognize their status by the fact that the tag page (at the very top) will display a short annotation about their “blocking” (hiding recent content due to community reports).

• Pros:

This method is very effective because the analysis is carried out in real time directly on the platform.

Another advantage is that it is completely free.

So much for pros, time for cons.

• Cons:

Inability to bulk check the entire set of tags.

This means that you must manually enter each hashtag and see if the content is blocked.

If you add 30 hashtags under a photo, you must repeat this action 30 times before each new Instagram publication.

Another downside is that checking old photos with this method is very tedious, although of course possible.

Assuming, however, that during the life of your profile you have used several hundred or even several thousand unique tags, you would have to manually check all of them in the Instagram search engine.

And then get rid of them, for example by archiving the photo (if you used it in the description) or by deleting the comment (if you entered the hashtag in the comment).

I will write why you should do this in the last paragraph

Automatic analysis

Otherwise, hashtag analysis using dedicated tools is also an effective method if you use solutions that allow you to check hashtags in real time.

This is done automatically after entering the hashtag or the whole set in a special field of the tool.

Then the platform is polled for each of the selected tags.

• Method:

You enter a hashtag or a set of hashtags in the search field and wait for the tool to check your queries and provide their results.

iqhashtags/bannedhashtags

You copy the hashtags that have been confirmed as valid by the tool (they are not blocked).

• Pros:

The biggest plus is the time saving, which you can use for other activities, such as preparing an engaging description under the photo.

Unlike Instagram, the tools allow you to check even whole sets of hashtags in one search (IQhashtags , BannedHashtags).

However, this is not all of the advantages over Instagram analysis.

Some hashtag analysis tools allow you to check published photos from the past, whose descriptions or comments contain banned hashtags (IQhashtags).

Information that the tools are in a free version (BannedHashtags, IQhashtags) is definitely a plus, although they have their limitations.

In case of paid versions of tools (IQhashtags), hashtags are checked in real-time, which is why the results are 100% up-to-date and compatible with the platform, and the analysis itself takes place instantly.

Time for cons!

• Minuses:

Free solutions also have some disadvantages.

In some tools hashtag database in the free plan is updated every few days (BannedHashtags & free version of IQhashtags), so some tags may be “not caught” by the tool.

However, this problem does not occur in the paid plan (IQhashtags), where the “Real Time Check” option is available.

Why do you need to constantly check which hashtags are banned?

Hashtags can be blocked overnight.

Therefore, checking them “here and now” is the only option that will protect you from using banned tags and further consequences.

What consequences do I mean?

First of all, limiting the visibility of your photos, and thus a smaller reach (reaching new recipients), which can be translated into a number of new observations and likes.

In addition, frequent use of banned hashtags can lead to flagging the profile as publishing content that violates the regulations.

Consequently, this will shadowban or hide any new publications, even if you stop using banned hashtags under them.

I usually receive information about two weeks, but there is no official Instagram position on the length of such a blockade and the consequences for repeat offenders, so … it can last much longer.

Hashtags that are banned and have been used on your profile in the past

This action is from the “being on the safe side” category.

If a frequent use of banned hashtags results in blocking the visibility of new publications, having them in your profile also does not improve the perception of your intentions in the eyes of the platform.

They signal to the platform that the profile has in the past violated community rules and published content that does not comply with the regulations.

That is why it is worth cleaning your profile from the sins of the past.

For photos for which the banned hashtag appears in the description, it is best to edit the photo and delete the banned hashtag used in the description.

Deleting photos is not recommended.

Instagram uses machine learning system and by changing data on your profile in such a drastic way, you introduce chaos through which it must “learn you” again.

However, hashtag comments are divided.

I recommend you simply delete them and not fiddle at the main post, but if you prefer to archive the post this time, nothing stands in the way.

Let me know if you have experienced firsthand the hiding of Instagram posts, reduced hashtag reach or limited account visibility for the frequent use of banned hashtags and how long your blockade lasted

Meanwhile, I encourage you to read this article, which explains how to choose hashtags to the content of your profile: Instagram Hashtag Guide 2020 – How to find the relevant hashtags? [TOOLS, METHODS]

The post Banned Hashtags on Instagram: How to recognize and check which hashtags are banned? appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

Instagram banned hashtags really exist and negatively affect the reach of your posts.

Well, you already know everything. You can go home.

And seriously, this is probably the shortest thesis, or rather a fact that you will read today in any article.

Below you will find the proof for it and explanation why it is so.

Banned hashtags – # that have been blocked by Instagram, are one of the most common reasons for the reduced reach of your content.

I respect your time, so I leave a list of subsequent headers, allowing you to assess which ones correspond to your problem:

• What is not a hashtag?
• What is a hashtag?
• Reasons for blocking hashtags on Instagram.
• Types and characteristics of banned hashtags.

1. 1. Hashtags permanently banned.
   2. Hashtags banned temporarily (not permanently).

• Consequences of using banned hashtags

1. 1. What does the external platform coverage mean?
   2. What does the internal reach in the platform mean?

• Why is your reach really falling?

I recommend, however, to read the whole thing because it may turn out that seemingly bright elements are not as bright as you think.

Here we go!

Each subsequent text is a step closer to the text on how to choose hashtags

Meanwhile, I encourage you to read this article, which explains how to choose hashtags to your content: Instagram Hashtag Guide – How to find the relevant hashtags? [TOOLS, METHODS]

WHAT IS NOT A HASHTAG?

Hashtag is not a magic code with which the accounts of other social media users click in a crazy rush on the “follow” button on your profile or leave a “like” under your photos.

If you think about a strategy built with hashtags in this category, you are unfortunately wrong.

The correlation between coverage and observations may of course occur (and it really happens), but a hashtag is neither an observer nor a like generator.

WHAT IS HASHTAG?

This question may seem trivial, but if you try to put a clear definition in your head for a moment, you may find that this is not entirely true.

Hashtag is a tag (not only on social media) that allows you to sort content by topic, category or other accepted scheme.

That’s why you will find shrimp content under the hashtag # shrimp .

At least it should be like this.

They are like shelves in a store where, when looking for milk, you will look for a section with the word DAIRY 

And if you think about juice, you will pay attention to the one where the inscription JUICES or BEVERAGES appears 

Hashtag is a shelf that directs you to specific content that suits your current needs.

 

On Instagram, if something works for you, it also works the same way for other Instagram users.

Instagram users who can be potential recipients of your content, as long as the content meets their needs and is easy to find (described with the right tags).

Hashtag helps creators (and brands) reach more people interested in a specific topic or product.

Whether they decide to observe your profile or like your content depends on many other factors (e.g. content matching, content quality, consistency, regularity of publication, and even the current mood of the recipient, etc.).

REASONS WHY HASHTAGS ARE BANNED

Now that you know what hashtags are, you should also be able to explain what banned hashtags are.

Banned hashtags are tags that have been blocked by Instagram itself.

The reason for their blockade may be:

• collecting content on topics covered as prohibited on the site (pornography, terrorism, hate speech, violence, etc.),
• spam hashtags,
• users’ reports.

TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTAGRAM BANNED HASHTAGS

There are two types of banned hashtags:

• hashtags permanently banned,
• those that are blocked only temporarily.

Permanently banned hashtags include tags that clearly violate community policies (pornography, terrorism, hate speech, violence) and often spamogenic hashtags.

Hashtags banned from time to time also include spam tags and those under which the content has been reported by users themselves.

You probably wonder why I mention spam hashtags in both groups of tags?

This is for a simple reason.

Some of them, regardless of the type of blockade, are constantly abused by users.Therefore, despite the absence of gross violations, they remain banned or even completely removed as a search page in the platform ( see #iphone ).

It is also intended to limit the activity of spammer accounts.

„Instagram has put certain methods into place to stop the reach of spammy Instagram accounts, as many hashtags can do.” 

 

Important information.

Hashtags from group two can be blocked and unlocked overnight, because just because a tag worked yesterday does not mean that it will work tomorrow.

That is why I do not recommend any banned hashtag lists.

It’s pulling your legs. No one who creates them can guarantee that tags are still banned even within a few hours after the list was published.

I will explain how to control which hashtags are banned in the text update or in a new part.

• Hashtags permanently banned

Permanently banned hashtags can be divided into two categories:

• first group – completely banned (pornography, terrorism, hate speech, violence),
• second group – contributing to the generation of large amounts of spam.

Permanently (forever) – they will not return for future use.

Hashtags permanently banned from the first group cannot usually be searched on Instagram.

The page does not appear to exist.

Therefore, the content that is published under them is also invisible to other users.

Examples of such tags are #tits or #booty :

Hashtags permanently banned from the second group are usually visible only in part, and after scrolling the list (to about 36 items) a short information appears:

• Hashtags banned temporarily (not permanently)

Hashtags banned periodically are tags contributing to the generation of large amounts of spam or those reported by other users.

Hashtags banned from time to time usually return to use after some time (decrease of interest or being checked by the website administration).

(Website administration – I must admit that I do not know the name of the content moderation team, so I conventionally define the support part delegated to tickets with reports of violations on the platform)

Examples of such tags can even be those you create for your own brand, niche, but have been reported (flagged) by an “unfavorable” person.

CONSEQUENCES OF USING BANNED HASHTAGS

At this point we reach the so-called “meaty content”, i.e. the reasons why using banned hashtags has a negative impact on your account, especially on the external reach.

(For the purposes of the article and proper explanation of the topic, I use two terms: external and internal coverage.)

• What does external reach mean?

It’s reaching people who are on the platform but are not following your profile.

It is obtained, among others, using hashtags, location markings, ads, DM (direct messages) sharing, markings of other profiles in the photo / film or when another profile decides to recommend you.

• What does the internal reach in the platform mean?

It’s reaching recipients who are already following you.

It’s time to answer the title question, i.e. …

Why is your reach really decreasing?

# 1 REACH RESTRICTION BECAUSE OF HASHTAGS (BANNED)

If a hashtag is completely disabled, no new publications appear below it or the page has been completely removed, you will not be able to reach the recipients of this tag.

# 2 REACH RESTRICTION BECAUSE OF OTHER USED TAGS

Banned hashtags are like a virus.

One is enough to infect all the others.

No, don’t worry.

This does not mean that they will be banned on the platform.

This means that one banned hashtag in the content, hides your content no matter how many other hashtags you added under your photo.

If 1 banned has appeared in 30 hashtags, your photo will not be visible under it and under 29 others.

Where does it come from?

From automatically considering content as breaking the rules (because you describe it with tags that collect such content).

# 3 REACH RESTRICTIONS IN THE EXPLORE TAB

Unfortunately, but there are more consequences.

Your photo will also not be displayed on the Explore Instagram tab.

# 4 REACH RESTRICTION IN LOCATIONS

To make matters worse, you won’t find it in the marked location either.

# 5 ACCOUNT RESTRICTIONS (#REBELSTYLE )

The sources I have visited so far share the opinion that regular use of banned hashtags and having them in old posts can… periodically hide all publications in Instagram results, even if you only add the correct tags under the latest photos.

„This has been a big year for the company with their every changing algorithms and platform updates. In their efforts to implement methods to protect the app’s authenticity, Instagram’s bot detection has started flagging accounts as spam if they use certain hashtags.” 

„Using temporary or forever banned Instagram hashtags could shadowban, block or penalize your account.”

Conclusion 

This is due to flagging the account as potentially violating regulations – after all, without interruption (in the meaning of Instagram) you publish content that is not allowed.

In fact … it seems quite logical.

I hope that I managed to dispel a lot of doubts and above all show that Instagram is not so bad at all, as long as we follow its rules.

Meanwhile, I encourage you to read this article, which explains how to recognize and check which hashtags are banned: Banned Hashtags on Instagram: How to recognize and check which hashtags are banned? [TOOLS, METHODS]

The post Instagram banned hashtags 2023 – why your statistics are falling? appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.