The heavy hand of Meta can be both unforgiving and unpredictable. Profiles that Meta decides have violated its platforms’ terms may find themselves on the receiving end of punishments — including the dreaded “shadow ban,” which can be damaging for a brand’s social media campaign and strategy.
Let’s take a look at what shadow-banning is, how it impacts an account, how you can avoid it and what to do if you have already been shadow-banned.
Focusing more on video content, which Instagram will prioritize, can help recover the health of your profile and reverse a shadow ban.
Shadow-Banning Versus Deplatforming
If your brand is operating within the sexual wellness industry, then you are certainly aware of the ever-multiplying, shifting and sometimes ambiguous policies surrounding content that Meta deems “explicit.” The company’s 2023 crackdown was devastating for those who relied upon paid promotional partnerships and social media revenue for income, as it completely deplatformed many content creators without warning, including sex-positive intimacy coaches and sex educators. Sex toy brands have also felt the hot breath of Zuckerburg on their necks. Deplatforming is exactly what it sounds like: total removal of your account and disconnection from the follower base you have worked hard to attract, accumulate and nurture.
Shadow-banning, by contrast, does not completely shut down a social media account, but it does restrict the account, limiting the visibility of profile and posts. In particular, a shadow ban makes it harder for you to reach new potential subscribers. Remember, a social media user’s experience on a given platform is dictated heavily by an algorithm that determines what content they will see, based on what they have already shown interest in, with whom they currently interact and other factors. That’s why the Instagram “Explore” page shows an ever-updating stream of reels and images. Meta wants you to spend more time on the platform, so it will show you content it thinks you will enjoy. If your profile gets flagged for inappropriate content, your posts may stop appearing in public searches or on the Explore page — key performance indicators of brand or content creator’s social media presence.
The Impact of a Shadow Ban
Social media is an essential strand of any digital marketing strategy. It helps you gain brand awareness, recall and loyalty by occupying the space where target demographics spend their time. A well-curated and maintained social media presence is more than a shop window. It is a communication channel where brands and creators can build authentic relationships with potential customers in a way that conventional, old-school marketing has never before been able to.
Naturally, shadow-banning has a huge impact on reach and, therefore, profile growth. By preventing you from reaching new audiences, it can stop your campaign dead in its tracks. Can’t you just go elsewhere? You can try, but while platforms like X have fewer restrictions on speech, Instagram and TikTok are often the hero channels for brands and content creators, enabling engaging video content that best builds a brand’s authenticity and following, so losing access to those channels is rarely a viable option. Though TikTok is not a Meta platform, it has its own guidelines and standards applicable to adult brands.
Prevention: Get Creative, Be Vigilant
Fortunately, there are measures you can take to avoid being shadow-banned — or even worse, deplatformed. The first line of defense is simply to make sure you do not violate a platform’s TOS. That means monitoring anything you post and, if necessary, adapting the language and visuals before publishing. For instance, many brands avoid being flagged by spelling out potentially objectionable terms phonetically, or utilizing abbreviations.
Unfortunately, content deemed “safe” one week may get flagged the next, or even months after posting. It is essential to stay up to date on regulations so that you can step in to remedy the situation should this happen to you. Ignoring or neglecting flags is the first step on the road to having your account restricted or made unavailable to non-followers. To avoid punishment and harm to the social media branch of your digital marketing strategy, actively manage your account’s “health” status, and take steps to comply with the rules.
Restoring a Restricted Account
At Little Leaf, we have inherited accounts that were in serious need of a full health check and damage control. We have found that fully restoring a restricted account — lifting a shadow ban — can involve addressing more than merely the content. Often, other factors contribute to the problem, such as links and details in the bio section, or the image metadata that displays picture information. A thorough restoration strategy therefore requires a sharp eye for spotting anything that could be considered a rules violation.
Once a complete profile health check has been completed and any flagged or risky content has been removed, that is an opportune moment to alter your posting strategy in order to help remedy the poor or limited reach the account will be suffering from due to restriction. For example, focusing more on video content, which Instagram will prioritize, can help recover the health of your profile and reverse a shadow ban. So can posting regularly, which is always important for staying visible and engaged. The same things you do to engage and attract users will help to boost your reach and engagement levels as you recover from shadow-banning.
Appealing a Decision
If you feel that your content was flagged unjustly or mistakenly, you may appeal to have it checked again. Only do this once you are certain that you are not breaking any regulations in your visual or written content; otherwise, Meta may just double down on its decision and keep an even closer eye on your content in the future.
As much as we wish there were a surefire formula or quick fix for these issues, staying on top of things is more complex. It involves creativity, an arsenal of different techniques and tools, and the ability to pivot quickly and seamlessly. Since the rules and policies of companies like Meta are always shifting, remember to stay up to date so as not to sacrifice all the hard work your brand has put into connecting with audiences on social media.
Scarlett Ward is the affiliate and influencer manager at Little Leaf Agency, a PR and communications agency dedicated to sexual wellness.
