Without any doubts, you love Instagram social network and everything it gives to you. But do you know the major rules of using the platform? Have you ever read the Instagram terms of use? We are sure you haven’t. There are some pretty strict rules no user can neglect, however. Not following them, you risk getting shadowbanned or even having your account suspended. And today InstaBF, a major Instagram and IGTV provider will go over five important Gram rules you definitely need to know about.
Use Exceptionally Reliable Third-Party Posting Applications
During past years, Instagram had a categorical approach toward third-party applications. In fact, it had a completely closed API. This means the social network didn’t let any third-party application post directly on Gram. However, in 2018 many things changed and this rule was reconsidered. Now there is a list of applications you can make use of to publish right to your business profile. Accordingly, whenever you are to do that, check whether the app is included in the T&Cs or not. If not, you’d better avoid it, as far not all applications use methods approved by Instagram.
Avoid Using Banned Hashtags
Believe it or not, there are plenty of hashtags Instagram forbid using. And if some are obvious, others seem quite innocent at first sight. Among such tags we can name #eggplant, #citycentre, #adulting, etc. Some hashtags may have a secret urban dictionary or emoji meaning you might not be aware of. Therefore, before using any hashtag for the first time, make research to find out whether it’s banned or not. To do this, type the hashtag into the search box and see if the page “No results found” appears. If yes, the tag is banned and you should stay away from using it for your own sake.
Don’t Post Much
It’s not a secret that Instagram favors human real posters. In fact, all the dos and don’ts included in the T&Cs are meant to prioritize real users over bots and spammers. Just for this reason, there are certain limitations you should be aware of. Here are the most critical points to remember:
- Don’t follow or unfollow more than 60 Gram users in one hour;
- Don’t like more than 300 posts in one hour;
- Don’t make more than 60 comments in one hour.
As long as you adhere to these numbers, everything will be OK with your account. In case you are using a bot to automatically follow/unfollow users or post comments, do that responsibly. InstaBF has already talked about using bots responsibly. Go back to that article and revise it, if necessary.
Follow Reposting Rules
If you are going to share a post, make certain you follow all reposting rules. If Facebook allows to add your own insights and share the post while letting users see who the original poster was, everything is a bit more complicated when the matter concerns reposting on Instagram. Here you need to get permission from the original poster, add an appropriate hashtag (#repost or #regram) this way tagging the original content owner. Brands are to be especially cautious when using UGC.
Don’t Run Illegal Contests
We have already mentioned it in several of our articles that running an Instagram contest or promotion is a wonderful way of not only engaging your followers but also obtaining new ones and promoting your brand. However, there are contest-running rules you can’t neglect or bypass. When organizing one, you become responsible for both how it runs and how it complies with the local governmental rules and the regulations concerning the prizes you are going to give away to winners. For instance, if you are a brand producing alcohol drinks and organize an Instagram contest, you become responsible for making sure all the participants are of legal drinking age.
Instagram has included all the rules in the T&Cs and puts all the responsibility at your doorstep. Hence, you’d better go and read the T&Cs right now and watch out all your actions on this social platform.