Are you wondering why your Instagram couldn’t follow hashtags? In this article, you will learn the answer to why you couldn’t follow hashtags on Instagram and how to fix this problem.
If you use Instagram regularly, then it’s likely that you have used some hashtags to help promote your content, boost engagement with your audience, or just for fun.
That said, it is equally probable that at some point along the way, you may have noticed that specific hashtags or terms just stopped appearing in the list of tags you can use when commenting or sharing pictures on Instagram.
This can be a source of frustration for users and Instagrammers alike.
Suppose this has recently happened, or maybe you were always wondering why it was not possible to follow certain types of tags in the first place.
In that case, you will learn the answers and solutions for using hashtags on Instagram efficiently and effectively.
Why Can’t I Follow Hashtags on Instagram?
Instagram doesn’t allow you to use specific hashtags, and if you use them, they will ban your account. For example, Instagram banned the hashtag #instagram, so if you were to use it, Instagram would ban your account.
To avoid this problem, you must ensure that you don’t use these banned hashtags when posting on Instagram. Stuff like hate speech is permanently blocked.
Shadowbanning means that your posts aren’t showing up in search results, but they can still appear in the feeds of people who already follow you.
An outdated operating system or browser or a virus that prevents updates from downloading causes Instagram not to work correctly on those devices, including Instagram hashtags, without fixing them first.
You must update your phone to the latest version of Android or iOS for Instagram to follow your hashtags.
If My Instagram Account is Private and I Hashtag, Will it Work
If you set your Instagram account to private, adding a hashtag to your post or posting a story won’t make that content appear on the corresponding hashtag page.
Only people who follow you will see those posts in their feed, and they will only see them if they follow you.
If you set your profile to public, your followers and strangers will see your posts and hashtags on the corresponding hashtag page.
Everyone who uses Instagram will see it. This can help you as a business because it gives you more exposure—but only if people know about your page.
A public account exposes your information to the public, while a private account is safe and promises your privacy and the ability to control your account.
You can change these settings whenever you want. So if one day you decide maybe you don’t want everyone but certain people to see all of your posts and hashtags, no problem. Just go back into Settings > Privacy and change it up.
You Have Been Shadowbanned on Instagram
The Instagram shadowban is a severe threat to your marketing and business. It doesn’t just affect your presence on Instagram but can also impact what people see in their feed and on the hashtags they follow.
A shadowban prevents your account from being seen on hashtags and the explore page. It can also stop people from seeing your profile.
So, no matter how many hashtags you use or stories you post, you are just wasting time because your followers will not see them.
The worst part is that Instagram designed its algorithm so that they can shadowban you without your knowledge. But there is a way you can find out if you are shadowbanned.
- Use uncommon hashtags in your posts.
- Now look for those hashtags on a different account.
- Are they visible? If so, you are safe. If not, you have been shadowbanned.
So you find out you have been shadowbanned. What now? Well, not to worry, there are some things you can do to avoid being shadowbanned.
How to Avoid Being Shadowbanned
No one wants to be shadowbanned on Instagram. Today, about 36.5% of top Instagram accounts have been shadowbanned. Here are some tips on how to avoid being shadowbanned.
Do not use third-party apps to schedule post updates
Avoiding third-party apps is the first step to avoiding being shadowbanned. Instead of third-party apps, you are better off scheduling your posts manually.
Instagram may have shadowbanned these apps already, and if you use them, your account is at risk of being shadowbanned.
Don’t use platforms that promise to increase your follower count
Some online profiles are fake. Bots, or automated accounts called “bots,” create these accounts and program them to like, comment, or share posts on social media.
If you are using any third-party tool that promises to increase your follower count by adding fake followers in bulk, please stop because you’re violating Instagram’s terms and conditions, and they will shadowban you.
Avoid spamming contents
Avoid spamming comments by creating original and unique ones. Only share helpful information and avoid posting the same content repeatedly in different groups or pages.
If you are a regular user of Instagram, you must have seen comments like “follow me back” or “like my photo.” These are annoying and can get you banned from using Instagram.
Stop spam liking and DMing people with the same message
You might be shadowbanned if you keep sending the same message to different users. This cannot be very pleasant for other users who may not want to repeatedly receive the same message.
People who post irrelevant content on social media platforms often get shadowbanned by these platforms. So, try to avoid posting irrelevant content as much as possible.
The Hashtag You’re Using is Banned
Using the wrong hashtags can be why Instagram is not allowing you to follow certain hashtags. Sometimes, Instagram has banned such hashtags.
And if you succeed in using such hashtags, it could get your account shadowbanned, which will reduce your account’s activity.
So, the best thing you can do is avoid using banned hashtags. Instagram has a clear policy on what you can do and what you cannot do on the platform.
This works the same way for hashtags. Specific hashtags will get you banned. For example, if you use hashtags that promote hate speech or anything of the sort.
As long as you use tags that violate Instagram rules, Instagram will ban you.
One bad apple spoils the bunch. So, if you use even one banned hashtag amongst the 30 allowed hashtags, Instagram will get you banned, and it will restrict your other 29 hashtags.
Also, if you use hashtags that generate spam likes, spam comments, and so forth, you will get a temporary ban and a shadowban.
All of this causes Instagram to treat your account as a threat, die the violations, and suspect you of engaging in suspicious activity. If you want to be safe, follow the Instagram guidelines for the latter.
Make Your Profile Public
The first thing you need to do is make your account public. When you set your account to private, it won’t allow anyone else to see your posts or follow your account unless they follow you.
To make your account public, go into “Account Settings” and click on “Privacy Settings.” From there, select “Public Profile” and save changes.
When your account is private, only people who follow you will see your post hashtags and stories, so you cannot reach a larger audience.
If you’re an Instagram user, you know hashtags are the best way to get your content in front of people who wouldn’t usually see it. But what if you can’t follow hashtags? We’ve got good news: it’s not something to worry about.
In general, hashtags are only visible to users who have made their accounts public. This means that if you set your account to private, no one will see any of your posts containing hashtags, even if they follow them.
Here’s how to make your account public.
Step 1: On your smartphone, launch the Instagram app.
Step 2: In the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap the profile picture icon. It will bring up your profile.
Step 3: In the upper-right corner, tap three horizontally stacked lines, then Settings.
Step 4: Select Privacy.
Step 5: Under Connections, select “Account privacy.”
Step 6: You’ll notice a private account with a toggle button. Move the button to the left.
There will be a pop-up box. Select Change. That is how your profile becomes public.
The Hashtag and Photo Do Not Match
Did you know that you can’t just post random hashtags and expect them to work?
Take a look at the last few posts you’ve made—did you use any random keywords or phrases that had nothing to do with your visual content? If so, most likely, the image and hashtag don’t match, which might be why Instagram couldn’t follow hashtags.
Instagram relies on hashtags and photos to organize content. Hashtags are keywords that users can search for, and the photo and the hashtag should match for Instagram to show them on your feed.
The Instagram algorithm shows photos and hashtags related to users, so it can report them as inappropriate when they’re not. For this reason, don’t use random words or phrases as hashtags.
If you’ve been posting to Instagram but haven’t been able to follow hashtags, you’re not alone. It’s a common problem, and it happens when people post photos that don’t match their hashtags. This explains why the
The Instagram algorithm shows photos and hashtags related to users, so if they are unrelated, Instagram can report them as inappropriate.
Instead, choose hashtags that match your visual content subject.
The hashtags You’re Trying To Follow Are Broad
If you’ve noticed that Instagram couldn’t follow some of your hashtags, it might be because those hashtags are too broad.
If you’re using broad hashtags, stop this practice. It’s a known fact that using more specific hashtags related to your niche or brand will help you increase engagement and followers.
Sometimes these broader hashtags work—they might help you increase your engagement and following. But if they’re not helping you reach the right audience, they’re not worth it.
To get more followers on Instagram, it might tempt you to use broad hashtags like #fashion, #fashionista, or #fashion blogger.
While these might help you increase your engagement and following, they’re not necessarily going to help you reach the relevant audience if you are posting music-related or supplementary content. They are not related to fashion at all.
It would help if you used relevant hashtags because they help you reach the appropriate audience, an audience interested in your product or content.
Although it might limit your ability to reach a larger audience, you will still be at an advantage because you will reach people interested in your product and want to buy it again and again.
Use specific hashtags relevant to hashtags that people in your niche are searching for, and avoid broad hashtags.
Contact Instagram
If you’re on Instagram and couldn’t follow hashtags, there’s a good chance that it was just a glitch.
If the methods discussed above don’t help you, the best thing you can do is to contact Instagram when you can’t follow hashtags.
This way, their support team can look into it further and find out why the problem is happening.
Go to their support page and submit a request. They’ll be able to help. You can also reach out to them on Twitter, but Instagram is the best way to go.
How to Use Hashtags on Instagram
We know how hard it can be to get started on Instagram, but we’re here to help. We’ve got you covered if you’re wondering how to use hashtags on Instagram. Here are the steps:
- Upload a video or photo.
- Tap, Write a caption.
- Type “# Type a message or key in an emoji.
- Now you can apply a filter if you want.
- Now click next.
- You can use numerics with hashtags.
- However, you cannot use spaces or special characters such as % or $.
- Click to share.
But what if you want to add hashtags to a post that you have already shared? In that case, edit the caption and add them to the post’s comments.
Should You Follow Hashtags on Instagram?
Following a hashtag is good if you want to see what other people are saying about a particular topic or event.
You’ll get a sense of what other people are thinking about and how they feel about it. It’s also a great way to find out about new trends or issues in your community.
But there are downsides too. If you follow too many hashtags at once, it’s hard to keep up with them.
You might miss something important because so many other people are talking about it at once.
And if one hashtag trends and gets popular, then suddenly everyone is using it—and your feed will be full of posts you don’t care about because they’re spamming the same tag repeatedly.
So basically, follow hashtags if you have the time for them. If not, don’t worry about it—there are plenty of people who will do it for you instead.
Instagram is Down
A lot of the time Instagram faces times where it might not be working for a while. When this happens the app can be pretty annoying.
When this happens you might want to check a website called DownDetector. This website tells you when an app is currently down.
Other users comment on the current issues they’re facing so you do get an idea of when this happens.
If you find that the app is currently down then you should wait till the next day as I’ve found that this is how long it takes for Instagram to solve issues. If you can’t wait then just use another app which I will be getting into below.
Conclusion
Now you know what it means when Instagram can’t follow hashtags. You have the fix at your fingertips.
Instagram can restrict your ability to follow hashtags if your account is private, if you’ve been shadowbanned, or if the hashtags you’re using have been banned,
Also, if your hashtag and photo don’t match, and if you’re using broad hashtags.
You also know the tips to use if your account has been shadowbanned, why you should make your account public, how to properly use hashtags the right way, and whether you should follow hashtags. I hope you found this article helpful.
