It’s not easy to talk freely about the beautiful green herb on social networks, whether it’s legalized in certain countries or not. It’s even more complex when you’re promoting it, and CBD is at the heart of your business. Producers, distributors and even the specialized press are all in the same boat: a drastic loss of visibility. Don’t panic, ZEWEED has done the research for you: here are our top 5 tips for slipping through the cracks and promoting your business.
Foreword: Shadow Ban on Instagram
Shadow Ban means that Instagram restricts the visibility of an account without explicitly notifying the user. As a result, content published by that account becomes less visible – or even – completely invisible – in search results and on discovery pages. This results in fewer likes, comments and new followers.
The reasons for the Shadow Ban can be diverse, ranging from non-compliance with community rules to the use of practices deemed inauthentic, such as buying followers or abusing hashtags, and in our case: talking about cannabis or CBD, which are considered by Meta & Co. to be “illicit” substances.
Monitor account status in Settings.
First of all, it’s essential to know whether or not visibility has been affected. To find out, simply go to “Account settings and activity > Account status”.
Like a traffic light, if all the lights are green, you’re not losing visibility and you can continue to implement best practices to avoid losing it. It is nevertheless advisable to check your account status several times a week – or even daily.
Conversely, if one of the lights is orange, the penalties range from loss of visibility to account deletion, so you need to be vigilant and reactive.
Recourse options
Your account cannot be recommended to non-followers because the bot – robot – Instagram has decided that your content does not comply with the terms of use.
Here are the various possible remedies:
- Appeal the decision: you have the option of contesting the bot’s decision, so that your request can be reviewed by a “human” within 48 hours. It may not work the first time, so be persistent! You can also appeal the decision by going to the “Help Center” and pleading your case via the “Report a problem” section. The chances of you getting a reply are non-existent, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- Editing and/or deleting content considered problematic: you’ve appealed many times, but the algorithm doesn’t want to hear about it. You can now edit or delete the problematic content and start afresh. However, bear in mind that it can take between 24 and 48 hours for any changes to be recognized by Instagram and lift the shadow ban. So be patient.
Use authorized hashtags
Choose the hashtags you use in your publications with great care. The most obvious hashtags (#weed #cannabis #THC) should obviously be avoided. You can check beforehand whether a hashtag is authorized or not simply by searching for it in the search bar.
Paying attention to content
The Instagram algorithm is ruthless, as are hashtags, so you’ll need to avoid posting photos of joints and flowers, or do so in a roundabout way (e.g. in packaging, jars, etc.). You’ll also need to be vigilant about the use of certain words, whether in captions or even in post images – nothing escapes it. For example: replace certain sensitive words with their synonyms and emojis, or replace certain letters with asterisks.
Offer quality educational content
Instagram is a little more permissive when it comes to educational content: informing your audience about the effects and benefits of CBD will always be a good content idea. So the more varied, engaging and qualitative your content, the less likely you’ll be shadow banned.
In conclusion, promoting CBD products on Instagram can be a challenge, but by following these tips and staying compliant with the platform’s policies, you can minimize the risks while optimizing your visibility.
And if you want to get started with advertising on Instagram, this tuto is for you:
Many thanks to all the professionals who kindly agreed to answer our questions (special thanks to CBD Family).