The development of the hashtag back in 2007 allowed users to better organise posts, making it more accessible for those that are searching for content. 14 years on, it is still one of the best tools to help your instagram profile reach different variations of audience.
Hashtags are the foundation of your organic instagram reach, this is why it’s vital to understand which hashtags bring the best results if you want to maximise the overall performance of your content. It’s also important to monitor the ever-changing trends, keeping a close eye on hashtags that are getting a lot of traffic and engagement and the ones that people tend to avoid.
If you’ve stumbled upon hashtags that aren’t performing too well, something you might need to consider is if they have been banned.
Instagram has a bank of banned phrases which means they can’t garner reach on the platform. If you are unaware of the hashtags that have been prohibited, there is no way to avoid using them.
Why Do Instagram Hashtags Get Banned?
To understand what banned hashtags are, we must first look at why Instagram has a list of void hashtags.
Instagram bases its decision to prohibit hashtags based on a number of different aspects with the top priority being user experience and community satisfaction.
Flags and reports are a primary function for prohibiting hashtags. When a user submits a report, the phrase is deemed as inappropriate, allowing Instagram to conduct a review and make a decision on whether a ban needs to be put in place.
When a hashtag is banned, clicking the hashtag link will redirect you to a page with the display “posts hidden.” This means that using this hashtag will not bring you any reach.
Instagram’s List of Banned Hashtags
Banned Hashtags: A
- #abdl
- #addmyonlyfans
- #adulting
- #alone
- #always
- #asiangirl
- #ass
- #attractive
Banned Hashtags: B
- #babyrp
- #bacak
- #baddie
- #balenciaga
- #beautyblogger
- #besties
- #bikinibody
- #boho
Banned Hashtags: C
- #curvygirls
- #costumes
- #customers
Banned Hashtags: D
- #date
- #dating
- #desk
- #direct
- #DM
Banned Hashtags: E
- #eggplant
- #elevator
Banned Hashtags: G
- #girlsonly
- #gloves
Banned Hashtags: H
- #hardworkpaysoff
- #hawks
- #hotweather
- #humpday
- #hustler
Banned Hashtags: I
- #ice
- #italiano
Banned Hashtags: K
- #kansas
- #kickoff
- #killingit
- #kissing
Banned Hashtags: M
- #master
- #mileycyrus
- #milf
- #mirrorphoto
- #models
Banned Hashtags: N
- #nasty
- #nudity
Banned Hashtags: P
- #parties
- #petite
- #pornfood
- #prettygirl
Banned Hashtags: R
- #ravens
Banned Hashtags: S
- #selfharm
- #sexworker
- #single
- #skateboarding
- #skype
- #snap
- #stranger
- #streetphoto
- #sunbathing
- #swole
- #shower
- #shit
Banned Hashtags: T
- #tag4like
- #tagsforlikes
- #todayimwear
- #teens
- #teen
- #thought
Banned Hashtags: U-Z
- #underage
- #undies
- #valentinesday
- #workflow
- #wtf
- #youngmodel
How Can I Avoid Using Instagram Banned Hashtags?
There are effective methods you can use in order to get a forbidden hashtag noticed, that is if the hashtag is deemed appropriate. For example, the list contains phrases such as #beautyblogger, which seems like an unfortunate circumstance for people posting beauty related content.
In this scenario you can simply adjust the hashtag from #beautyblogger to #beautybloggers, ultimately removing the ban and letting users see the content via the hashtag link.
Similarly, you can surpass Instagram’s ban by creating your own hashtags. This allows you to create a more personalised hashtag strategy that allows users to gain a better understanding of what your business is truly about. If users decide to adopt the same hashtag for their content, it will appear in your hashtag feed, giving you the opportunity to interact with your audience.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the blocked hashtags on Instagram and how you can avoid using them, you can start to create an engaging hashtag strategy that harnesses Instagram’s organic reach algorithms.
For more information on social media strategies, check out our other blog posts at Be My Social.
