8 Things You Should Never Do On Instagram

Instagram remains one of the top social media platforms in 2023. Its popularity continues to increase, with more people signing up every day. In the unlikely event that you’re new to Instagram, there are certain rules the platform’s users must follow. And Instagram etiquette is non-negotiable.

Keep reading to discover the 8 things you should never do on Instagram to avoid being banned or losing your audience.

1. Don’t Be Lazy

It may sound strange to say, but considering how many lazy content creators there are on Instagram, you’ll soon see that it makes sense. Some people create four posts and continue to circulate them for weeks. Other accounts post once a month.

Inconsistent content is not going to do you or your brand any favors. If you have an engaged audience, you must provide valuable content to keep them interested.

At the same time, you shouldn’t sell your brand every chance you get. Instead of “buy this now” or “get this today,” focus on creating memorable content. Instagram shouldn’t be an advertising platform for your brand. Instead, it should be where you tell your story and show your personality. It should be the forum where your audience gets familiar with your mission, vision, and values. When your followers know what your brand is about, they’ll seek out your products and services.

2. Don’t Ignore Audience Engagement

If you’re on Instagram to build your brand identity, the worst thing you can do is ignore comments and messages. If a comment doesn’t require a response, you can still reply with a ‘Thank you’ or ‘We appreciate that.’ When your followers ask direct questions, try to answer within a few hours.

Starting conversations on Instagram is a two-way street and a win-win situation. Your audience gets the information they need, and you get more engagement on your profile.

Your brand won’t get anywhere on Instagram if you stay a lurker. Invite comments and questions, and post content that gets people thinking and talking.

3. Don’t Go Overboard With the Hashtags

Instagram hashtags make your content more discoverable. But if you start tacking on 30 hashtags in every post, your content will seem spammy. Instead of using every hashtag in the book, focus on finding hashtags that speak to your brand voice. You can also create branded hashtags to make your content stand out more.

If you insist on using as many hashtags as Instagram allows, at least ensure each hashtag is relevant to your brand. You also want to choose a combination of low, medium, and high-density hashtags.

4. Don’t Skimp On Quality Content

If you’re busy or in a hurry, it can be tempting to grab any visual, type a few words, and post it on Instagram. The problem with this is that no forethought went into the content, which means it won’t relate to anyone.

Before posting anything on Instagram, you must establish what the message of the post is. Do you want people to click through to your website for more information? Do you want your audience to participate in a poll? Do you want to introduce a new product or service?

Tailor all your content around the message you want to send. And your visuals must match your brand. Furthermore, you should never use low-quality photos. Poorly edited images (unless used for humor) won’t attract interested followers, and neither will caption-less posts, for that matter. Even if you think all your photographs speak a thousand words, you must add context with captions.

5. Don’t Ignore Instagram’s Features

Instagram offers a range of features to help content creators get their brands in front of the right audiences. If you ignore these features, your content will likely be boring and overlooked by those scrolling to find new products or services.

Use a variety of filters to make your Instagram grid stand out. Use geotagging to indicate where your products and services are available. You can also choose stickers to enhance engagement around your posts. If you want to pos videos, you can use Instagram Stories to highlight your product process and reels to show your audience what goes into a day’s work.

Instagram even has its own Twitter competitor in the form of Threads. Threads allow videos of up to 5 minutes each, which can do wonders for your marketing campaign.

6. Don’t Engage in Mass-Following or Unfollowing Tactics

Avoid randomly following people to make it seem like you have an established account. The idea behind this tactic is that the people you follow will follow you back, making it seem like you have a massive audience. Most people who do this wait a couple of weeks and then unfollow most of the accounts they follow.

This tactic tends to be ineffective at growing your follower count. Not only is it a spammy thing to do, but Instagram frowns upon it, and you might get your account suspended for your troubles.

7. Don’t Post 100 Selfies a Day

Posting selfies on your personal account is no problem. You can even post one or two behind-the-scenes photos of yourself on your business account to make your brand more engaging and more “human.”

But when you start spamming your own feed with photos of yourself, it gets more than a bit much for your audience. Your followers don’t want to see your face every five seconds, even if you’re an influencer. Instead, they want to know about your brand and its value.

8. Don’t Entertain or Post Inappropriate Content

You must follow the law when posting content on Instagram. You cannot engage or entertain terrorism, crime, or hate groups on your profile. Neither can you offer products like drugs, guns, etc. Instagram has zero tolerance for those breaking the law on its platform. Instagram can and will report you to the authorities if you don’t stick to the rules.

Final Thoughts

Modern Instagram content must be authentic, engaging, and high-quality. It must steer clear of controversial topics and instead help brands build an influential presence on the platform. By keeping the above in mind, you can do exactly that for your own brand.