Recently we experienced the sudden loss of our beloved Instagram business page. After countless unanswered emails and support requests, our frustration levels were as high as our energy levels were low. In fact, we were starting to believe that we would have to rebuild our account from scratch and lose the content and community we’ve built over the years.
We’re relieved to say, it came back. However this situation has also made us realise just how easy for it to disappear abruptly without warning and no communication. Many others asked how it happened and what we needed to do in order to get it back.
So if you’ve got this far and equally curious, here’s what the process looked like for us and tips to navigate the setback.
1. Appeal for your account
First and foremost, appeal for your business Instagram to be reinstated. The appeal process allows you to submit a request to review the account suspension. While the process may take time, it is essential to remain patient and provide any necessary information or evidence to support your case. Persist and follow up regularly.
The process:
- Visit: https:Â help.instagram.com
- Search: ‘My Instagram is disabled’
- Click on the appropriate help form – see below
4. If you feel the account was disabled by mistake, you can appeal for it to be restored by opening the app, entering your username and password and following the on-screen instructions within the Instagram app.Â
5. This is what you’ll see:
6. Click on the ‘learn more’ link to begin your form submission.
7. Repeat the above process and keep an eye out for a response email from Instagram support.Â
After 12 days of relentless form submissions and with the help of others appealing on our behalf, hallelujah! We receive this email in our inbox confirming the reinstatement.
2. Diversify your reach
While waiting for your Instagram account to be reinstated, focus on what you have control over and diversify your reach. Invest your time and energy in other marketing channels. This emphasises the important of building an online presence across multiple platforms to reduce the risk of relying solely on Instagram to connect with your community.
3. Maintain productivity within your team
Reprioritise your team’s efforts and have them redirect their energy to other responsibilities or projects, so you don’t lose efficiency and productivity within your team during this setback. This could look like encouraging your team to develop content for your other platforms (emphasising the importance of diversifying reach), motivate them to work on a new project outside of their comfort zone. Leveraging your team’s expertise will not only ensure the maintenance of productivity, but also maintain momentum for your business.Â
4. Pick up those neglected side projects
If you’re a business owner, there are undoubtedly plenty of tasks you can pick up that have fallen to the wayside. See the silver linings of this situation as a time to pick those projects that have taken a backseat due to the demands of strategising, planning or managing your Instagram account. Utilise this downtime to breathe new life into other projects. Expanding your presence beyond Instagram not only diversifies your reach but it also opens up new opportunities for growth, innovation and engagement.
5. Mentally prepare yourself
While the goal is to regain access to your business Instagram account, it’s difficult to get any sort of response back from this large conglomerate and for whatever reason, there still might be a chance you won’t get it back. By accepting you may potentially need to start over and shifting your mindset, it can help you to alleviate stress, as well mentally prepare you to start to focus on rebuilding and moving forward.Â
Experiencing a disabled Instagram account is frustrating and can be a setback, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your digital journey. By being persistent with your appeals for reinstatement, expanding your reach, reprioristing your team’s efforts and picking up those neglected projects will help you to navigate this setback. Mentally preparing for the worst-case scenario will also make it much easier to deal with, should that eventuate.Â
We hope these tips and the process of how to restore your account was insightful. Setbacks can be an opportunity for growth, motivation, innovation and help you build resilience to adapt to the unforeseen. Â
Craft ‘n Connect specialise in human-centered copywriting to help brands build a strong connection with their audience. digital channels. We craft compelling content that engages, educates, inspires and converts. If you need help effectively communicating your value, get in touch with us.Â
