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June 30, 2020

11 Reasons to Avoid A Private Instagram Account

Setting your account to private isn't always as positive as you think. Yes, it comes with advantages, but there are subtle disadvantages that a person has to think about too. In fact, there are a lot of negatives associated with making your account private.



Here are some of the cons that need to be kept in mind.

Con: Direct Messages Continue to Come

While you may have gone private, this doesn't mean you aren't going to be bombarded with direct messages. Those messages are still going to come and people are still going to leave comments that are hurtful or bothersome. If you want to cut out these messages, you have to do so one account at a time, which can be rather time-consuming. This is something no one wants to deal with, but it is a problem that continues to linger in the background.

Con: Doesn't Restrict Activity On Public Accounts

Let's assume you are taking the time to leave comments on public accounts. Well, these comments are not going to be hidden just because you have gone private. This is something you are going to have to be aware of regardless of what has been done with your account. Public figures will often not want to have this happen depending on what they are liking or commenting. This isn't a con for everyone, but it is something to keep in mind.

Cons: You Can be Seen

One of the biggest issues with setting an account to private is that with the right tools a person can still view your profile. Software such as Instalooker allows a person to view a private account even if it has been locked down. If you want to learn more about how it works take a look at https://instaprivateviewer.com/

Con: No One Will Follow You

A person isn't going to be interested in following you. They are not going to know who you are or what type of content you're putting up. This means they are automatically not going to want to learn more about you. This is difficult since a lot of people make split-second decisions when they are scrolling through. If you aren't there, they aren't going to know to follow you leading to a lost follower.

Con: Your Content Won't Show Up

Even if you were to set up a new hashtag, it wouldn't show up. Instagram makes sure it is hidden from everyone that is going through the hashtag. This means no one is going to know what you have posted about or what you are trying to show to the world.

Cons: The Use of Hashtags

A lot of people will be on the lookout for new content and most of them search around using hashtags. This means they aren't even looking for a username when they are on Instagram. If your account is private, they won't be able to see what you have hashtagged leading to a missed opportunity to gain new interest. This makes you invisible in their eyes even if they want to take a look at what you have to say or show. If you are thinking about growing your audience, this is a major mistake.

Con: Can't Embed Content

Do you like embedding content on your main blog? Well, in this case, you are not going to be able to since the social media account has been set to private. The content isn't going to appear for anyone that is not on your follower's list. This applies to any type of content that you are putting up on the website from your social media account.

Con: Lost Value

You are going to see the ads that are set up lose their value. A private Insta account isn't going to get the same traction as a public one due to the underlying algorithm. This means even when you are spending money on new ads, they are not going to gain traction. No one can click through to your private profile, which means you are wasting money by setting up new ads.

Con: Reduced Engagement

Since you are not able to get out in front of new people, you are going to see a drop in engagement metrics. This is simply because you are not getting enough exposure to those who would be intrigued. This is going to bring your reach down and that is the last thing anyone wants.

Cons: Reduced Engagement

Instagram ads being run using a private account will only work when the targeting is restricted to your followers. This isn't always worthwhile since you are exposing ads to the same people again and again. You end up missing out on people that would be interested but can't see what you are advertising.

Con: Reduced Opportunities

If there was a chance of gaining a new opportunity, this is going to go out the window. You are not going to find anyone that knows what is happening on your account because it's hidden. This can even be something as large as a massive deal with another company. You have to make sure to have the account public, so these people are able to take a look at what you are all about moving forward.

When the profile is set to private, it loses any ability to gain steam with regards to followers. Since the posts aren't visible to anyone other than the account's current followers, the likelihood of new engagement goes out the window. It can lead to lost opportunities that were there for the taking.

Con: Unsynchronized Profile Settings Across Platforms

Just having the private settings activated on one account isn't going to be enough. Most people are going to be posting across multiple platforms, which means this is going to limit how effective the results are. A good example of this would be someone setting their Twitter account to private, making a post, and then posting it on Facebook (News - Alert). While this may seem like it's okay, Facebook isn't going to allow any content that is coming in from a private page.

This can become a major issue if you are looking to gain traction and want to maximize cross-platform integration. If you leave the accounts public, cross-posting becomes a breeze as everything goes through smoothly. There are several settings that have to be tweaked when one of the accounts is set to private.



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