When running a sweepstakes on Instagram, whether using an organic or sponsored post, you might notice discrepancies between the number of comments displayed on Instagram and the number of comments fetched by tools like Cool Tabs. This can lead to confusion and frustration, especially if it seems that some comments are missing.
Here, we explain the possible reasons behind this issue and how to avoid it in future giveaways.
1. Shadowban.
One of the most common problems affecting Instagram sweepstakes is the shadowban. A shadowban is a moderation technique used by Instagram that restricts the visibility of certain comments deemed suspicious, without notifying the user.
Comments affected by this phenomenon are visible only to the person who posted them, but they are hidden from other users and from tools that rely on Instagram's API, such as sweepstakes platforms.
Why does this happen?
A shadowban is typically triggered by activities that Instagram flags as suspicious, such as:
Repetitive comments
If sweepstakes participants leave numerous similar comments or use the same format repeatedly (e.g., tagging the same account), Instagram may interpret it as spam activity.
For example, consider a comment-based sweepstake where participation requires tagging specific accounts or selecting options proposed by the organizer, with no limit on the number of entries per user.
Vote for your favorite entry by tagging the creator:
- @participant1
- @participant2
- @participant3
Participate as many times as you like!
High volume of comments in a short period
If a post receives many comments in a very short timeframe, Instagram might flag it as spam or automated activity.
Purchased interactions
If Instagram detects that comments were bought or manipulated, it may trigger a shadowban. Such artificial interactions are considered suspicious by Instagram's algorithm.
Even if Instagram shows a high comment count, many of these comments may not be visible to sweepstakes platforms that use Instagram’s API because they are hidden.
2. Sponsored posts related to the sweepstakes.
If you have invested in Instagram Ads to boost the reach of your sweepstakes, keep in mind that the comment count shown on Instagram includes comments from both the organic post and the sponsored one. However, external tools like Cool Tabs only fetch comments from the organic post, which can lead to discrepancies.
For instance, Instagram might display 100 comments, but Cool Tabs only fetches 80. This means the remaining comments were made on the sponsored post.
Solution
If your sweepstakes involves a sponsored post, configure it to collect comments from the sponsored post as well. Then use a tool like our Multiplatform Sweepstakes app to merge participants from both the organic and sponsored posts and select a winner.
3. Nested replies in comments.
Another reason why comments may not appear correctly on external platforms is due to limitations on Facebook and Instagram’s API regarding nested replies.
Instagram shows the total comment count, including direct comments and replies to them. However, the API only provides access to replies up to certain levels. As a result, some nested replies may not be retrieved.
If your sweepstake encourages users to engage in threaded conversations, not all replies may appear in the sweepstakes platform. This is a technical limitation of Instagram’s API and not an issue with tools like Cool Tabs.
4. How to solve sweepstakes comment issues.
To minimize discrepancies in comment counts for your Instagram sweepstakes, consider the following recommendations:
- Check for sponsored posts and configure the sweepstakes to collect comments from both the organic and sponsored posts.
- Avoid practices that might trigger a shadowban, such as repetitive comments or purchasing interactions, to ensure that all comments are visible to everyone.
- Account for the API’s limitations on nested replies and adjust participation dynamics accordingly.
- Provide clear and varied instructions: Encourage creative participation by asking users to leave brief explanations for their choices instead of simply tagging accounts.
By following these tips, you can ensure your sweepstakes runs smoothly and that all valid comments are considered when selecting a winner.
Other specifications
The behavior of the API and its limitations regarding data retrieval are officially documented by Instagram. For more details, refer to:
- Instagram API Documentation - Comment Retrieval
- Stack Overflow - Why Are Some Comments Posted Using the Instagram API Invisible?
Related content
How to create a Sweepstake on Instagram and Choose Winners.
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