The account recovery checklist: 22 things to do before you submit an appeal.

Most appeals fail before they're even read. Not because the case was unwinnable — but because the preparation was wrong, the documentation was incomplete, or the form was filled out in a way that triggered an instant automated rejection.

We've run this checklist across more than 12,400 cases. Skip any single item and the chance of a successful appeal drops noticeably. Skip three or more and you may permanently lose the ability to appeal — most platforms cap you at 2–3 attempts.

Phase 1 — Diagnose (don't appeal yet)

The goal of phase 1 is to know exactly what you're appealing before you write a single word.

1. Read the ban message verbatim. Screenshot it. Note the exact wording — different phrasings ("disabled", "suspended", "removed", "restricted") map to different enforcement categories with different appeal routes.
2. Note the date and time the ban took effect, and your location at that moment. Time-of-action sometimes correlates to a specific automated review pass.
3. Identify the violation category. Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, spam/inauthentic, impersonation, intellectual property, age, or fraud. Each has its own appeal form on most platforms.
4. Check for prior strikes. Most platforms now expose an "Account Status" page even on disabled accounts. Document every prior strike — the disabling event is rarely the first.
5. Audit linked accounts. If you're banned on Instagram, check Facebook, BM and ad account. If you're banned on TikTok, check linked Shop and Creator accounts. Cross-platform enforcement is increasingly common.

Phase 2 — Evidence

Platform reviewers spend an average of 90 seconds per appeal. Your evidence has to be readable in under 60.

6. Gather identity documentation. Government ID matching the account's name, plus a secondary doc (utility bill, bank statement) showing the same name and address. Recent — within 90 days.
7. Pull engagement history. Export 30+ days of analytics if you can still access them. This refutes the "spam / inauthentic behaviour" classification more than any text argument.
8. Collect platform receipts. Ad spend history, paid verification receipts, prior support correspondence. Anything proving an established legitimate relationship with the platform.
9. Document the flagged content. Screenshot every post the platform may have flagged, with captions and timestamps. For removed content, request the data export.
10. Cite the policy. Find the exact section of Community Guidelines or Terms relevant to your case — and where applicable, the section that supports your content.

Phase 3 — Write the appeal

First 60 words decide whether a human reviewer keeps reading. Treat them like a headline.

11. State the category up front. "Appeal regarding Community Guidelines disablement — false-positive nudity classification." Specific. Not "please help, I didn't do anything."
12. Acknowledge the platform's concern before disputing it. "I understand the system flagged X. Here's why it's a false positive…" Reviewers reject appeals that start defensive.
13. Provide the counter-evidence concisely. 2–4 short bullet points. Do not write paragraphs. Reviewers skim.
14. Reference your documentation, not your feelings. "Attached: ID, two recent receipts, analytics export." Not: "I'm a real person, this is my whole life."
15. Close with the remedy you want. "Reinstate account and remove strike." Reviewers respond to specific asks more than generic ones.

An appeal is a legal filing in miniature. Write it the way you'd write a brief — calm, specific, evidenced, focused on the remedy.

Phase 4 — Submit (correctly)

16. Use the exact correct form. Impersonation, hacked, age, and CG appeals are all separate forms on most platforms. Wrong form = auto-reject.
17. Submit from your typical device and IP. Don't use a VPN, don't use a new browser, don't use a friend's phone. The submission's device fingerprint is part of the verification signal.
18. Submit once. Do not double-submit, do not submit from a backup email, do not submit on behalf of yourself from a different account. All of these flag your case as abusive.
19. Capture the confirmation, ideally with case number. Save it. You'll reference it again.

Phase 5 — After submission

20. Wait 7 days minimum before any follow-up. Platforms typically queue review for 3–5 business days; pushing earlier resets the queue position.
21. Don't post elsewhere about the case — particularly not @mentioning the platform on rival social platforms. Reviewers see it, and it actively hurts.
22. Prepare the second appeal in parallel. Most platforms allow 1–2 appeals. The second one has to introduce new evidence — not just plead the same case louder. Have it drafted before you need it.

When to bring in help

The DIY appeal is winnable on roughly 35% of cases when done correctly — and our experience says it's well under 10% when done poorly. The variables that make outside help worth it:

• The ban has been live more than 14 days.
• You've already used one appeal and lost.
• The account drives meaningful revenue (yours or your client's).
• It's a business / ad account or Business Manager.
• It's a "permanent" ban or a repeat-violation accumulation.
• Identity verification has already failed once.

If any of those apply, a free case review takes about 4 hours. We'll either accept the case, point you at the correct DIY path, or honestly tell you it's unwinnable. The first answer is always free.