Blocked But Not Broken: What To Do When Platforms Play Gatekeeper

So, picture this:

you’ve spent months building a brand. 

The designs are hot. The captions drip sarcasm.

The vibe? Unmatched.

You’re ready to strut onto Pinterest and share your brilliance with the world.

And then… boom. 🚫 Blocked.

Your website? Suddenly persona non grata.

Your pins? Muzzled. Your campaigns? DOA.

And all because some algorithm decided that your lovingly crafted Shopify store looks suspiciously like a bot’s side hustle. (Spoiler: it’s not.)

Welcome to the joy of modern marketing, where the gatekeepers are robots, and sometimes your entire business visibility rests on whether one line of code sneezes.

 

Why It Happens (And Why It Feels Personal)

Pinterest, Meta, TikTok, Google — they all have one thing in common: they make the rules. And those rules? About as clear as your ex’s “it’s not you, it’s me” text.

Your site can get blocked for:

   •   A redirect that looked shady (even if it wasn’t).

   •   A product description some bot thought was “spammy.”

   •   Or, my personal favorite: absolutely no reason at all.

And while it feels personal (like someone in Silicon Valley has it out for you), it’s not.

It’s just algorithms being… well, algorithms.

 

Okay, But What Do You Do About It?

Crying is step one. (Kidding. Kind of.)

Here’s the sass-but-serious survival guide:

1. Appeal It

File a polite-but-firm support ticket.

Remind them you’re a real business, not a Nigerian prince trying to wire someone $10 million.

2. Pivot Your Content

If they won’t let you link out? Fine. You double down on save-worthy content.

   •   Quotes that beg to be pinned.

   •   Mood boards that scream “vibe check.”

   •   Carousels that show your designs as lifestyle inspo, not just products.

3. Use Your Profile as a Funnel

Drop your shop link (in your board descriptions). People will type it in manually if your sass slaps hard enough.

4. Collect Emails Like Your Life Depends On It

Because, honestly, it kinda does. An email list can’t be blocked by Pinterest. (Well… unless Gmail gets sassy. But let’s not manifest that chaos.)

5. Diversify. Always.

Pinterest is a tool, not a throne. You don’t kneel to it. Build on Facebook & Instagram, TikTok, email, even that dusty LinkedIn if you must.

Spread your special brand of sass far and wide.

 

The Sassery Takeaway

Being blocked doesn’t mean being broken. It means you’ve got to get creative.

Sarcasm has always been the unofficial survival strategy of women everywhere — why not apply it to your marketing?

At the end of the day, platforms don’t own your voice. They don’t own your humor. And they sure as hell don’t own your brand.

So if Pinterest wants to play gatekeeper? Fine. We’ll roll our eyes, keep posting quotes that resonate, and remind them that sarcasm always finds a way.

Because algorithms may hate us, but our sass? Unstoppable.

🖤 Big Love... The Sassery (still takin' those steps)