Baker's Social Media Freeze Slashes Sales After Sweet Cake Post

Kiersten George is a baker who runs her own business in Wivenhoe, near Colchester. She depends on social media, especially Instagram and Facebook, to promote her cakes and connect with customers. On March 6, Kiersten posted a photo of a beautiful cake decorated with flowers and fruit, along with a special code to celebrate her bakery’s first year in Wivenhoe. She was wearing a striped shirt and a brown apron in her kitchen. But soon after sharing the photo, both her Instagram and Facebook accounts were suddenly suspended. Kiersten was shocked and upset because she had no idea why this happened. She said there was no warning or clear reason, and she felt helpless because she relies on these platforms for her business.

Since her accounts were frozen, Kiersten’s sales have dropped by nearly 50 percent. She said she was reduced to tears because she works hard to keep her bakery running, and losing her social media accounts made things much harder. She tried to contact Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, but found it difficult to reach a real person. Meta’s website says that businesses can appeal by sending in documents to prove they own the business and explaining their situation. Kiersten is frustrated because she doesn’t know what she did wrong. She wonders if there was something in the cake photo or the message she posted that caused the problem. Now, when customers try to visit her pages, they see a message saying the content isn’t available.

With Easter coming up, Kiersten is worried she won’t be able to recover her lost sales. On Mother’s Day, her pre-orders and sales were down 42 percent compared to her usual weekend earnings. Jade Bartholomew, who runs an online marketing agency, explained that Meta’s moderation filters can be very strict and sometimes accounts get suspended by mistake. She said that businesses need to remember that they don’t actually own their social media pages, and there are risks involved in relying on them. The BBC asked Meta for a comment, but they did not respond. Kiersten hopes her accounts will be restored soon so she can continue sharing her cakes and growing her business.