While Facebook and Twitter continue to have their loyal fans, it seems that the social network of the moment is Instagram. It’s owned by Facebook and attracts people of all ages and interests. Since it shows no signs of slowing down, many brands and creators are taking to this platform. More accounts are bearing that coveted blue check, which shows their verification as a top profile. This guide will walk through how to get verified on Instagram and reach more users. This can lead to working with brands, selling products, or simply becoming a popular account online.
Table of Contents
What Does Instagram Verified Mean?
A good place to start is answering the question, what does it mean to get verified on Instagram? Profile verification is a way for Instagram to acknowledge someone’s account publicly. Usually, this is a celebrity, business, or public figure. It’s easy to spot these accounts thanks to the recognizable blue checkmark.
So, a person should always look for that verification badge. Most of the time, celebs will have fan accounts, but these aren’t legit. On the other hand, public figures may have to compete with other profiles. This is where a verification request can come in.
Keep in mind that this process usually applies to public figures, not average people. For example:
- Athletes
- Celebrities
- Brand ambassadors
- Companies
- Singers/musicians
- Small businesses
6 Steps to Get Verified on Instagram
Now, to verify an Instagram account, there are a few steps. The process is quite simple, but Instagram will have the final decision. Follow the actions below to get started.
1. Go to the Profile
First, individuals should go to their account. There, they can see their number of followers and posts. From there, click the “menu” button that looks like three horizontal lines.
2. Navigate the “Settings” Menu
This will reveal a pop-up menu. There are lots of customization options here, including changing the username or bio.
3. Push the Account Button
For now, focus only on the gear icon called “Account.”
4. Select “Request Verification”
Next, select “Request Verification.” This option is towards the bottom of the menu. This will show how to get Instagram verified.
5. Fill Out the Request Form
Now, it’s time to fill out the Instagram verification request form. Users must include some information, including:
- Instagram handle
- Full legal identification or the company name
- “Known as” (IG handle or name of the business)
- Account category
- Form of photo ID
Obviously, individuals must use a unique IG username. That said, the chosen name should still accurately identify the account. Sometimes, a fan profile may have a similar name to the real business. However, having a verified check differentiates the true account. Brands should also consider private commercial accounts. Their company name could be very similar.
6. Upload a Photo ID
This is the last part of the Instagram verification process. Here are some examples of photo identification that Instagrammers can use.
- Driver’s license
- National ID card
- Official company documents
- Passport
- Tax papers
- Utility bills
7. Send & Wait
The final step is the hardest part. Individuals push “send” and then wait for a response. It might not take long for Instagram to approve the request, but the wait can be anxious.
Tips for How to Get Verified on Instagram
Not everyone can get that revered blue checkmark. An Instagram verification badge is a symbol of the influencer. In other words, these businesses or individuals have some kind of impact on their followers. They might be a brand ambassador, or maybe they are popular in their niche. They could be the CEO of a company, or they might be a singer or actress. It can be quite a process to get to this level. So, here are some more tips on how to become verified on Instagram.
1. Build A Following & Interact With Them
The first step for everyone is to build up some followers. It’s okay to start with people within that inner circle of friends and family. If the content is valuable, others will want to follow, too. One way to speed up the process is by interacting with others on the platform. Here are some ways to do this:
- Ask questions
- Encourage fans to leave a comment
- Hold a contest
- Reply to comments
- Like other people’s responses
- Visit other pages to interact with
A good example is Megan Jayne Crabbe. She goes by @bodyposipanda on IG and has 1.3 million fans. She engages with the comments section and poses questions to her audience. She isn’t afraid to have a discussion. This gets more individuals (and businesses) talking about her, and so, her page grows.
2. Get Crafty With Hashtag
Hashtags are a great way to make a post go viral. Users do this on Facebook and Twitter, too. These tools are so popular and useful that there are apps dedicated to them. For instance, Hashtagify and TagBlender help individuals find the right tags. They also suggest hashtags based on the person’s niche and audience. Even if someone is just starting on social media, they can try to use IG’s top tags:
- #love
- #photooftheday
- #tbt
- #happy
- #fashion
- #followme
Someone who uses hashtags like this is the actor Leslie Jordan. He shot to IG fame in recent weeks for his short, funny video posts. He used hashtags to grow his page and attract more fans. Now he has 3.9 million of them.
3. Find the Best Time to Post
This takes some research, but the results are worth it. Influencers should look at when their audiences go online. They can use social media tools like CoSchedule or Later to help. Some things to consider include target age, employment status, and niche. The best times to post are always changing, but here are the statistics as of 2023.
- Facebook: 9-10 am, 12-1 pm, 4-5 pm, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- Instagram: 1-3 pm, 7-8 pm, 7-8 am, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- LinkedIn: Noon, Wednesday
- Twitter: 8-10 am, Noon, 7-9 pm, Saturday, Sunday
A celebrity like Selena Gomez understands that her social audience is mostly teens and young adults. These people are busier during the day, so it makes sense to post in the evening. Also, weekends are best for sharing content since young individuals have more free time then.
4. Share Other Socials
This is called cross-promotion, and it’s a good way to stir up engagement on Instagram. Users might notice that some IG pages share content from the person’s Facebook or YouTube. They are cross-promoting their channels for more engagement. It’s easier to get verified on IG if the influencer is already popular on other networks.
- It increases their visibility
- It makes IG think they’re very popular
- It creates a single online presence
Alyson Stoner does cross-promotion well. She has over a million IG fans, but she also shares clips from her YouTube channel and podcast.
5. Become Somebody
It’s great to have an audience, but true social media engagement comes from being somebody. Think about some famous people on IG or Twitter, and they all probably do something. If possible, influencers should try to stir up news or do something worth talking about. Here are some ways they can do it.
- Create a press release for an event
- Promote a new product
- Share testimonials of a service
Sahara Rose is rising to influencer stardom because she does noteworthy stuff. She writes books and hosts events with Deepak Chopra.
6. Get Personal
In 2023, almost everyone shares their life online via websites and apps, especially Instagram. It is no different with influencers. Sharing personal insights and experiences is one way to engage an audience. It also helps Instagram to recognize which profiles are real and which are fan accounts. Some ways to personalize a page include:
- Everyday musings
- Sharing travel pictures
- Behind-the-scenes at an event
Aileen Xu (@lavendaire) does a good job with this. She has been sharing her self-love journey for over five years. Fans enjoy hearing about her self-discoveries, ups, and downs.
7. Don’t Take Shortcuts
It’s one thing to commit an online faux pas. It’s something else to violate a platform’s policy. Influencers must play by the rules if they want to get verified on Instagram. No one wants to follow someone who cheated their way to the top. Here are some poor behaviors to avoid.
- Posting spam that adds zero value.
- Commenting on someone else’s post, asking people to follow
- Buying subscribers
For example, fitness influencer Kayla Itsines adds value to the platform. She posts workouts and nutrition advice and doesn’t beg for fans. It takes longer to gather a following this way, but it’s worth it.
8. Obey Community Guidelines
The platform has the right to deny the influencer tick to anyone. If the website administrators see businesses or individuals disobeying the community guidelines, it’s over. Follow the rules, play nice, and take time to build up a presence.
9. Don’t Use “Add Me” Links
Instagram administrators don’t like it when users put “add me” links on their page bios. This is different from cross-promotion, though. Influencers can share content from their other channels, but they can’t be blatant about it.
10. Make Friends With Other Influencers
Part of playing nice is befriending other people in the niche. This is one easy way to speed up the Instagram verification process. Fans might notice that their favorite content creator or celebrity comments on another famous person’s post. Start with influencers who have 100k fans or more. It will be less intimidating, and it sends a good message to the audience.
- It shows a friendly attitude
- It gets fans excited
- It adds a sense of community
Christy Carlson Romano is an actress and singer. She is always sharing the projects she does with other celebs, which creates an awesome online community.
Advantages of Getting Verified on Instagram
Even with all of the hard work, getting verified on Instagram is a great reward. It comes with its perks, too. Here are the major benefits of passing the blue tick test.
1. Prestige
Instagram verification makes an influencer’s page the authority on a particular subject. It differentiates them from fan pages and adds an element of renown.
2. Confidence
Another perk is trust. Audiences turn to that blue badge for confidence. They know the person behind the page is the real deal and not some nobody posing as a celebrity.
3. Become an Elite
Elitism, in the traditional sense, isn’t cool. It can create an “us” versus “them” mentality. However, online it can create trust and fame. Creators with the verified symbol belong to a special group of users. They went through the trials and errors of growing a page and came out on top. Other individuals look up to them.
4. Protection
When an influencer works with a brand, they should always sign a contract. There are plenty of horror stories about a company using the individual’s words or pictures without permission. That documented tick on a profile protects influencers from this sort of “identity theft.” Plus, the platform’s administrators are more willing to help a verified user.
5. Rank Higher
Most content creators know a thing or two about SEO. Search engine optimization helps them make relevant posts. It also puts them in front of more online users. If they have a verified account, they rise to the top of the search results even faster.
6. Early Access
Social networks are always trying new things. When they roll out a new feature, influencers are usually the first to try it out. This gives them the upper hand on new strategies, which can give them more fans. One example is the “swipe up” feature on IG Stories. Verified users were the first to try it out and bring more traffic to their websites.
How the Instagram Verification Process Works
To wrap up, it’s helpful to look at how the platform approaches Instagram verification. It uses specific criteria to determine which submissions get approved and which get denied. When individuals submit that request form, this is what they’re waiting for. Brands can check out the process below to see if their profile is ready for verification.
1. Authentic
That Instagram blue check is a symbol of authenticity. It means that the person behind the page is not pretending to be someone else or belong to a certain brand. Most people don’t have a problem getting past this step.
2. Unique
Next, the IG page must be distinct. Remember, many companies and celebrities have fan accounts. These are run by ordinary people with no big impact on the online community. The website administrators must be sure that the real account is unique.
3. Complete
There is a completion rule that can prevent pages from getting verified on Instagram. To be “complete,” an account must contain a bio, profile photo, and at least one post. The IG moderators will also check to see if there are “add me” links in the bio. If there are, the submission won’t pass the complete test.
4. “Highly Searched”
This can seem a bit unfair, but it differentiates the best from the rest. The profile must be popular or noteworthy to gain traction on Instagram. There must be something that makes it stand out. For example, it is highly-searched or gets lots of engagement.
5. Not Cross-Promoted
This is another tricky one. Influencers can’t have “add me” links on their bio. However, they can link to their website or landing page. Also, they can share content from other platforms through videos and photos.
Grounds for Losing a Verification Badge
Getting verified on Instagram can be a lengthy process. While it seems simple, it does take time to build up clout. After all of that hard work, no one wants to lose their verified privileges. So, review these grounds for dismissal and avoid these mistakes.
- Don’t trade or sell badges
- Don’t use a profile picture to promote other products
- Don’t advertise services in the bio
- Don’t apply for Instagram verification through third-party apps
These are clear rules, so be sure to follow them. Instagram grants users a lot of freedom, but there is still a code of conduct. If businesses and people play by the rules, they can enjoy their benefits.
FAQs
Is It Hard to Get Verified on Instagram?
It isn’t difficult to get verified on Instagram, but it takes time. This is especially true for individuals who are new to the network. The process is straightforward and includes only a few steps. However, there is a greater time investment. Here are some of the more time-consuming parts of the process.
- Users must take time to build a following
- They should take time to interact with other influencers
- They also need to share valuable content with audiences
How Long Does It Take to Get Verified on Instagram?
There is no exact time frame for getting verified on Instagram. Instead, it depends on how quickly a person can grow their page. There are some ways to speed this up:
- Share valuable content
- Ask engaging questions
- Befriend others on the platform
- Work with brands
Can A Normal Person Get Verified on Instagram?
So many folks want that Instagram blue check, including average users. Most verified accounts indeed belong to celebrities. Yet, everyday people can get into the club, too. It will take time for them to gather up popularity and fans, though. If they stick with it, more users will share their content, and that will lead to a larger following. This improves their chances of achieving verification.
Which Verified Instagram Account Has the Least Followers?
Some Instagram accounts have a blue badge but very few followers. One example is AP Photo Archives. This is the Associated Press’s historical photo archive. As of 2023, it only has 13.3k followers. This doesn’t seem like much compared to other verified accounts that have hundreds of thousands of fans.
Stand Out From the Crowd
If there is one thing that folks can agree on, it’s that social media is the best way to communicate. Getting verified on Instagram grants companies and public figures a larger platform. They can make a greater impact and reach more individuals. It also helps them stand out from the crowd and prove their dominance in a niche. Do you have a verified account, or are you trying to get the blue badge? Tell us about your experience below.
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