Instagram verification is a sign of your officiality, popularity and notoriety. Getting verified on Instagram and getting the blue tick can be a really great way to show all three. So, we’ve created this guide to help you get verified on Instagram and get that famous blue tick beside your profile picture.
Why Should You Consider Instagram Verification
The majority of the larger Instagram accounts, according to data, are verified. You’ll want to become verified as your Instagram account grows to set yourself apart from other users. Verified accounts are more trustworthy than unverified accounts; on average, they receive 30% more engagement.
There are additional reasons to have your account verified:
- It makes it impossible for people to impersonate others. The verification badge’s main purpose is to ensure that the people who have accounts are who they say they are. The blue checkmark on your profile signifies that you are not a fake account and are the real deal.
- It adds to the realism of the scene. You gain credibility and trust when Instagram users recognize you as a brand’s official business account. The blue tick is also a status symbol that lets others know your account is worth following.
- You can take advantage of a few extra features. Swipe Up is
one of the most popular features among brands and influencers. Sharing links in Instagram Stories can help your Instagram marketing efforts by encouraging more people to interact with you and make purchases. Typically, you’d need at least 10,000 followers to use this feature, but if you’re verified, you can use it with as few as a few. In search results, verified accounts are given more weight. - Finally, if your account is verified and people search on Instagram for content in your category, you may appear higher in the search results:
Why Look for Verification On Instagram
Getting verified on Insta increases the chances of gaining new followers and raising brand awareness directly from the Instagram app’s search results.
You might think that getting verified will be difficult with all of these great benefits. Is that the case? Let’s look into it.
Is It Difficult To Become Verified On Instagram?
The good news is that getting Instagram account verification is very simple, as shown in the tutorial below. However, getting approved can sometimes get complicated if you fail to follow the rules.
Instagram is well-known for checking accounts. Its rules spell out the conditions that must be met for your account to be eligible. They include:
- Authentic. In other words, you must be a real, well-known, or legal entity. You’ll need official business papers and a photo ID to prove it.
- Unique. A person or business can only have one account (unless they are language-specific accounts). Instagram does not look for things like memes or fans in accounts.
- Complete. Your Instagram profile must be public, have a bio and a profile picture, and be active when applying. “Be active” isn’t defined, but it could imply that you regularly post, share, or comment on content.
- Notable. For most people, this is the most challenging part. If you have a noteworthy account name, it represents a “well-known, highly sought after” person or brand. Instagram looks at accounts that are mentioned in multiple news sources but not content that is paid or advertising.
You must also adhere to Instagram’s basic rules and community guidelines. As a bonus, you won’t need a certain number of followers to be verified if you meet these criteria. You can request verification once you sign up and complete your profile.
How To Gain Instagram’s Acceptance
Requesting that Instagram verify your account is actually quite simple. Ensure you’re logged into the account you want to verify before continuing if you want to get the Instagram badge for your business account.
Here are eight steps to follow to get Instagram to confirm your Account:
- Tap the photo icon in the bottom right corner to open your Instagram profile.
- Tap the menu icon in the top right corner of your profile.
- After clicking the gear icon found at the bottom right corner of your screen, proceed to click on the account button from the menu that appears.
- In your account settings, scroll down to the “Request verification” option and tap it.
- In a form, your account name will already be displayed. The first step will require you to type in your full name (if it’s a business account, using the full name of the person managing the account will do).
- Choose File to add a photo of your ID. A driver’s license, passport, or national ID card is sufficient. Any official business document, such as a tax return, an article of incorporation, or even a recent electric bill, can be used for a business.
- Take a clear, in-focus photo of your ID with your camera, or upload a picture of your ID from your phone.
- To send your verification request to Instagram, tap the blue Send button at the bottom of the screen.
So, What’s Next? Is This All?
Wait for a second; you’re not yet an Instagram celebrity! If that’s the case, your request will now be sent to several Instagram moderators. They will examine your account and determine whether you are eligible for an Instagram badge. Don’t be surprised if you don’t hear back from them immediately; it could take a few weeks.
You’ll get a notification in the app indicating whether you’re verified or not once the Instagram moderators have made their decision. If your request is denied, don’t give up! After 30 days, you can submit a new request.
What Can You Do To Help Your Instagram Account Be Verified?
If you want to fast-track getting that little check mark next to your name, you must become a “public figure, celebrity, or global brand.” To put it another way, you must gain absolute power!
However, there is some evidence that you should first try this on a platform other than Instagram. This is a reasonable proposal. If you have many genuine Instagram followers, people should be able to find you. They won’t be confused about whether or not your account belongs to you (unless you share your name with another influencer).
So, before applying these tips to Instagram, try them out on a different social media platform and establish yourself as an influencer there. You may never be verified if you amass many Instagram followers before becoming famous elsewhere.
Increase The Number Of People Who Follow You And Interact With Them
You must become an authentic influencer if you want to be famous on Instagram. Having many followers implies that a sizable number of people are interested in your and your posts. You’ll want to get followers who will interact with your posts and status updates more than anything else. Having followers who aren’t interested in your work will only waste your time.
We’ve already talked about how to get famous on Instagram above. Although this article focuses on maximizing Instagram’s visual nature, there are other hacks you can use to become an influencer on another platform.
It’s crucial to be able to define your niche. Even if it appears that pleasing everyone will gain more followers, this is unlikely to be the case. The adage “Jack of all trades, master of none” holds true in this case. It would be best if you established a reputation for your knowledge in the field you wish to study.
Huda didn’t start out as JUST an Instagrammer. She is also a makeup specialist and a frequent blogger, allowing her to stand out as a subject matter expert. She is also quite famous for her alluring beauty, thanks to her Iraqi heritage. When she finished college, she started a beauty blog, which then developed into an Instagram account and makeup line. She has also worked as a celebrity makeup artist and stylist for Revlon.
Huda Kattan, for example, has over 50 million followers. She established Huda Beauty’s online reputation through her personal beauty blog. She started her social media career with a beauty blog, where she built a reputation as a makeup artist.
Currently, she has a sizable following on Instagram, roughly equivalent to her blogging audience. Instagram verified Huda’s Account to clear things up after other users created accounts with similar names.
Any action must have a reason for being. There’s no reason to comment on other people’s photos or posts with “Nice picture.” You will not be taken seriously as a thought leader if you make comments that add nothing to the conversation.
Use Popular Hashtags To Get More People To Notice You
One way to increase the number of people who see your posts is to use popular hashtags. Both Instagram and Twitter recommend popular hashtags. There are also apps like Hashtagify and TagBlender that can help you develop ideas on your own. Some blog posts might help you too how to use hashtags on Instagram.
Facebook and Instagram have made it more difficult for users to obtain helpful information due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Popular hashtags, on the other hand, can still reveal broad trends.
For marketing, competitions, promotions, restaurants, shops, and musicians, Shopify has compiled a list of over 370 popular Instagram hashtags and the top. The top ten Instagram hashtags, according to this list, are #love, #fashion, #photooftheday, #beautiful, #photography, #picoftheday, #happy, #follow, #nature, and #tbt.
However, it would help if you only use hashtags that are relevant to your industry. You will never be seen as an influencer if you make posts that have nothing to do with your niche or followers just to use a popular hashtag.
Creating a hashtag for your personal brand and encouraging your followers to use it frequently is standard practice.
Promote Other Social Media Accounts
One way to gain more followers on Instagram or any other social media platform is to talk about all of your social media accounts. People who follow you on Instagram can also follow you on YouTube; those who follow you on Twitter can join your Facebook page, and those who follow you on Facebook can also follow you on Instagram.
You will appear more like an internet celebrity and be considered someone who deserves Instagram verification if you become popular on multiple sites.
You want your entire online presence to communicate who you are in a single way (or your brand). So you want your social media sites, including your blog, YouTube channel, and Twitter account, to work together seamlessly. When you combine them, they reveal who you are. You’ll need a website with various features to be an influencer. Instagram should not be used as your sole means of online communication.
Make Your Posts Stand Out From The Crowd
Remember that some Instagram accounts are verified to ensure they belong to legitimate public figures, celebrities, or global brands. As a result, you must ensure that your account is distinct from any others that may use your name or a similar name.
If you run a cold and unfriendly account, there’s no reason for anyone to follow you. They may as well support a cheap knockoff if you don’t give them something better.
More of your personality should be reflected in your posts. If all you do is post pictures of buildings or landscapes, you’re not contributing to the conversation. In reality, you have no control over anything. If you want to be considered a fashion influencer, you can’t just post pictures of clothes. If you post pictures of people wearing the clothes in a lovely setting, or if you model them yourself, you’ll do much better.
If Huda Kattan had only posted photos of lipstick tubes, she would not have been as successful (or received her Instagram verification tick).
We looked at ten Instagram fitness models to see who could motivate you to exercise. These people are famous on Instagram because they post pictures of themselves working out, comments about their progress and suggestions for how others can get in shape. They usually choose photos that are visually appealing and taken in beautiful settings.
Post More During The Active Times
Please make sure to add your posts when the majority of your clout is checking their social media accounts. This way, you can boost engagement and to get as many people as possible to interact with your posts.
Yes, there will be more posts from other people during those times, but if you can show that you have a lot of clouts, you should be able to stand out from the rest.
Remember that building a following on another platform is the best way to get Instagram verified. As a result, for the first platform you choose, you must use the best methods.
CoSchedule dug deep into this, looking at 25 studies to find the best times to post on social media. They divided their recommendations by industry, and we’ve compiled a list of companies that sell to consumers. If you work in software services, healthcare, the media, or higher education, you should read the original CoSchedule article to figure out when you should post.
They recommend the following times for B2C businesses to post on each social media platform:
9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. are the best times.
The best days to visit are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
8 a.m.-10 a.m., noon, and 7 p.m.-9 p.m. are the best times.
The days of Saturday and Sunday are ideal.
The best time to add new posts to your LinkedIn profile is noon.
Wednesday is the best day of the week.
YouTube statistics are not available on CoSchedule. This could be because, unlike other networks, YouTube does not use a disappearing feed.
Finally, once you’ve established yourself elsewhere and are ready to expand your Instagram influence, CoSchedule has some suggestions for the best times to post photos and videos to get the most engagement on Instagram.
8 p.m., 1 p.m., and 9 p.m. are the best times.
Friday is the best day.
Make A Concerted Effort To Be Intriguing
To be verified on Instagram, you must have a good reputation. It isn’t enough to have a large number of followers. As a result, ensure you do things covered by multiple news outlets.
Consider issuing a press release when you have something buzzworthy to say. If there’s nothing interesting in your local area, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local media and see if you can get some buzzworthy information.
We’re all aware that negative press coverage has now been immortalized online. On the other hand, good news comes and goes, so take advantage of it whenever possible.
However, remember that Instagram does not allow for paid or promotional content. As a result, your news reports must be genuine and organic, though press releases can be used to supplement them.
Unacceptable Social Practices To Avoid
Like Google, Twitter, Facebook, and other major internet companies, Instagram is skilled at spotting attempts to game the system. To earn the coveted verification tick, you must avoid taking any shortcuts to establish a strong enough reputation as an influencer.
- Avoid buying followers. Apart from the fact that Instagram will almost certainly catch you, you will end up with an “unbalanced” account, one with a large following but little engagement. Bought followers have no interest in you, will never see your posts, and will never engage with you meaningfully.
- Make sure your comments aren’t spammy. If you are associated with meaningless “nice picture” comments like those generated by automated bots, neither Instagram nor its users will consider you an influencer.
- Ensure that your posts are compliant with Instagram’s community guidelines. You don’t want to be the guy who gets kicked off Instagram because he posted pictures of himself naked or with drugs.
If you use Instagram the way they want you to and build your influence as an influencer elsewhere, you might find yourself with an Instagram verification tick one day.
Getting verified on Instagram can be tricky, but it’s not impossible.
What Should You Do If Your Verification Isn’t Confirmed?
Instagram may reject your application even if you follow the above tips. So, what’s going to happen next? Try some of the activities below:
- Re-examine the verification requirements. It’s worth going over the four main requirements we discussed: authentic, unique, complete, and notable, as simple as it sounds.
- Make sure you have all the necessary business documents to prove your legitimacy. Make sure to delete or remove any previous accounts you’ve created. Compare the completion of your profile to those who have already been verified.
- Finally, do a Google search for your company’s name. If you don’t see any mentions of it outside your website, that could be the issue. Wait a few days before reapplying.
It’s not the end of the world if Instagram rejects your request for verification. After 30 days, you may reapply. However, be patient: if you submit another application within 30 days, your request will be cancelled.
Instead of hoping to be approved in the next 30 days without making any changes, give yourself a month to figure out how to improve your chances using the tips above.
Other Ways To Show Your Sincerity
If you still can’t get a blue check approved, there are other ways to demonstrate the authenticity of your brand without it.
To prove that you are the legitimate owner of your brand, Instagram recommends linking your account to your official website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, or Twitter account. Another way to demonstrate your authenticity is to create video content of you or your team behind the scenes.
Showing how your company looks daily is a great way to gain trust, and it also follows the multi-format content recommendations for growing followers.
Final Thoughts
Instagram verification has a lot of advantages. It’s a shame that getting verified isn’t a straightforward process. Instagram is working to make verification requests visible and easily accessible within the app. Meanwhile, finding the right people to talk to can help to expedite the process.
Suppose you work hard to create great content on Instagram, gain national/international recognition and press, and become popular on other platforms. In that case, your eCommerce business will have a better chance of receiving the coveted Instagram verification badge. Follow the tips above to build a strong reputation on your Instagram account. If you need help with social media marketing, we’re here to help – contact us.