Being verified on Instagram is the best way for businesses and social media creators to be validated. By ensuring that your profile is the only one representing your brand online, obtaining the “blue tick” not only confirms your authenticity but also provides you with more control over your online presence.
Getting your Instagram account verified is not simple, and not everyone can accomplish it. But if you want to achieve this distinction, this post will show you how to effectively apply for and obtain the highly desired Instagram verification badge.
Let’s get started.
How does Instagram verification work?
Being verified on Instagram, in Instagram’s words, signifies that the social media site has acknowledged your profile as “the genuine presence of the public person, celebrity, or global brand it represents.”
Hence, if you see an Instagram account with a blue check in its bio, it means it represents the brand or person in question and not a fake, unofficial, or fan account.
Here’s an illustration of the blue verified badge on the Netflix Instagram profile:
What are the requirements to apply for a verified badge on Instagram?
On Instagram, anyone can request verification, but in order to receive the blue checkmark, you must complete specific requirements.
Instagram gives some suggestions to help you determine your eligibility, even though the actual procedure and conditions for receiving a verification badge are unclear.
To begin with, confirm that you are abiding by Instagram’s Community Guidelines and Conditions of Use. In addition to that, your account must be
- Authentic: Your account should belong to a real person, business, brand, or entity.
- Public: Private Instagram accounts are not eligible for verification.
- Complete: Your profile should have a bio and photo, and you must be active on the platform. We have a whole guide on how to create an Instagram business profile if you need to get started.
- Unique: Your account must be the only one representing your unique self or business. Instagram does not verify multiple accounts for the same person or business. Also, general interest accounts are not eligible, only individuals or businesses.
- Notable: Your account must represent a publicly known, highly-searched for person or business that has been featured in multiple, authentic news sources. Paid or sponsored media sources do not count.
Remember that you don’t need to have a specific amount of followers to be eligible for a verification badge. If you match the requirements listed above, you may still apply whether you have 100,000 followers or fewer.
Moreover, keep in mind that you must still apply for an Instagram verification badge even if the Facebook Page that is connected to your Instagram account is already verified.
How to request verification on Instagram
- Log into your account and navigate to Settings from the menu on the top right.
- Inside Settings, click on “Account” and select “Request Verification.”
- Complete the required fields and then hit send to start the review process.
According to Instagram, just because your account might be eligible for verification doesn’t mean it will really be given that status. Sadly, there is no assurance as to when you will learn whether or not you have been validated. If your request for verification is rejected, you’ll have to wait 30 days before trying again.
10 Helpful tips for getting verified on Instagram
If you’re prepared to apply for Instagram verification, we have some advice you may use to improve your chances of earning the blue badge.
These recommended practices can help you succeed on Instagram in general even if it doesn’t work out or you decide against pursuing the verification procedure.
1. Complete your Instagram profile
Instagram checks your profile as one of the ways it confirms your identity.
By including a well-written bio and a profile picture that accurately portrays your company, brand, or self, you can ensure that your profile is 100% comprehensive. For instance, you can include the emblem of your business in the profile photo and the tagline and URL of your firm in the bio.
You may gain credibility with your audience and attract more followers, engagement, and media attention by making sure your profile is thorough and real.
2. Build your social profiles
Developing a sizable following on other media can make your Instagram account seem more authentic.
For instance, press releases and Twitter have a lot in common. Take advantage of that! Use the attention you receive when your name is mentioned in the news or the media to expand your social media presence.
- Build your personality with a consistent voice and theme: A lot of brands try a shotgun approach to connecting with their audience. However, it’s much easier to make a strong connection with people if you show your unique voice online.
- Post frequently and consistently: With any social network the more active you are the more likely you are to convince people to engage with your account.
- Develop great content: Just as you’d post great pictures on Instagram to improve your following you should be developing insightful content for your other channels too. Find out what your followers are looking for from you and adhere to their needs.
3. Look out for impersonator profiles
Although it may feel a little like crying wolf to say that your identity is in danger, this advice actually comes from Instagram:
Because of the high possibility that they would be impersonated, accounts representing well-known people and brands are verified.
You stand out as the unique you thanks to your confirmed badge. By letting them know that they are not following a random imposter, you increase the trust of your followers. Individuals want to be certain that they are adhering to the truth.
Informing Instagram that you face a danger of impersonation can encourage them to take action.
4. Stay active on your account
Although it may seem obvious, if you don’t use Instagram frequently, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever have your account verified. Administrators will look for consistent activity while deciding whether or not to verify your Instagram account. There is no advantage to starting the verification procedure if you are not utilizing the platform.
It also works the other way. What good is verification if you aren’t using Instagram frequently? The following will increase your likelihood of receiving the blue Instagram-verified badge:
- Stock up on great photos: Instagram is all about aesthetics. Influencers earn followers because they know how to appeal to their audience. Find out what your followers like to see on your page and get snapping.
- Take advantage of Insights: Head to your Instagram business page and use your Insights to plan content that resonates with people on your feed. Make sure to post at the time when your followers are most active. Use third-party tools like Sprout Social to learn more about your social followers and adjust your campaigns.
- Engage with your audience: Don’t forget to spend time responding to comments, liking posts, and exploring relevant hashtags. Engagement is key on any social platform.
In-depth information on trends, hashtag usage, likes, and other engagement data can be found in Sprout’s Instagram Audience Engagement Report. Any brand that wants to simplify analysis across accounts or brands must do this.
5. Boost your earned media
Do you want the Instagram stamp of approval? Prove your value to them.
See what comes up when you Google yourself. Nothing? Correct it as there won’t be anything to verify if your brand isn’t well-known.
Keep in mind that a human being, not an algorithm, decides who gets a blue button on their Instagram account. Every request is manually reviewed by real individuals, and they almost certainly use search engines like Google to see what comes up for external credibility.
The key to learning how to become verified on Instagram is to put in the effort before submitting a request.
Verification badges are highly sought after since they are difficult to obtain.
6. Don’t try to buy an Instagram verification badge
Instagram only accepts applications made through its app or through Facebook’s media partners. Avoid attempting any shortcuts, such as paying your way in.
In addition to being useless and expensive, trying to buy a verification badge can result in penalties for breaking Instagram’s community rules.
For instance, if you give any inaccurate or misleading information during the procedure, the platform may completely delete your account.
Instead, work to increase the number of actual Instagram followers by producing interesting and helpful material. Although there is no evidence to support a link between having a large following and Instagram verification, it doesn’t hurt to try.
Also, the more followers you have, the more probable it is that people will notice you and comment about you on reliable news or media outlets.
7. Remove Any Cross-Platform Links From Your Bio
Instagram’s guidelines state that verified accounts cannot entice users to follow or add other social media profiles, such as Facebook or YouTube, in their bio.
You can still include links in your bio to your website, landing page, and other web pages. Consider using the Instagram link in your bio as another way to promote other campaigns, user profiles, or websites.
To enhance your chances of getting verified on Instagram, avoid posting cross-platform connections that promote your other social sites.
In addition, make sure to include links to your Instagram profile on the website for your company, in promotional emails, and on all of your other social media pages. While it may seem hypocritical to refrain from cross-platform connecting on Instagram, linking to your Instagram from other social media accounts validates your ownership of the profile.
8. Improve your searchability
Being well-known and frequently searched for is a prerequisite for Instagram verification. This indicates that you need to be more active on the PR front and work to build your brand naturally.
For impending business announcements or product launches, for instance, you might want to publish press releases
Optimizing your posts using branded hashtags is another thing you can do to get verified more quickly.
Hence, you may show up in natural searches and on Instagram’s Explore tab. You have a higher chance of getting verified if your profile is more searchable.
9. Personalize your posts
It’s crucial to establish and keep a genuine and distinctive Instagram account if you want to get verified.
To distinguish your account from impersonators, we advise you to personalize your posts.
You may, for instance, develop a distinct brand voice, visual aesthetic, feed theme, content strategy, or hashtag approach that is exclusive to your account and challenging (or impossible) to imitate.
Any methods to make your postings more distinctive? Give your audience a behind-the-scenes glimpse at your brand by sharing content! Who else you would have this kind of distinctive content?
As an alternative, ask your followers to tag you in posts to raise brand recognition and interaction through UGC or branded hashtags.
10. Hire a publicist or agency to help
Consider working with a seasoned PR or digital agency that has access to Facebook’s Media Partner Help resources if you’d prefer to employ someone to assist you with the process.
Through the industry-exclusive site, they have access to, they will be able to submit requests on your behalf for validating your account, claiming usernames, and merging accounts.
Remember that the method described here is a reliable source of help with the process, as opposed to “buy” or “bot” tools that provide you phony likes, engagement, or verification in exchange for money. A digital agency can therefore boost your chances even if there is no assurance that your IG verification will be successful.
