If you are a frequent user of the social platform Instagram, you may have noticed more and more blue checkmarks (i.e. verified accounts) come across your feed. This is because recently Instagram has opened the verification feature to users with a notable business or brand. Now, minor celebrities, small businesses, local creators, and others are able to authenticate their social presence on Instagram. By expanding the verification feature, Instagram has allowed accounts to register as “verified” to prove their authenticity within the Meta platform.
Now you must be wondering, how do I get verified on Instagram? Here are the steps to take to get your Instagram account the famed blue checkmark!
To become verified on Instagram, there are a few qualifications your account needs to meet – Authenticity, Uniqueness, Completeness, and Notability. Here is the full list of requirements and details to prepare your account for Instagram verification.
- Authenticity: You must represent a real person or registered business/entity – Uniqueness: must represent the unique presence of a person/business (i.e. collective accounts for reshares, memes, etc. will not be eligible)
- Completeness: The account must be public, contain a bio, and profile photo, and be active at the time of application for verification
- Notability: You must have a significant audience; accounts featured in news sources will be more likely to be reviewed
Step 2: Prepping for Instagram Verification
After your account meets the requirements, you are ready to apply for Instagram verification!
These are the steps you will take:
- Ensure you are using the mobile app, mobile and desktop browsers do not work for this process
- Make your Instagram profile the account name that you want to be verified; you cannot change this after the verification has gone through without verifying
- Log in to your account and tap on settings > account > request verification, in that order. – Approve the $14.99 monthly charge; if you should get approved this will be a recurring charge
- Await approval over the next 30 days; note that multiple applications ahead of a response will result in full cancellation of the Instagram verification request
With this new process open to a larger group, it is important to remember a couple of things. Violating Instagram’s community guidelines, flipping your profile from public to private frequently, or committing other unallowable actions can result in the removal of your Instagram verification status.
Additionally, verifying your account on Instagram does not automatically verify your account on Facebook. Verified accounts have quicker access to customer support as well as increased security in the event of a hacking attack. Hopefully your business or personal brand will pass through this process with ease to ensure the authenticity of your account!
If you were wondering how to get verified on Instagram for free, unfortunately, there is a fee attached. Even though this is not a free verification, there can be many benefits to it.
Why Become Verified on Instagram?
Instagram verification is important to small business owners for multiple reasons. One reason is that it builds credibility and trust in the brand. The little blue check mark will help your audience believe that your account is legitimate. Not only will being verified on Instagram help with growing your audience, but it will also help your content show up higher on search results.
Now that Instagram is becoming more search engine friendly, you will want to do as much as you can to remain at the top of those search results. Lastly, being verified on Instagram will increase exposure and grow brand awareness. Overall, there are many pros to being verified on Instagram that your small business or company can benefit from.
End Note:
Now that Instagram has changed its verification process, anyone can apply as long as they follow these verification guidelines. This may be a helpful tool for small businesses to build credibility, increase Instagram organic traffic, and grow brand awareness.
If you need help with your social media strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to Corkboard Concepts. We have full social media engagement services ready to serve you and your business.