Ahh, that blue tick next to your name – the elusive, highly-coveted symbol of online status that shows you have a better reputation in the online world than your neighbor’s kid who uses his Instagram profile to sell sneakers online. Why is it desired by so many? And how to get it?
From Instagram users’ perspective, verified badges enable them to easily find authentic profiles of celebrities or brands they want to follow. From the perspective of people using their profiles for business and marketing purposes, a blue tick next to their name can make their efforts much easier and more effective.
There’s a recently-opened subreddit on the topic of how an influencer gets verified on Instagram with 82 comments at the time of writing this text. So, this is a trending issue to which there aren’t many actually useful resources available online at the moment.
As we’ve already written a comprehensive guide on how to get verified on Facebook (which is a somewhat more straightforward process), this time we’ve rolled up our sleeves and tried to find an answer to how to get verified on Instagram. Even if you don’t have millions of followers. Or your last name isn’t Kardashian.
Please have in mind that even though our tips are expected to bring you at least one step closer to verification, there’s no guaranteed method for obtaining the blue verification badge (at least not yet).
Hint: Tip #5 is BREAKING NEWS.
What is an Instagram verified badge?
According to Instagram’s own Help Center,
“A verified badge is a check that appears next to an Instagram account’s name in search and on the profile. It means that Instagram has confirmed that this is the authentic account for the public figure, celebrity or global brand it represents.”
This badge is often found next to the names of celebrities or global brands.
Kim Kardashian’s got one.
Nike as well. In fact, Instagram is just a small part ofNike’s marketing strategy.
So what’s the deal with that blue check mark (aside from the fact that it looks really good)?
Among other things, it shows your followers that you’re someone with enough credibility, reputation, and status to be verified by Instagram. If your account is verified, it means that it’s been confirmed by Instagram as authentic. This little blue check mark helps people easily find celebrities or brands they want to follow while avoiding any imposters or impersonators along the way.
As it represents a sort of a status symbol in the online world, this blue check mark is in high demand. Which is precisely why Instagram doesn’t verify just anybody (which makes sense because if everyone got verified that easily, the badge would lose its value).
Still, nobody knows for sure how they decide who’s worthy of verifying. No instructions or guidelines are specified on any of Instagram’s official pages. Rumor has it that Instagram verification badges are assigned on individual bases by Instagram’s moderators.
So, how to get verified on Instagram then? Apparently, there is no algorithm to fool, nor a set of guidelines to follow. The entire process is, for no obvious reason, shrouded in the veil of mystery.
Before we look into how to get verified on Instagram, let’s check who can actually attempt to do it.
Who Can Request a Verified Badge?
Apparently, no one.
As Instagram clearly states:
“Right now, only some public figures, celebrities and brands have verified badges. It’s not currently possible to request or purchase a verified badge.”
Instead, they suggest alternative ways of confirming your authenticity to the Instagram community…
“If your account doesn’t have a verified badge, there are other ways to help let people know that you’re authentic. For example, you can link to your Instagram profile from your official website, Facebook page or Twitter account.”
So, how to get verified on Instagram if your last name is not Kardashian? Or if your brand doesn’t do business in 150 countries all over the world?
Do You Need a Huge Following to Get Verified?
You don’t need to have millions of followers to get verified on Instagram. In fact, there have been cases of accounts with less than 400 followers being awarded the blue verification badge. For example, The Stock Room’s account has just 4,214 followers at the moment but guess what else they have – a blue tick to brag about!
Nevertheless, having a huge following will certainly make it easier for you to get verified on Instagram. And even if we disregard the question whether having more followers will help you earn the blue badge, you certainly want to increase your number of followers, so here are 14 free ways to get more followers on Instagram.
Once again, the number of followers doesn’t need to be the decisive factor on whether or not you’re going to receive the verification badge, so all’s not lost even if you don’t have thousands of followers.
So, let’s try to resolve the mystery of how to get verified on Instagram.
5 Tips on How to Get Verified on Instagram
Tip #1 – Become Famous Overnight and Have Tons of Followers
Okay, this one is obvious and not easily-achievable. If it were that easy, you’d already be verified and wouldn’t need to read this article on how to get verified on Instagram. So, let’s move on to some tips that might actually be useful to you.
Tip #2 – Have a Digital Agency Submit the Request on Your Behalf
Tom Ward interviewed several people who managed to get verified on Instagram and, as it turns out, most of them worked with a digital agency or a publicist. Apparently, there is a select group of agencies and publicist who have access to Instagram’s digital portal, otherwise inaccessible by us mortals.
The mentioned portal is actually Facebook’s Media Help Center (Facebook, as you probably know, owns Instagram too), which “provides media partners a one-stop place to access support content and best practice information for managing their Facebook and Instagram accounts.”
So, a potential solution could be to reach out to some digital agencies, check if they can access the Media Partner Support portal, and have them submit the Instagram verification request on your behalf.
Of course, this does not guarantee that your Instagram profile will get verified (as can be seen from the rejection letter below).
Tip #3 – Build Your Reputation Outside Instagram First
When you come to think about it, it makes perfect sense. If you’ve started out on Instagram and managed to build a respectable following over a significant period of time, this is where people will know you from. You’re likely to be easily found on the platform and unlikely to be mistaken for anyone else. Hence, no need for urgency when it comes to verifying your profile.
The entire point of getting verified, from Instagram’s point of view, is in improving the user experience:
“We want to make sure that people in the Instagram community can easily find the authentic people and brands they want to follow.”
That being said, if you build (or, even better, if you’ve already built) your presence on some other social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube (and not on Instagram), verification might be a good way for Instagram to help people find you on that social network as well.
So, if you don’t already have thousands of followers, and your Instagram profile is not your brand’s main online headquarters, but you’ve already built your online presence elsewhere, there might actually be a fair chance of Instagram verifying your account.
For example, let’s say you have a successful YouTube channel and now you’ve decided to move your presence to Instagram as well. In this case, it may be in Instagram’s best interest to award you the blue badge, as users who subscribe to your YouTube channels are highly likely to search for you on Instagram as well. In order to make sure users know they’ve found your authentic profile, Instagram may decide to verify you.
Tip #4 – Embrace the Risk (or Likelihood) of Being Impersonated
According to Instagram’s own policy…
“Accounts representing well-known figures and brands are verified because they have a high likelihood of being impersonated. We want to make sure that people in the Instagram community can easily find the authentic people and brands they want to follow.”
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So, you could perhaps work this to your advantage. Kindly hint to Instagram that you’re at risk of being impersonated. There’s no universal way to do it, but what you probably shouldn’t do is provide unclear or restricted information or create a bunch of fake accounts.
Instead, try to keep a low profile. Not being the first profile that comes up when users try to find you in Instagram search would actually be a good thing in this case. This will signal to Instagram that there’s a high likelihood of your profile being impersonated and they may decide to give you a badge in order to ensure their users reach the real you.
Still, you need to give Instagram enough information to verify it’s you – so, your profile should at least contain your name, email, and your website URL.
Tip #5 – Wait for Instagram to Allow for Verification Requests [Allegedly, It’s Coming Soon]
In the middle of writing this article, I came across this breaking news that could change Instagram verification forever. Apparently, Instagram has started rolling out the “Request Verification” feature locally at first.
Starting July 11, Australian iOS users are able to apply for Instagram verification. Allegedly, Instagram wants to clear the air around the entire verification process shenanigans (it’s been high time, Instagram) in order to dismiss the conspiracy theories centered around paid-for blue badges.
As Instagram’s strategic partner manager APAC, Nicci Meek, toldnine.com.au: “Our community asked us for more transparency around this issue, and with today’s announcement we’re sharing clear details about verification requirements and eligibility criteria,”
She further explains: “This new feature will allow our community the opportunity to apply for verification themselves, and understand the process behind getting verified on Instagram. We believe opening up verification to the public will also work towards safeguarding our community.”
How to Remain Verified on Instagram?
Once you’ve acquired that blue check mark, it would be a shame to lose it. But it happens. From time to time, Instagram monitors verified accounts for inappropriate behavior, in case of which they might take away your verification badge. According to Instagram:
“Verified accounts are reviewed as part of our efforts to make sure that the Instagram experience stays authentic. Though we don’t proactively monitor verified accounts for changes, we may take away an account’s verified status if it posts spam or some other content that doesn’t follow our Community Guidelines, uses the profile pic, full name or bio section to promote other services, or doesn’t remain public. Keep in mind that you can’t transfer, sell or advertise a verified badge, and doing so may result in badge removal or termination of your Instagram account.”
In addition to bragging rights, being an Instagram verified user carries along plenty of benefits, from higher brand credibility to a greater Instagram search presence. If you’re already verified, here are a couple more things you could do to maximize the potential of your Instagram profile for business and marketing uses:
