How to get verified on Instagram is a popular topic and deserves answers.
If you follow a celebrity, influencer, or a large brand on Instagram, you may have noticed a blue check next to their Instagram username. Nope, that symbol is not an emoji, that blue check mark is an Instagram verification badge and is a converted status symbol for many.
While having a verified check mark doesn’t increase your chances of being seen in social feeds, it does help your followers distinguish your account from a clone or a fake account. And, that’s the whole point of the badge: the badge is a signal to Instagram users that this account is the brand, celebrity, or influencer’s true account.
Anyone can apply for Instagram verification, and in this blog, we’ll explain how to get verified on Instagram, how long it takes, and offer tips on how to optimize your Instagram account before applying.
- What Is Instagram Verification?
- Who Is Eligible to Be Instagram Verified?
- How to Get Verified on Instagram?
- How to Grow Your Account and Get Verified on Instagram?
If you’re interested in perfecting your Instagram profile, check out our blog on How to Write the Perfect Professional Instagram Bio.
What is Instagram Verification?
According to Instagram, verification means “Instagram has confirmed that an account is the authentic presence of the public figure, celebrity or global brand it represents.”
Verified accounts assure the authenticity of the users or brand. Having an Instagram account with a verified check mark will help build brand credibility and prevent fraud. Additionally, some features on the social media network are only available to those verified or business accounts with over 10,000 followers.
Who Is Eligible to Be Instagram Verified?
Anyone can apply for an Instagram verification badge — but that doesn’t mean everyone gets it. Generally, verified Instagram accounts are granted to public figures like:
- sports stars,
- actors,
- CEOs,
- politicians,
- and brands.
This is because they’re more likely to be impersonated.
Now, many of you have also probably wondered: Can you pay to get verified on Instagram?
Answer: No, you can get verified on Instagram for free.
According to Instagram, “only Instagram accounts that have a high likelihood of being impersonated have verified badges.” In simple words, it is hard to get verified on Instagram.
Sorry, but they do also state that “general interest accounts” like meme or fan accounts do not qualify for Instagram verification.
Whether you apply from a personal or a business account doesn’t appear to have an impact. There are a few other criteria that Instagram explains they use to evaluate verification applications. According to Instagram’s website, your account needs to be:
- Authentic: This account must truly be owned by the global brand, celebrity, or influencer claiming to be the owner of the account. Otherwise, this would be a violation of the app's community guidelines. It must also be a real person or brand applying, not a fictional brand.
- Unique: Only one account owned by the global brand, celebrity, or influencer can get verified on Instagram, with the exception of language-specific accounts. So if your brand operates multiple Instagram accounts, choose wisely which one should get a verified symbol (copy & paste won't work here).
- Public: Only accounts that have a privacy setting set to “Public” — not “Private” — can get a blue check on Instagram.
- Complete: Is your Instagram bio complete? You’ll need to guarantee that your bio, with a full name, and profile picture is complete. You must have also posted at least once.
- Notable: Again, unless the account represents “a well-known, highly searched for person, brand, or entity,” you may struggle to get that verified check mark.
One interesting stipulation that the app's verification process states is that your bio cannot link to your other social media accounts, like Twitter or TikTok.
If you’re interested in perfecting your Instagram profile, check out our blog on How to Write the Perfect Professional Instagram Bio.
How to Get Verified on Instagram [6 Steps]
How to get a blue check on Instagram and how long does Instagram verification take? Let’s take a look at the quite simple application process.
Step 1: Go to the menu icon in the top right corner of your profile
Step 2: Click on the Settings icon
Step 3: Click on the Account section
Step 4: Select Account Verification from the list
Step 5: Fill out the form and attach a government-issued photo ID or an official business document.
Step 6: Click Send
Couldn't follow the steps? Well, here's a short instructional video from Tech Insider explaining the answer to the question "how to get verified on Instagram?".
That’s it! Follow these step-by-step instructions to request Instagram verification.
Usually, you will receive a notification after a few days (in some cases, it may take a week or more). You might need several attempts to get that blue checkmark, but you can apply for Instagram verification more than once. So, don’t give up!
How to Grow Your Account and Get Verified on Instagram [5 Simple Tips]
Use the guide below to grow your following before you get that elusive blue tick!
Provide quality content
How do you get verified on Instagram (without being famous), you might wonder? Share content that provides value to your target audience. Content can be informational, humorous, musical, or anything useful for your followers. If we create a hub that constantly posts quality content, we’re likely to retain our followers. Learn more about the best content to post on Instagram here.
Be active
The more active you are the more chances you will have to connect with the people and consequently, get verified on Instagram. Building a following isn’t just about creating great content, due to the recent social media algorithms we can no longer rely on visibility ‘just happening’.
Engaging with your audience, potential audience and influencers will boost your following as your message has a better reach and therefore chance of getting more followers.
Use hashtags
Another way to expand your reach on Instagram is to use hashtags. With Instagram's new ‘follow’ hashtags feature, you can reach new audiences, boost your following and increase your chances of getting a verified check mark on Instagram.
Did you know that posts with at least one hashtag receive an average of 12.6% more engagement than posts without?
Creating a branded hashtag is a good way to encourage user-generated content. Using generic hashtags like ‘like for like’, may boost your likes, but they won’t attract the right audience.
Post pictures that tell stories
They say a picture paints a thousand words. Instagram being the image-focused platform that it is, provides an opportunity to tell stories to your audience. In Meltwater’s previous blog, best B2B Instagram accounts, there are loads of great examples of how to be interesting on Instagram. Many use content that tells a story through profiling their employees, audience, or causes. Such efforts can work wonders when you are focussing on how to get a blue check on Instagram.
National Geographic’s Instagram is notoriously good at posting pictures that tell stories.
Avoid buying fake followers to get verified on Instagram
Don’t buy followers on Instagram. It's as simple as that. True growth and reach come from meaningful engagement, which isn't something you will be getting from bots.
You may think that artificially increasing your followers, may help you get Instagram verification, however, this isn’t the case. Generally the followers you’ll get by paying will be bots. Instagram is cracking down on bots and unethical activities, so chances are your follower count will decrease soon after paying for them. In fact, many brands are cracking down on Influencer fraud. Don’t fall into this trap yourself, learn how to combat fake influencers in this previous post.
Even if we can’t get verified on Instagram, we can create an engaged following, so use the tips above in your social media strategy!