How to Get Verified on Instagram

Joshua Woodbeck | December 16, 2020 at 6:15 AM

Priceless and Valuable

Brands may pay for ad space on social media, but the exclusive symbol for which no brand or individual can pay (in the sense that it must be earned,) is the verification badge. Yes, we are talking about that valuable, tiny blue checkmark next to your Instagram handle. Make your business stands out from the rest and show your customers you are legitimate by getting verified.

If you thought getting verified on Instagram was a hard process, think again! In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares how to get verified on Instagram and increase your chances of receiving a verification badge.

Benefits of Getting Verified

What is so special about getting that blue checkmark next to your brand’s profile name? One reason is that it protects your account from being impersonated and taking away customers. The verification badge is an automatic indicator that your profile represents a real business and makes it easier for customers to find your profile.

Another reason you might want to focus on getting verified is to boost your Instagram SEO. Picture a consumer searching for your brand on Instagram but they cannot find it because it appears at the bottom of the results. By receiving a verification badge, your account will appear at the top of search results and suggested accounts. Then, consumers will not have to spend that extra time and energy trying to find your account and, instead, can find it easily and confidently.

Let’s all be honest though, that badge gives your company a source of notoriety status. It is not easy earning the verification badge and it’s what users are looking for when they are searching for brands. It tells them you are a legit business and truly a one of a kind brand.

Atlantic Records Verification Badge on Instagram

Requirements to Getting Verified

The driving factor as to why Instagram verifies brands and individuals is for users to be able to find the true, authentic account. Instagram likes to verify brands that are well-known and are trending in searches. If your brand is at risk from other accounts that are trying to impersonate it, Instagram will want to verify your account to ensure users find your brand when they search for it. In terms of Instagram, your account must be practicing the following:

Following Community Guidelines and Appearing Public
Authentic: registered business or entity
Notable: highly searched or well-known brand
Complete: full profile including at least one post
Unique: account must be the unique presence of the brand.

Instagram follows a strict guideline and it is important for your brand to stay on top of these requirements before and after the verification process. Instagram has the ability to remove the checkmark from your brand’s profile page if it violates the guidelines.

Steps to Getting Verified on Instagram

Instagram has made it easy for anyone to request a verification badge. Follow these simple steps on your Instagram account to request verification for your brand’s page:

Go to your control panel on your brand’s profile page
Select Settings
Select Account
Select Request Verification

Fill in the required information and make sure to have on hand an official business document to prove your identity. It will take about 30 days for your request to be returned by Instagram. If your request gets declined, don’t worry! The verification request is free and you will be able to submit another request 30 days later!

Increase Your Brand's Chances of Getting Verified

So you applied for the verification badge and didn’t get accepted, now what? Instead of sending another application right away, let’s discuss some tips to increase your chances of getting a YES from the Instagram staff.

Once again, the most important aspect of becoming verified on Instagram is building your brand’s credibility. One strategy to increase your notability is building other social media channels or other owned media content. Examples could include Youtube, podcasts, blogs, or other sources of owned content. This way, Instagram is aware of your social status and may want to verify your Instagram account to ensure that your audience on other platforms can find the correct account.

Some general ways to increase your presence on Instagram is by creating more reach. Use hashtags, influencers, or giveaways to increase followers and build a larger audience. In addition, to serve your current audience, it is important your brand is posting engaging posts that are relatable to your market. These strategies will increase your profile search and draw more users to your profile. Remember, a brand that is highly searched for has better chances of getting verified!

Another way to measure and increase your chances of getting verified on Instagram is your Google SEO. So after you apply for the verification badge on Instagram, its staff is going to look up your brands name on Google. If your brand is featured in news sources, articles or other social media channels, your brand is going to have a better chance of getting accepted. If the only thing Google brings up is your website and Instagram channel, Instagram is going to assume your brand is not as notable and does not need a verification badge. In other words, stay on top of your Google SEO. Make sure any articles or videos that your brand is mentioned in is getting featured in the Google results when customers search for your company. This demonstrates to Instagram that your company is professional and legitimate.

Finally, after doing some research and talking with a professional talent manager, there are speculations that your profile bio should not contain a bounce link during the verification process. There is no exact evidence of this, but if your brand got denied verification the first attempt, it cannot hurt to try. Your brand can have a link in your account after the verification process, but it is believed that your bio should not have a link directing you away from Instagram at anytime during the process.

Do I Need Thousands of Followers to Get Verified?

In short, the answer is NO. It can be scary for a developing brand that may not have a ‘well-known’ Instagram presence and have a smaller follower count. However, I am here to tell you and your business that the number of followers DOES NOT MATTER. Forget what anyone has told you about needing a thousand plus followers to get verified on Instagram, the key is notoriety. Let’s look at the brand, Shopify Stockroom. With only 300 followers, they applied for verification (steps mentioned above) and they got it! In just one night, Shopify Stockroom followers had tripled to over 1,000 followers and it now has about 7,000 followers today.

How did they do it? Again, I cannot stress this enough, Instagram wants to verify businesses or people who are notable. In this case, Shopify Stockroom had already established its Youtube platform with a large following. Only the Instagram staff will truly know but, as a result of its success on Youtube, verifying Shopify Stockroom on Instagram ensured that the brand's Youtube audience would find the official brand.

Although Stockroom’s affiliation with the main Shopify account may have contributed to its verification badge, they established an audience on another platform and Instagram noticed its success and awarded them with the priceless blue checkmark.

Take Your Brand to the Next Level

Now that you are ready, it is time to take your brands social media presence to the next level and apply to get verified on Instagram. If your brand is still developing, refer to the tips to increase your odds of getting verified. Do not worry if your brand does not get verified right away; find the areas where you can improve and remember to build your notability. The verification process might be easy but earning your badge can be a challenging task. Instagram does not accept every application, but by following the steps and tricks you learned, it will be hard for Instagram to say no.

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