How to Get Verified on Instagram? (2019 Edited)

How would it be if you could have that verification badge appearing on your Instagram account?

It is marketing on its own. Right? It brings that perception of a global brand in the minds of your audience.

If yours is a personal account, a verification badge makes people think that you are a notable public figure or even a celebrated celebrity. Which is true, for that verification is a preserve for the chosen few.

Still, it is the only identity that sets you aside allowing people to tell the credible account from possible imposters.

Evidently, a verification badge in your Instagram is great. In this article, you will learn how you can get if for your account. Whether personal or business account, we get you covered. 

What you need to Get Verified on Instagram?

Instagram verification is not for everyone. If it was, it wouldn’t be this coveted. If anyone can get it, then verification loses its entire purpose. It becomes meaningless and of no use.

This thing is a preserve for accounts that are deemed of public interest. If Instagram does not perceive you as a celebrity, a public figure or a global demand, they will deny you access to it.

Instagram list these as the requirement for getting the verification:

· Authenticity – Instagram insists that for you to get verified, you have to be a real person, a real brand or a registered business. If you do not meet this, you do not get verified.

· Unique – Instagram will only verify one account per business or individual. You cannot get verified twice unless for those language-specific accounts.  

· Accounts to be verified are the public accounts that are viewed by everyone.

· Your account has to be complete. 

It should have a profile photo, a complete bio and you must have posted at least once. Your profile should also not be featuring the “add me” button that gets your account linked to other social networking platforms.

· And of more importance and where many accounts fail is on popularity. 

Instagram maintains that accounts to be verified must be for well-known individuals who are searched regularly. For business accounts, they must have a great wave in their niche or are global brands. So when you request for verification, Instagram will screen if you get featured in newsrooms or searched online. If you are some random guy or some random business out there that is not even registered, they will deny you.

The good thing is that you can always work on your account to meet these Instagram verification requirements. 

How to Request for Verification on Instagram?

Requesting verification is a short process that doesn’t take any longer.

Here is a detailed procedure for submitting your application:

The first step is to log in with your Instagram application and getting to the section for the profile. On the top far right, tap on the menu icon and then click on the settings icon that appears on the bottom. On the options that appear, you will see ‘Request Verification’. 

When you tap on the option, it leads you to a section where you fill in your accounts details. For individuals, you will be prompted to upload a personal ID. For business accounts, you upload the business registration certificate. Once you do that, you send the application.

The ID that you send could be any of the following:

· Driver’s license – it should have your name and your date of birth

· Passport – with name and date of birth too

· National ID Card

· Article of incorporation.

· Business tax filing document

· Business utility bill

Once the application is sent, the request will be reviewed and you get notified when they are done. They either will approve or deny the request. The response does not take a specific time but they sure will get back to you. 

What if They Reject Your Application for Verification?

It is common to get denied for verification badge with Instagram. But that does not mean you will never be considered at all cost.

In this section, we highlight a few techniques that have been proven to work. These are the ways that will boost your authenticity allowing you to get verified the next time you submit your application.

i. Promote your account on other social networking sites and even your website

Apart from enhancing your popularity on the web, promoting your account makes it evident that it is the one official account. It burst away from the other fake accounts if they exist.  So you could have your site link attached to other social media networking.

ii. Include your Instagram account in your other communications

If your business sends periodic newsletters to customers and the general public, this is a platform to tap into to better market your account. You can include your Instagram username in those platforms. 

You could as well share your account on the emails that you send to your clients. It allows them to find you on Instagram. You could also embed your account on the blog post regularly and adding a call-to-action.  

Another opportunity you could tap into is product packaging. You could include your Instagram account in those platforms and have your customers find you on Instagram. It will boost your popularity and eventually the authenticity.

iii. Be consistent with your post.

If you be consistent with your brand, you create your undisputed signature. This bit clears any doubt on the authenticity of your Instagram account.

So how do you do that?

In your posts, use the same color only change the shades. Post your images with the same patterns and shapes. Just be consistent with all you do, be predictable. It makes people tell your real account which will make Instagram able to tell your credibility.

iv. Align your other channels to look like your Instagram name

When you align all your channels including your Instagram to look the same way, you make it particularly easy to be identified on Instagram. And that will boost your popularity. Remember that Instagram only verifies popular accounts, the more you get popular the higher the chances of being verified easily.

v. Have a compelling bio

A bio is an ideal opportunity to explain more about yourself. If you can tap this opportunity and give the very best about yourself, you could take your account to a whole new level. You do yourself a big disservice if you give a poor bio. No one would give a second look to poorly written piece with typos. 

Add a call to action in your bio, it will work for you. If you could add some keywords naturally to the bio, that is even better. Your profile will appear on the first pages of a Google search winning you more following.

vi. Resubmit your application

Once you have built your credibility on Instagram and you have established a dedicated following, it is time to resubmit your application. After the first rejection, do not be quick in resending the application, unless you are sure you have had your account in order. 

Otherwise, you’d rather take your time and build your credibility by implementing the strategies we laid down here until you just are sure you have made substantial improvements to your account. 

Here is the worse part about Instagram Verification

We are not going to lie to you that the only way to getting verified is what we just laid down above: about building a solid Instagram following and being outright popular. Of course, they are the only ideal ways of getting yourself that elusive blue check.

Sometimes though, a solid following and popularity do not lead you into getting verified. Recently, we came across an Instagram user with over 9.6 million followers with a ton of posts yet did not have a verification badge. Another user had slightly above 5000 followers already had the coveted badge.

So what is the point?

Even though Instagram clearly put it that this is a preserve for celebrities, public figures and global brands, clearly, this is not always the case.

Thus, the other alternative to getting the verification badge is paying through some black markets.  Some digital agencies do this a side hustle, they request the verification on your behalf. There are other third parties that can do the same for you. According to Instagram, these are Media Partner Support. 

They submit a verification request on behalf of public figures and it works. For ethical consideration, we do not deem this as the best way to getting verified. It is an unfair advantage among potential account owners who do not have links with those assistants. 

Conclusion

Instagram verification is a hot button. Everyone seemed obsessed with this blue badge. Undoubtedly, it is worth fighting for it. It sets you aside from the rest and giving you an identity.

Even though sometimes you might get denied even when you think you deserve it, we recommend you work on two aspects of your account: popularity and authenticity.

They are the two important aspects proven to work.