If you meet certain criteria, you can get a blue tick that verifies your Instagram account. This has a number of benefits, such as making your profile seem more important to people who view it. In this guide, we look at how to get verified on Instagram and how this can help your brand grow.

As bot followers swarm social media, a verification badge shows that you have control over your profile. If you run a business account, this might even give people the security they need to buy from you. This means trying to verify your profile could boost your brand and help you get more followers in the process.

What Is an Instagram Verification Badge?

A verification badge on Instagram shows that you are truly the person behind your account. This feature is especially useful for a business or public figure that scammers may try to imitate. After you verify your account, a blue tick will appear next to your profile’s name. This is impossible for other users to fake, showing your true identity to the people who visit your account.

While some websites let anyone get this badge to show they aren’t a bot, Instagram is far more selective. A verification team decides who will receive a blue tick on their account. This gives it a level of prestige in comparison to X, which lets anyone simply buy their verification. The criteria for Instagram badges are highly complex, with many hidden factors for you to be aware of.

Anyone can request a badge to begin the verification process. The presence of a badge doesn’t signal an endorsement from Instagram; it simply means they are notable. Hackers often go after verified accounts, so make sure you enable high-security settings before you apply. This badge will also disappear from your account if you lock it, even after a successful verification.

What Are the Instagram Verification Requirements?

Before we look at the actual steps for verification, you need to know if you’ll likely be eligible. As Instagram uses this to verify a popular account’s authentic presence, you’ll have to be notable in some way. The team evaluates this on a case-by-case basis, though this primarily looks at your presence across several non-paid news sources.

Verification is mainly for notable people, brands, and entities. If your account officially represents one of those in any capacity, it might be eligible. Even pets can get a blue tick badge if they are popular enough on Instagram and the public at large. In addition, your account needs to have at least one post as well as a bio and profile picture.

You can only have one verified account, though Instagram does sometimes make exceptions. If you have another account in a different language you speak, for example, both could get a blue badge. Finally, only public accounts can enjoy verification. This is because many celebrities are effectively a type of brand, and similar rules are in place for business accounts.

Meta Instagram verification is another matter entirely. This is something that anyone can pay for to show their account is real. However, you must be over 18, relatively active, and provide an ID document. No matter what badge you get, Instagram can revoke it for any reason. For example, if you are trying to sell your Instagram account (and the badge with it).

How To Get Verified on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you think you are notable enough for blue badges on Instagram, the process is relatively easy to follow. Make sure you have an official ID document to hand before beginning. The main steps for a successful verification are as follows:

1. Check the Requirements

You will have to make sure you fit the eligibility criteria above before applying for verification on Instagram. If you do this without matching the general requirements, you’ll waste both your own time and the team’s time. Though a person’s ‘notability’ is subjective, Instagram defines this as being in the public eye. It uses a diverse range of international news sources to confirm this.

2. Find the Verification Page

Go onto your profile by clicking the person icon (or your profile picture) on the bottom right of the app. Press the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to view your account settings. Scroll to Account Type and Tools and click Request Verification. This opens the form you’ll need to complete.

3. Add Your Details

You’ll now have to input your legal name and upload a copy of your ID document. The form also asks for details on your notability, including a description of the people who follow your account. To confirm your notability, the form also includes space for up to five links to news articles that mention you. This is optional but can really help your case if you aren’t a household name.

4. Wait To Hear Back

After you add your details, click Submit. You should hear back within a month. When the team makes a decision, they send you a notification which shows the result. If this is a no, they don’t include any feedback. You can reapply 30 days after a rejection if you think this is a mistake.

The Benefits of Being Verified on Instagram

Instagram verification is about much more than showing your status. It also gives you access to a number of exclusive benefits. These are different for personal and business accounts, though both profiles can enjoy a boost in their credibility. With this in mind, here are the usual benefits of verifying your account:

• Added security: Many fake accounts claim to be someone famous or anyone within the public eye as part of a scam. Verifying your identity with Instagram shows followers that you are the person behind your account.
• Brand awareness: Verification lets your business account stand out in a busy market; it might even get higher engagement. This is because verified accounts will often appear at the top of an Instagram user’s search results.
• New partnerships: The prestige of an Instagram verification badge will also invite sponsors and brands to collaborate with you. This lets you grow your network further and keep making waves in the industry of your choice.
• More sales: Along similar lines, people will be more likely to buy from your business if they can trust it. If your company account manages to get a blue tick badge, look into adding Instagram’s shopping features to your profile.
• Extra app features: Some Instagram features are only for accounts with 10,000+ followers. For example, only these profiles can add swipe-up links to their story. Verified accounts can access these tools to boost their promotional content.

How Many Followers on Instagram To Get Verified?

According to HypeAuditor, 73.4% of accounts with over 1 million followers had a blue verification badge in 2020. Even if the numbers are different today, the broad trend is likely the same. Their data also shows that only 2% of accounts with under 20,000 followers managed to successfully verify their profiles.

This would suggest a link between verification and your follower count. However, the Instagram verification requirements do not mention this. It may be a factor they take into account, but their definition of notability is about public interest. For example, if you’re in the news and people might try to impersonate you as part of a scam.

It instead seems more likely that notable accounts attract more followers. This would then mean the profile has a high follower count when requesting a badge. Celebrities might not want to wait until they have 100,000 followers before proving their identity, however. For this reason, you can request verification for your profile, regardless of your current follower count.

When it comes to how many followers you need to have on Instagram to get verified, there’s no exact number you need to have. However, a high follower count could help show Instagram that people search for your account. This means you may have more success if you try your best to get more followers before applying for verification.

Can You Pay To Get Verified on Instagram?

Instagram’s main verification is entirely free. If you see somebody claiming they can sell you a blue badge, this is a scam. Similarly, there are hackers who break into verified accounts in order to sell them. This is why Instagram recommends that people enable two-factor authentication if applying for a blue badge.

Meta verification is a paid subscription that gives official verification badges. You can access this in your profile settings under Meta Verified, just below Account Type and Tools. As of writing, this badge costs $14.99 each month. It also provides you with exclusive story stickers and higher security for your account.

To get Meta verification, your profile picture needs to include your face. The name you use also can’t be too different from your legal name. It also cannot have symbols, numbers, or offensive words. This type of verification is also available for your Facebook account, as both come under the Meta company umbrella.

As with the usual free verification, Meta verification has a lengthy waitlist. As you won’t need to be famous or even notable to apply, the verdict might actually take more time. However, most people hear back within a few weeks. It’s also worth noting that business accounts cannot apply for Meta verification; only personal accounts can.

Do Verified Instagram Accounts Get Paid?

Some platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter), pay verified users if they get high engagement on their posts. As this leads to greater ad revenue for the platform’s owners, these payments serve as a ‘reward’ of sorts. However, Instagram does not offer its own version of this service.

There are still ways that verified profiles can profit from this status. For example, brands looking to collaborate with real accounts may prioritize people and businesses with a blue badge. Your Instagram storefront may also get a boost if users can see that your company is fully authentic.

Instagram still allows creator and business accounts to monetize their content. They can put ads on their reels or add paid badges to their livestreams, for example. These are wholly separate from blue tick badges. Instead, they take the form of monetary gifts a viewer can buy for a streamer.

If you want to boost your profile even further, consider verifying your account. If you do not meet the usual requirements, you can always invest in a Meta subscription. snsflow.com can show you how to get verified on Instagram and develop your account’s long-term following.

Combining verification with organic paid followers will allow your personal or business profile to get even more popular. This means others will look towards you as an authentic and trustworthy presence on Instagram. Learn more about snsflow.com’s services and boost your account today.