Have you seen the little blue check marks popping up all over Instagram? They signify some good news for you as an Instagram account builder!
Popular Instagram users, creators, and brands all have one thing in common: that coveted blue checkmark. And while you might think that it’s simply a status symbol, actually not necessarily, it can be so much more. This blue verification badge gives your ‘Gram account an added stamp of approval, which can build your brand’s credibility, increase exposure, and distinguish you from copycats.
So, how do you get verified on Instagram for free? I’m breaking it all down — with tips to increase your chances of getting the blue tick without paying for it.
What Is an Instagram Verified Badge?
Instagram provides a user or a brand with a verification badge when it wants to protect them from being copied or bullied. It says, “An Instagram-verified badge means that the platform has confirmed the account belongs to the user it represents.”
Therefore, Instagram wants to protect popular profiles from being stolen or copied. It usually means that the profile is authentic and credible and also indicates a high engagement level.
Now we can simply buy the verified bandage, but the platform grants free-verification to users who it feels are most authentic and have the strongest public presence on the platform.
How Many Followers Do You Need to Get Verified on Instagram?
Good news: Instagram lays down no specific guidelines or follower count criteria for the verification process.
You don’t need a huge following. Some actors, celebrities or brands who got verified don’t have 1M or even 100K followers. Instagram provides a blue check badge to popular accounts that other users easily recognize. Therefore, you need to have a high level of engagement on your content – then there are higher chances that your account can get verified.
You can always TRY. If your application gets denied, you can always try again. You can request verification from your settings panel right here:
But now the question is:
How to Get Verified on Instagram for Free? How to increase your chances of an accepted Instagram verification application?
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Make Sure you’re following all the Instagram Community Guidelines
As you may already know, ‘Gram is very strict when it comes to its community guidelines. So, you need to make sure you are following absolutely all the community guidelines.
These guidelines were created to keep Instagram safe and friendly. Don’t upload any inappropriate content, don’t use abusive language, and most importantly do not create content that can lead to hate, violence, and hurt someone’s sentiments.
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Have coverage in Other Media that can be easily found online
If you have appeared in any magazines, newspaper, or even on online media – for example online magazines, big platforms, interview platforms – it can really help you to get verified on Instagram.
It will make you look more legitimate, and it can also give you the status of a public figure.
Our protip? Try to upgrade your PR game, try to do some interviews, podcasts with bigger creators, and try to appear in the media. It will not only lead to more exposure for your Instagram profile, but by doing this, you can also get verified on Instagram much quicker.
Yup, it really works like that – you can get verified on Instagram if you have got a verification badge from another social media platform. Then the Instagram team will see you as a well-known creator or a public figure, because your other social media profiles on a different platform are verified.
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Boost your engagement rate
In order to get verified, you need to build a solid presence on the platform and have a high engagement rate. This starts with a good growth strategy!
Regularly research your target audience, and analyze the type of content they enjoy the most (use IQ Hashtags to save time and have all the precious data in one dashboard).
Make a proper posting schedule, and post at the “right time”(always check when your audience is most active – you will find the information in the Followers Analysis tab).
Do some research on trending and relevant hashtags and add them to your caption. This will help you to increase your views, and boost your engagement rate organically – which is our priority!
- Create Authentic and Original Content
Instagram will not verify you if your content feels unauthentic or like copy-pasted from other creators’ profiles. So drive interactions with more genuine posts! Writing regular posts, carousels or creating Reels that seek people’s answers, opinions, and feedback is the smartest plan.
