When you set your profile to private, only accepted followers have access to the content you post. While it may seem like a rational thing to do for those appreciating privacy – if you’re serious about growing your online presence, chances are it’s going to be a move you’ll end up regretting.
What does the modification in these privacy settings change? It changes way more than you may think! Actually, it turns upside down the way followers and potential followers can engage with your content. The whole point is, it can dramatically hinder reaching your dream followers and dream clients. It’s a serious marketing decision.
Let us ask you – have you ever considered making your account private because a “why not?” popped up in your head? Or maybe you have some privacy concerns? Today we’ll discuss why choosing a private account isn’t a strategic solution – and why you should rather avoid it. What are you giving up when you decide to make your account private? Views from trending hashtags, making it to the explore page, reaching new people… The list goes on and on. Let’s dive in!
Two myths about setting your account to private we need to debunk
Some creators see setting their profiles to private as an opportunity to gain more followers. The funny thing is – most often, the result is the total opposite. Let us tell you: if you already have an account with a massive follower base, and you don’t need to improve your brand awareness, then a private Instagram account might not do you any serious harm. But otherwise – why would you want to hide your creative content from the world (and new potential audience)?
We have heard this theory many times! It’s looking at the situation through the rose-tinted glasses: of course, you can intrigue some people, and they’d love to discover what type of content you’re posting and why you’ve decided to set your account to private, but there is a high risk that those people will unfollow you right after they find out.
Your content may not resonate with their interests. They don’t know who you are – they’re just curious, but there is no guarantee that it’s going to be love at first sight. There might be no love at all because it’s much like a blind date – they don’t know what they’re subscribing to.
Sure, they can feel FOMO and wonder what they’re missing out when they do not see your posts. You can get temporary extra followers because of that – but there’s a serious risk they won’t stay with you, so it can be just a waste of time (and it may be pretty frustrating when you have high hopes). It will tug at people’s curiosity – but that strategy doesn’t work really well.
Myth #2: Private account is much safer because my family or people I’d rather avoid won’t see my content
Only in theory. We totally understand why some people want to hide their social media during a hunt for a new job, or why students do it before the final exams – but when you’re developing your own brand or business, it’s less about privacy and more about showing off your abilities, your work, your potential. Why would you like to hide it?
If you’re worried about people you don’t like, or maybe someone from your competitors, seeing your posts and instastories – you can hide your content from SPECIFIC users. So there’s no point in hiding it from everyone else!
Why private account stops you from growing
Should you make your account private? You already know that our reply would be a loud “please don’t do it”. When you’re determined, you can find some reasons why setting your account to private isn’t actually such a bad thing, but still, from the marketing perspective: you’ll give up on so many Instagram benefits that could be a potential game-changer for your social media growth. We mean it.
Haven’t you spent long evenings reading e-books about well-tailored and extremely conscious hashtag strategy? When you set your account to private, all the hashtags LOSE THEIR POWER. Your content won’t be discoverable and searchable anymore.
Your photos, graphics, or videos don’t show up under any hashtags when your account is private. You can forget about getting remarkably high reach from trending hashtags – and, what is even more bothering, any other hashtags as well. Hashtags are a crucial part of any Instagram growth strategy, and when you set your account to private, you actually bury it alive.
You won’t make it to the Explore Page
The whole point of having a private account is hiding its contents from the world and from all the strangers that could turn into your potential followers. It means that your content is a total mystery for those who don’t follow you.
Keep in mind that the Instagram Explore section is a gold mine for many creators – it gives them a valuable opportunity to reach their target audience because the algorithm is smarter than you may think: it shows every user the content they’re much likely to adore because it’s based on AI. It observes the types of content people like and are likely to engage with.
To wrap-up!
When you have a private account, nobody can view your posts and your Instagram stories unless they follow you, so it’s definitely not the right move for someone wanting to attract more like-minded people. A private account can be it for you when it’s only for personal use – but when you have, or you plan to have a business, no matter how small, and your current or future goal is to drive sales and boost brand awareness, then there are clearly more cons than pros.
Switching your account to the “business” or “creator” type is a smart move for your online growth and gives you plenty of precious opportunities. Do you want us to tell you more about them to let you decide which one is made for you? Wait no more! We’re preparing the next article – we’ll reveal all the differences between the business and creator’s type of account you need to know.
