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One of the number questions that we get week after week here at Miss Ink is about verification, specifically Instagram verification.
For those of you who don’t know, anyone can apply to have his or her account verified. Whether a personal account or a business account, you can apply right from your account. Here’s how you do it: When you’re logged into your account on the app, go to settings, click on “account,” and then click on “request verification.”
Instagram will ask you to answer 5 questions on the verification application, which only takes a minute to fill out.
- Username
- Full Name
- Known As
- Category
- Upload a photo of your ID or official business documents
After you’ve filled out this information, Instagram will review your account, which usually takes at least a few days, to determine if it fits the verification standards.
There are 5 sets of criteria that you have to meet in order to get that coveted blue checkmark next to your account name.
- You must follow Instagram’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines
- Your account must represent a real person, registered business or entity.
- Your account must be unique because only one account per person or business may be verified. The only exception is language-specific accounts. Also, Instagram doesn’t verify general interest accounts. If your account is called something like @beautymemes or @sportsquotes, for example, your account won’t get verified.
- Your profile must be public, have a bio, a profile photo, and at least one post. Your bio can’t include “add me” links to other social media services.
- Last but not least, your account must represent a well-known, highly searched for person, brand or entity. Instagram states that it reviews accounts that are featured in multiple new sources and that they don’t consider paid or promotional content as sources for review.
Verification may not be easy to obtain on Instagram, but if your account meets these criteria, it’s a good idea to apply.
Have more social media questions?
Contact us here and we’ll answer them in an upcoming marketing tip.
