Is it to do with the number of likes on your posts? No. Instagram verification for any business is the cherry on top of the cake. It shows your current and prospective followers that you’re a legitimate, trusted business. In other words, the blue tick signifies the ‘authentic presence of [a brand]’, that your followers can purchase from worry-free.

In this blog, we’re going to show you how (although not guaranteed, as we’ll discuss further on) you can gain that holy-grail, blue tick!

Here is our step by step guide to requesting page verification from Instagram:

Step One – Log in and Request Verification

The first part is fairly self-explanatory. If you have two accounts, i.e. a personal and a business account, make sure you’re logged into your business account. Then click on the ‘menu’ icon; we’ve shown you how below:

Step Two – Click on the Settings ‘gear’ icon

Once you’ve clicked on the ‘menu’ icon, scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see a settings option in the shape of a ‘gear’; give that a click – here’s a screenshot!

Step Three – Click ‘Account’ and then ‘Request Verification’

Next, you’ll need to click on ‘Account’; see below:

Then you’ll need to click on ‘Request Verification’; we’ve shown you here:

But this is where you need to pay attention a little bit more as, let’s be honest, the steps so far have been relatively simple!

3a. Confirm your identity:

Here’s where you have to confirm to Instagram that you are who you say you are, you will need to have some form of I.D. to hand:

• Full name: This is your full name as it appears on your passport, driving licence or any other form of government-issued identification.
• Known As: This is where you would enter your business name, so as an example, we would enter ‘Mosaic Digital Media’.
• Category: You can choose from any of the following – news/media, sports, government/politics, music, fashion, entertainment, blogger/influencer, business/brand/organization or other. Pick the one that that is most appropriate to your business and is most relevant to the content on your page. So, as much as Negin our Social Account Manager is a talented singer on the down-low, we’d choose ‘business/brand/organization’ here:

3b. Upload a photo of your I.D. –

Next, in your quest to getting your Instagram profile verified, you need to upload a photo. For personal use, this would be a form of I.D. e.g. a drivers licence or passport. However, as we’re concentrating on getting your business verified, you can upload any of the following:

• A Tax Return
• A Utility Bill
• Articles of Incorporation – (the legal process used to form a corporate entity or company).

Whichever one you choose from the above, make sure the name of your business is clearly visible and readable, and that it matches the name you entered earlier on.

Step Four – Press Send!

Now you’ve done all the hard work (top tip: double-check all the info you’ve entered in the previous step is correct), you can press ‘Send’ and cross your fingers!

Don’t be too disheartened if you don’t hear back straight away. There’s no specific time-frame on when Instagram will make a decision on your verification request. From their point of view, they are doing there due diligence to “confirm the authenticity, uniqueness, completeness and notability” of your business.

To help them see all of that and grant your business verification, you can:

• Make sure your profile is complete
• Have an engaging and descriptive bio – try to condense your businesses’ CTA, products/services/aims, as best you can and make it engaging. Throw in some emoji’s (where applicable), particularly if you’re listing your services.
• Post regularly
• Try to get your followers up – even though there is no set amount of followers you need to be considered for Instagram verification, one key facet they will look at is how ‘noteworthy’ your account is. Nothing says noteworthiness like followers!

So that’s it! Our step by step guide to getting your business page verified on Instagram. We hope this makes the process simple and wish you luck in getting the blue tick!

If you haven’t got the time to manage your Instagram account, don’t DIY it, get the professionals in!

Give us a call on 01925 563 960 or contact us here!