After getting huge of emails asking how our Instagram
accounts got verified, we decided to
publish this blog post explaining why we believe we got verified and how we
think Instagram decides who to verify. Having a large following always helps,
so be sure to check out this guide to getting more followers on Instagram.
The Blue Verification Tick on Instagram
When it comes to social media marketing in 2017, it seems
like almost anything can be bought. Facebook is now over a decade old, and even
Instagram is well past its infancy as a social platform existing long enough
for users to cleverly figure out different ways to ‘game’ the system. Some
followers can be bought for pennies, with the ability to have
these followers act like humans, liking and commenting on your photos, coming
at an added cost.
This badge is usually found sidled up next to the handles of
celebrities or well known global brands like Nike and Lululemon. Since these
badges are handed out on an individual basis by moderators at Instagram, it is
impossible to pay for one or fool an algorithm into thinking you are worthy of
verifying.
Instagram’s own page on verified badges reaffirms the
assumed impossibility of those without Kardashian for a last name getting
verified:
“A verified badge is a check that appears next to an
Instagram account's name in search and on the profile. It means that Instagram
has confirmed that this is the authentic account for the public figure,
celebrity or global brand it represents.”
So, given these facts, what would you say are the chances
that our own account, with less than 400 followers could get verified?
3 Steps to Get Your Own Account Verified on Instagram
There are hundreds of articles written online attempting to
demystify the verification process, giving step by step instructions on how to
get your account verified. All of these guides reinforce three points of
relevance that Instagram looks for having a huge following, being active and
representing a celebrity all of which were untrue for us, and we still got
verified.
Based on our experience I can tell you that a lot of what is
written online about getting verified is mostly speculation and not grounded in
truth or experience. Having been verified, we have a unique lens into the experience
and can tell you what we believe Instagram and other platforms like Twitter and
Facebook look for when choosing who to verify.
Here are the three key factors we’ve identified as reasons
why we were verified. If you follow these three steps we believe you can have a
way higher shot at getting verified without being a celebrity, based on our own
experience.
1. Don’t get big on Instagram first
This also applies to whatever platform you are trying to get
verified on, be it Twitter, Facebook or Youtube. Apparently even Tinder hasverified users now, too! Whichever platform is your goal, you need to work on
building your presence somewhere else. We believe that Jane’s YouTube
videos although only amassing between 1,000-15,000 views each was what led to
us being verified on Instagram.
There is reasoning behind this. If you build your brand on
Instagram, collecting thousands of followers over a long period of time, this
is where people will know you from. You can be easily found on that platform
and it is unlikely someone with a similar name could be mistaken for you.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be a high priority for Instagram to verify you. After
all, Instagram even explains that verification is a process of improving the
user experience:
“We want to make sure that people in the Instagram community
can easily find the authentic people and brands they want to follow.”
If you don’t have thousands of followers, and your account
is not the main place your brand lives, verification would be a good way
Instagram can help people find you.
2. Gain notoriety on parallel platforms
What are parallel platforms? Social media marketers will
recognize that there are unspoken lines drawn between users on certain
platforms and others that bread the same kind of users with similar
demographics and content styles.
For instance, Twitter is heavily associated with news and
politics, so you are more likely to see verified accounts from journalists,
media commentators, and people involved in news stories. A great example of
this is Ken Bone, who got verified on Twitter after his appearance at the 2016
presidential debate went viral.
Similar lines exist between Instagram Youtube and
Musically Vine. Once Jane’s videos reached a certain number of views on
YouTube, it was in Instagram’s best interest to verify our
accounts, since users who spend time on YouTube will likely be searching for
the Instagram accounts of the personalities they watch.
3. Position yourself at risk of getting impersonated
This point is taken straight from Instagram’s own
declaration of how to get verified. They stress over and over that verification
is done not only to make the user experience better, but also to stop people
from impersonating others:
"Accounts representing well-known figures and brands
are verified because they have a high likelihood of being impersonated."
A verified badge means Instagram knows you are who you say
you are and wants to help it’s users build trust that they are in fact are
following the real @shopify_stockroom, not some imitator who could end up
spamming you with illegitimate content you weren’t looking for.
Final Thoughts
One important factor in our story of being verified, that I
can not pass over without comment is our relationship to Shopify. The @Shopify
account is a verified Instagram handle, and their YouTube following is in the
+70k range. I cannot discount this as a factor in the verification process.
However, it still remains unlikely that this alone was
reason for verifying Jane and The Stockroom’s accounts. It was most likely a
combination of a lot of factors a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work and
planning.
If you have a goal, whether it is getting verified on
Instagram or getting more followers, you will need to work towards it everyday
through growing your online following. This includes posting more content on
Instagram and creating YouTube videos.
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