How many followers to get verified on Instagram? Is something I have also wondered about. Instagram’s verified badge is one of the most coveted elements on the platform. Only a few select get the privilege to have their platforms verified and display the blue badge. Instagram boasts an average of 6.50 billion visits/ month with 1.21 billion monthly active users as of 2021. In social media marketing, a verified profile is a symbol of trust and legitimacy. So how can you get your own profile verified? An even more burning question is how many followers to get verified on Instagram do you really need?
To get verified on Instagram there is no specific number of followers laid down as a requirement. Accounts with verified badges on Instagram are well-known public figures, celebrities, and brands. To get verified Instagram does not require a certain number of followers. Instagram considers a number of factors on accounts that apply for verification to determine if they meet the verification criteria.
What is a Verified Badge on Instagram?
The check symbol in the image above is referred to as the Instagram verified badge. It appears in search or on various profiles on the platform. So when you see this badge it means that Instagram has verified the account and the owner of the account is who they say they are. The verified badge is not an endorsement by Instagram or a symbol recognition.
The symbol is often construed as validation of subject matter expertise in a way. Unfortunately, however, this is not true. Neither does is it show any importance or authority. Getting verified comes with limitations such as changing your username. Changing your details after getting the verification badge is considered a violation of the community guidelines. This makes a lot of sense. Also, verification cannot be transferred to other accounts. So let’s take a look at how Instagram determines whether your account should be verified or not. In words their verification criteria.
Instagram Verification Criteria
Authenticity
The word authentic means undisputed and not a copy. When Instagram is verifying your account this is also what they consider. Your account and your persona must be original and undisputed. The same goes for brands and businesses that are on the Instagram platform.
Uniqueness
Secondly, your account must be unique if you are to stand a chance of being verified. What this means is that there can only be one account per person, business, and organization. The exception is made for language-specific variations of the same business account. Another exception we have seen to this rule is that an organization can have a verified Instagram for different geographical locations even though the language might be the same. For instance, Netflix has Netflixsa for South Africa, Netflix for the USA, and Netflixuk for the United Kingdom. All these profiles have a verified badge.
Completeness
Thirdly, Instagram checks for completeness as part of its verification criteria. What this means is first, your account must be public, secondly, it must have a bio, thirdly, there must be a photo, and finally, the account must be active. If want to increase your chances of being verified, you must ensure that your account meets the above and it is complete in that sense.
Notable
Finally, notable. If you are going to have a shot at being verified. Your persona must be highly searchable, with multiple verified news sources. The account under review must represent a well-known entity. However, in saying that Instagram still maintains that not all well know and popular people are verified.
Why you should get Verified
The free nature of social media platforms means anyone can create an account. As a result, there is a lot of identity theft. People create fake accounts of public figures and use these accounts to spread fake information. Consequently, this causes a big problem damaging the reputation of public figures. To curb the creation of fake accounts and misrepresentation. Instagram uses the verified badge as a symbol of authenticity.
If you have a business, or are public and would like to use Instagram as part of your digital marketing strategy. It is important t get verified so that your customers can the difference between your official account and fake ones. This leads us to the next question, which steps must you take to get verified on Instagram?
Steps to get verified on Instagram
- Log into your profile
- Got to the settings tab.
- Tap Request verification
- Enter your full details and submit the required verification documents.
How you can lose the verification badge
Policy violations will result in your badge being revoked by Instagram. The following are considered as violations that will result in such action. Instagram is very clear on these policies. First, if you advertise, transfer, and try to sell your badge it will be taken away and your account will be disabled. Second, attempting to verify your account through an intermediary or external party that is not Instagram itself. Also, using your bio and profile to promote activities to violate the policies and guidelines. Last, switching your account too many times from public to private.
Case Study: How Many Followers To Get Verified On Instagram?
Sample | Figures |
Numbers of Accounts | 200 000 |
Accounts with over a < million followers | 73.4% verified |
Accounts with 1000 – 5000 followers | 0.87% verified |
The table above is an attempt to simplify the presentation of information on a case study on Instagram Accounts. The case study as shown above had the same size of 200 000 Instagram accounts. Of the 200 000, the percentage number of verified accounts was higher for profiles with over a million followers. Over 70% of these accounts had the Instagram verified badge. Subsequently, the number of verfied accounts with fewer followers was very low less than 1%.
Does the Number of Followers Increase Your Chances of Getting Verified On Instagram?
I would say yes. Even though Instagram will not be explicit about it. In Ingram’s verification criteria one of the things they look for is if you a highly searchable or popular entity. Being popular leads to many followers and means you are highly searchable. So yes the number of followers improves your chances of getting verified. We have also seen the evidence from the results in the 2020 case study shown above. Instagram accounts with very few followers even though the entities might have been popular had a slim chance of getting the check badge.
How Verification Relates To Other Platforms
Instagram is owned by Facebook now called Meta. One might want to know if they have a verified Facebook account is that going to contribute towards Instagram verification. Your verified status does not have an impact on your Instagram verification. You will have to apply separately to get verified on Instagram. The company suggests you link to your verified Facebook account in your bio to prove that you are authentic.
This also means Twitter and Pinterest’s verified status is of no use when it comes to proving your legitimacy and authenticity on Instagram.
Conclusion
There is no specific number of follers you must acquire in order to be legible to get verified on Instagram. The more followers you have the greater your chances of getting the check badge on your profile. The verification is a symbol that indicates the authenticity of your identity. Being verified on Instagram is not an endorsement, a sign of authority, or subject matter expertise. However, customers trust verified accounts more and can lead to more interactions than profiles that are not verified.