How to get verified on Instagram?

[Angela]

I've been trying to get verified on instagram for months with no success. i have 12k followers, consistent content, and i'm active in my niche but i keep getting rejected

What are the actual requirements for instagram verification? and is there a strategy that actually works?

[SarahVlogs]

I’m going to be honest: verification is mostly random and 12k followers is probably too low unless you're famous for something else

I've seen people with 50k followers get rejected and people with 8k get approved. there's no clear formula

what seems to help:
- being verified on other platforms first (twitter, facebook)
- being mentioned in news articles or press
- having a wikipedia page (seriously)
- being in a high-authority niche (business, tech, entertainment)

lifestyle/influencer accounts have the hardest time getting verified because there are millions of them. if you're in a more professional niche (finance, medicine, law) it's easier

my advice: don't stress about verification. it's nice to have but it doesn't actually help your growth that much. focus on creating good content and building your audience. verification is a vanity metric that doesn't translate to real business success

I know people with 100k+ followers making six figures who aren't verified. doesn't matter

[Uptrend]

I got verified last month at 18k followers after being rejected 4 times. here's what i think made the difference:

instagram's official requirements are:
- authentic (you need to be a real person or brand)
- unique (only one account per person/brand can be verified)
- complete (full bio, profile pic, at least one post)
- notable (this is the vague one - you need to be "well known")

what i changed before my successful application:
- added more media mentions to my bio and highlights
- got featured in a few online articles (reached out to small blogs in my niche)
- cross-linked my other verified social accounts
- made sure my name was consistent across all platforms

i think the media coverage was key. instagram wants to verify people who are notable outside of instagram, not just people with followers

also, timing matters. i applied right after a post went semi-viral (200k views). i think having recent high engagement helped show i was actively growing and relevant