How to Become a Public Figure on Instagram

Becoming a 'Public Figure' on Instagram is more than just a label on your profile - it's a signal to your audience and the platform that you're an expert, creator, or brand worth following. But it's not a status you simply switch on, it's something you build through strategy, consistency, and a deep understanding of your audience. This guide provides a clear roadmap to not only get the designation but to earn the influence that comes with it, walking you through the practical steps of building a genuine presence.

First Things First: Setting Up a Professional Account

Before you can add the "Public Figure" label to your profile, you need to switch your Instagram account from a personal profile to a professional one. This is a non-negotiable first step, and for good reason. It unlocks a suite of powerful tools that are essential for growth, including:

• Instagram Insights: Detailed analytics on your audience demographics, post performance, and follower growth.
• Contact Buttons: The ability to add professional contact options like an email address or phone number directly to your profile.
• Profile Category Label: The feature that lets you display your chosen category, such as "Public Figure," right under your name.

Making the switch is simple and takes just a few minutes. Here’s how you do it:

Step-by-Step Guide to Switching Your Account:

1. Navigate to your Instagram profile page.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings and Privacy.
4. Scroll down to the "For professionals" section and tap on Account type and tools.
5. Tap Switch to professional account and then Continue through the introductory screens.
6. You'll be asked to choose a category that best describes what you do. Type "Public Figure" into the search bar and select it. You can also choose other relevant categories like "Digital Creator," "Artist," or "Entrepreneur." You have the option to display this category label on your profile, which you should definitely turn on.
7. Next, you'll be asked to choose between a Creator account or a Business account. For individuals aiming to be public figures - like influencers, thought leaders, and artists - the Creator account is almost always the right choice. It offers more flexible profile controls, tailored growth tools, and more detailed messaging filters.

Once you've completed these steps, your profile is officially set up for growth. Now, the real work begins.

Define Your Niche and Brand Identity

The biggest mistake aspiring public figures make is trying to be everything to everyone. The result? They become nothing to anyone. To build a loyal following, you need a clearly defined niche - a specific area of focus where you can become the go-to expert or personality.

Find Your Niche: The Power of Specificity

Your niche is the intersection of what you're passionate about, what you're knowledgeable in, and what an audience actually wants. A broad niche like "travel" is too crowded. A specific niche like "budget-friendly solo travel for introverts" gives you a clear audience to connect with and a distinct point of view. A few examples to get you thinking:

• Instead of "fitness," think "body-positive strength training for beginners."
• Instead of "food," think "30-minute vegan meals for busy families."
• Instead of "marketing," think "LinkedIn branding strategies for freelance writers."

A tight niche makes it easier to create content, attract the right followers, and position yourself as an authority.

Build Your Personal Brand Vibe

Once you have your niche, you need to define your personal brand. This isn't just about logos and colors, it's the entire vibe you put out. It’s what makes someone choose to follow you over a thousand others in the same space. Focus on three core elements:

• Visuals: How does your profile look? Develop a consistent visual theme using a set color palette, similar filter styles, and a few chosen fonts. A cohesive feed looks professional and immediately communicates your brand’s personality.
• Voice: How do you sound? Are you funny and sarcastic, or are you inspiring and academic? Your voice should be consistent across captions, stories, DMs, and comments. This is your personality translated into words.
• Value Proposition: Why should someone follow you? This is the most important part. Every single piece of content you post should provide clear value - whether it's teaching someone something new, making them laugh, inspiring them, or making them feel seen.

Create Content That Builds Community

Your content strategy is the engine that drives your growth. Don't just post pretty pictures, create content that serves your audience and builds a relationship with them. A great framework for this is to balance your content across four key 'pillars'.

The Four Pillars of Public Figure Content

1. Educational Content (The Expert): This content establishes your authority. It teaches your audience something valuable. Think step-by-step tutorials, "how-to" Reels, myth-busting carousels, or industry hot takes. Example: A financial advisor creates a carousel post breaking down the '5 Steps to Opening a Roth IRA.'
2. Entertaining Content (The Personality): This content showcases who you are and builds a human connection. Share relatable humor through memes or funny Reels, take people behind the scenes of your work, or share personal anecdotes. This is what makes people like you, not just respect your knowledge. Example: A real estate agent posts a funny Reel about the absurd things they've seen during home showings.
3. Inspirational Content (The Motivator): This content connects with your audience on an emotional level. Share your personal journey, your struggles and successes, or powerful testimonials from clients. This builds trust and loyalty. Example: A career coach shares a vulnerable story about how they were once fired from a job and what they learned from it.
4. Community-Building Content (The Connector): This content actively invites participation. Use Instagram's interactive tools to engage your audience directly. Host Q&A sessions in your Stories, use polls and quiz stickers, ask open-ended questions in your captions, and share user-generated content from your followers. Example: A book reviewer asks followers, "What's the one book you pretend you've read but haven't?" and features the funniest answers.

Mastering Instagram’s Formats

To execute this strategy, you need to use the right tools for the job. Different Instagram formats serve different purposes:

• Reels: Your primary driver for reaching new audiences. Focus on short, catchy, value-driven videos with trending audio.
• Stories: The place for raw, authentic, day-in-the-life content. Use them for Q&As, polls, and sharing unfiltered thoughts to nurture your existing community.
• Carousels: Perfect for educational content. Use them to break down a complex topic into digestible slides. They often get high save rates, signaling value to the algorithm.
• Static Posts: Great for high-impact photos, important announcements, and quote graphics that resonate with your brand's message.

Grow Your Audience Organically

Building a following takes time and deliberate effort. Forget about vanity metrics and focus on attracting people who genuinely care about what you have to say.

Engagement is a Two-Way Conversation

Don't just broadcast, communicate. The Instagram algorithm rewards accounts that foster genuine conversation. This means:

• Reply to Everyone: Respond to every comment and DM (as long as it’s manageable and respectful). When your post is new, try replying to comments within the first hour to boost its visibility.
• Engage Outwardly: Don't just stay on your own page. Spend 15-20 minutes a day actively engaging with content from other accounts in your niche. Leave thoughtful, genuine comments that add to the conversation - not just "Great post!"
• Collaborate: Instagram's Collab feature - which lets you co-author a Reel or post with another user - is one of the most powerful growth tools available. It exposes your content directly to another creator's audience. Find peers in your niche (not direct competitors) and propose a collaboration idea.

Use Hashtags Strategically

Hashtags are not dead, they're just misunderstood. Don't use 30 random tags. Instead, think of them as a way to categorize your content and make it discoverable. Use a smart mix of 5-15 highly relevant hashtags:

• Niche-Specific (2-4): Tags that speak directly to your audience (e.g., #EthicalFashionBlogger, #KetoMealPrepIdeas).
• Content-Specific (2-4): Tags that describe exactly what is in your post (e.g., #CanvaTutorial, #HomeWorkoutRoutine).
• Community Tags (1-2): Tags used by your ideal audience (e.g., #CreativeEntrepreneurs, #WomenSupportingWomen).
• Branded Tag (1): A unique tag for your brand to collect user-generated content (e.g., #YourBrandTips).

Consistency and Analysis: The Unsexy Keys to Success

This is where most people fail. They start strong and then burn out. Becoming a public figure is a marathon, not a sprint, and is fueled by two things: consistency and data.

The Power of a Content Calendar

You can't rely on random bursts of inspiration. To stay consistent, you need a plan. A content calendar is a simple schedule outlining what you are going to post and when. This allows you to batch-create your content - for example, filming several Reels in one afternoon - which saves a tremendous amount of time and mental energy. Plan your content a week or even a month in advance so posting becomes a simple task, not a daily crisis.

Learn from Your Analytics

Your Instagram Insights are your report card. Check them weekly to understand what's working and what's not. Don't get lost in vanity metrics. Focus on the ones that signify true connection:

• Saves: If a post gets a lot of saves, it means your audience found it genuinely valuable. Make more content like it.
• Shares: Shares mean your content was so good that people wanted to show it to their friends. This is a huge indicator of resonance.
• Reach: This tells you how many unique accounts saw your content. Pay attention to which posts reach the most people outside of your existing followers.

Use this data to double down on what resonates and rethink what falls flat. Your audience is telling you what they want, all you have to do is listen.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a public figure on Instagram is not about a single viral moment, it’s the sum of consistent, value-driven actions over time. By defining your unique brand, creating content that serves a specific community, and engaging authentically, you can build a platform that's not just followed, but trusted.

We know from experience that consistency is one of the hardest parts of growing a brand on social media. We built Postbase to solve this exact problem by making planning and scheduling feel effortless, not like a chore. Our visual calendar helps you see your entire strategy at a glance, and our reliable, video-first scheduler ensures all your content - especially Reels and TikToks - goes live exactly when you planned it, freeing you up to focus on creating and connecting with your audience.