How to Get Verified on Instagram Without Being Famous

Chasing that little blue checkmark on Instagram can feel like trying to get into an exclusive club, especially when you’re not a celebrity. But here’s the truth: you don’t need millions of followers or a famous last name to get verified. Getting that badge of authenticity is less about popularity and more about proving your notability and credibility. This guide will walk you through the practical, actionable steps to build a strong case for verification, even without being famous.

What That Blue Check Really Means

Before jumping into the application, it’s important to understand what Instagram is actually looking for. The blue check isn't a reward for having lots of followers, it's a way for Instagram to confirm that a high-profile account is the real deal. They want to prevent impersonation of public figures and well-known brands.

According to Instagram, your account needs to meet four core criteria:

• Authentic: Your account must represent a real person, registered business, or entity.
• Unique: Your account must be the unique presence of the person or business it represents. Only one account per person or business may be verified, with exceptions for language-specific accounts.
• Complete: Your account must be public, have a bio, a profile photo, and at least one post.
• Notable: This is the big one. Your account must represent a “well-known, highly searched for” person, brand, or entity. Instagram reviews accounts that are featured in multiple, independent news sources. They explicitly state that paid or promotional content doesn't count.

For most creators, entrepreneurs, and experts, "Notable" is the biggest hurdle. The rest is just basic profile setup. The key to getting verified without being famous is learning how to build and prove your notability.

The Step-by-Step Application Process

Let's get the easy part out of the way first: submitting the actual application. The form itself is simple and takes just a few minutes to complete right inside the Instagram app.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Navigate to your profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
2. Go to Settings and privacy >, Creator tools and controls (or Business tools and controls).
3. Tap on Request verification.
4. You’ll be prompted to confirm your identity. Fill out your full name and provide a required form of identification (like a driver's license, passport, or national identification card for a person, or a tax filing or recent utility bill for a business).
5. Next, you'll confirm your notability. Select the Category that best describes what you do (e.g., "Digital Creator/Blogger/Influencer," "Entrepreneur," "Musician"). You should also enter the country or region where you or your business is most popular.
6. The final section is the most important: Links (optional). Although it says optional, this is where you prove your notability. Do not skip this. Add links to news articles, press features, and other online mentions that prove you are a public figure. Do not link to other social media profiles like TikTok or X (Twitter).
7. Hit Submit, and you're done. Instagram will typically get back to you within 30 days.

Submitting the form is simple. Now comes the real work: building a profile and an online presence that an Instagram employee will actually approve.

Build Your Case for Notability like a PR Pro

Think of getting verified as your own personal PR campaign. The Instagram reviewer checking your application is going to act like a researcher. They’ll read your application, then they’ll do one simple thing: they’ll Google you. Your goal is to make sure they find exactly what they’re looking for - evidence that you are a notable public figure.

Step 1: Get Featured in Reputable News Sources

This is the single most important factor. Instagram’s team needs to see that you’ve been covered by multiple, credible, independent news outlets. They are specifically looking for earned media, not paid advertisements. Sponsored posts, paid features, and articles on sites that let anyone publish content are immediately dismissed.

So, how do you get this kind of press?

• Pitch Local News: Are you a small business owner with a unique story? An artist creating interesting work in your community? A local expert on a trending topic? Local newspapers, TV station websites, and community magazines are constantly looking for stories. Reach out to local journalists with a simple, direct pitch about what makes you or your work newsworthy.
• Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out): HARO is a free service that connects journalists with sources for their stories. You can sign up to receive daily emails with queries from reporters at outlets ranging from local blogs to major publications. By providing a thoughtful, expert quote, you can get featured in articles and build up your library of press mentions.
• Appear on Podcasts: Being a guest on reputable podcasts in your industry can also count as a press feature, especially if the podcast is well-known and has a dedicated article or show notes page for your episode on its website.
• Write Guest Articles for Established Blogs: Offer to write an article for a prominent website in your niche. If you’re a fitness coach, pitch a T-Nation or a Men's Health. If you’re a finance expert, aim for a site like NerdWallet. Your author bio will build authority and create another verifiable result for your name.

Remember, the goal is to accumulate multiple articles that are about you or quote you as an expert. One or two mentions probably won't be enough. Aim for at least 5-10 strong features before you apply.

Step 2: Optimize Your Online Presence

A scattered online presence can hurt your chances. You need to present a clear, consistent, and professional image everywhere a reviewer might look.

Clean Up Your Google Results

Go to Google and search for your name or brand in incognito mode. What shows up on the first page? Ideally, it should be your official website, your Instagram profile, your LinkedIn profile, and - most importantly - the news articles and features you’ve earned. If the top results are random social profiles from ten years ago or content that doesn't align with your professional brand, you have work to do.

Build a Professional Website

Your own website acts as the central hub for your brand. It should look professional and clearly state who you are and what you do. Create a “Press” or “As Seen In” page where you link to all your media features. This not only reinforces your notability for a human reviewer but also helps with your overall search engine presence.

The Google Knowledge Panel

Have you ever searched for a famous person and seen that box of information appear on the right side of the search results? That's a Google Knowledge Panel. Getting one is a very strong signal of notability to Instagram. While you can't directly create one, having a Wikipedia page, being listed in Wikidata, and having a consistent stream of press mentions can often trigger Google to create one for you automatically.

Step 3: Prime Your Instagram Profile for Success

Your Instagram profile itself needs to look and feel official before you even hit "submit." An incomplete or unprofessional-looking profile is a red flag to reviewers.

• Complete Your Bio: Write a clear, concise bio that explains who you are and what you do. This isn’t the time for vague quotes or just a string of emojis.
• Use a Professional Profile Picture: Use a clear headshot or a clean logo. Again, this helps portray authenticity and professionalism.
• Clean Out "Promotional" Links: A very common mistake is linking to other social profiles (like your TikTok or YouTube channel) in your bio. Instagram sees these as direct competitors. Replace them with a link to your official website or a press page.
• Post Consistently: An active account shows that you are a current and relevant figure. A dormant account looks abandoned.

Common Mistakes That Lead to Rejection

Even with good press, you can be denied if you make a few simple errors in the process. Watch out for these pitfalls:

• Applying Too Often: If you are rejected, don't immediately re-apply. The official rule is to wait 30 days. Use that time to get more press mentions and strengthen your case before you try again.
• Lying on Your Application: Never provide fake documents or "fluff up" your notability with paid press releases that masquerade as real articles. If Instagram catches you, they can take away your verification status or even disable your account permanently.
• Using Shady "Verification" Services: Anyone online who claims they can get you verified for a fee is a scammer. There is no secret back-channel. They will likely take your money, submit the same form you can submit for free, or worse, steal your login information.

Final Thoughts

Getting verified on Instagram without being famous is entirely achievable, but it requires a shift in mindset. Instead of focusing on follower count, concentrate on building genuine, provable notability in the public sphere through legitimate press features. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, centered on establishing yourself as a recognized expert or figure in your field.

Building that brand presence takes time and consistent effort, especially when managing your content across multiple platforms to establish credibility. This is precisely why we built Postbase. We designed our platform for creators and entrepreneurs who need to maintain a strong, consistent online presence without the daily chaos. By using our visual calendar to plan your content and our reliable scheduler to publish across all your important channels, you can focus on building your brand and creating work that's actually newsworthy, letting us handle the routine of getting your message out there.