How to Set Up a Company Instagram Account

Setting up an Instagram account for your business is one of the most powerful first steps you can take to build your brand online. More than just a photo-sharing app, it’s a direct line to your customers - a place to share your story, showcase your products, and build a real community. This guide will walk you through the essential steps, from creating the account and optimizing your profile to planning your first batch of content so you can launch with confidence.

Why a Professional Instagram Account Is Non-Negotiable

Before we jump into the setup, let's clear up one common question: can you just use a personal profile? The short answer is no. Switching your Instagram account to a “Professional” (or Business) account is free, takes about 30 seconds, and unlocks a different set of tools you absolutely need to grow.

Here’s what you get with a Professional account:

• Instagram Insights: This is your analytics dashboard. It shows you who your followers are (age, gender, location), when they’re most active, and how your content is performing. You can’t make your marketing better without knowing what works and what doesn't, and Insights gives you that data.
• Contact Buttons: A professional profile allows you to add buttons directly to your profile that let customers call you, email you, or get directions to your physical location with a single tap. This reduces friction and makes it easier for people to do business with you.
• Advertising Capabilities: If you want to run ads or “boost” a post to reach a wider audience, you need a professional account. It's the only way to promote content and reach potential customers outside your current follower base.
• Story Links: While this recently became available to more accounts, professional accounts have more robust ways to add links and product tags to Stories, driving traffic directly to your website or virtual storefront.
• Shopping Features: If you sell physical products, a business account lets you set up Instagram Shopping, where you can tag products in your posts and Stories. Your profile becomes an extension of your e-commerce store.

Switching is a must. It signals to Instagram and your audience that you’re a legitimate business and gives you the tools you need to succeed.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Perfect Company Instagram Setup

Alright, let’s get this done. Grab your phone, and we'll walk through this together. Follow these steps to lay a professional foundation for your brand’s new home on Instagram.

Step 1: Download the App and Create Your Account

First things first. If you don't already have it, download the Instagram app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Once it’s installed, open it and tap "Create New Account."

You’ll be prompted to sign up with a phone number or an email address. Always use your business email address. This keeps your personal and professional lives separate and makes it easier to hand over account access to a team member in the future. Tying a business asset to a personal phone number or an old Hotmail account can create massive headaches down the road. Fill in your information and choose a password that is strong and unique.

Step 2: Choose a Username That Gets You Found

Your username (also called your handle) is your digital address. It’s what people will type to find you and what shows up when you comment or appear in their feed. The goal is to make it simple, memorable, and recognizable.

Username Best Practices:

• Use Your Brand Name: If your company name is “Maple Street Cafe,” your ideal username is @maplestreetcafe. Don’t get fancy or add unnecessary characters if you don't have to.
• Keep It Consistent: If possible, use the same username you have on other social media platforms (X, TikTok, Facebook). This consistency makes it ridiculously easy for your existing followers to find you everywhere.
• Avoid Numbers and Special Characters: Usernames like @maple_street_cafe_123 look spammy and are hard to remember. If your ideal name is taken, try a small, logical variation.

What If Your Name Is Taken?

It happens. If @maplestreetcafe is claimed, don't panic. Try one of these professional-looking variations:

• Add a location: @maplestreetcafenyc
• Add "the" at the beginning: @themaplestreetcafe
• Add a relevant keyword: @maplestreetcoffee
• Use an abbreviation or industry term: @maplestreetco or @getmaplestreetcafe

Choose the simplest, most professional-sounding option available.

Step 3: Switch to a Professional Account

With your account created, it’s time to unlock those essential business tools we talked about. This is a vital step - don’t skip it!

1. Go to your profile page and tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down to the "For professionals" section and tap Account type and tools.
4. Tap Switch to professional account.

Instagram will then guide you through a few screens asking about your business. You’ll be asked to choose between a Creator account and a Business account. While they are similar, choose a Business account if you have a local business, retail brand, or service-based company. Creator accounts are better suited for public figures, artists, and influencers.

Step 4: Craft a Bio That Converts Visitors

Your Instagram bio is prime real estate. You have just 150 characters to tell people who you are, what you do, and why they should care. An optimized bio can be the difference between a curious visitor and a loyal follower.

A Winning Bio Formula:

1. Who you are and what you do: "Handcrafted leather goods made in Portland." or "Social media tips for small business owners." Be direct and clear. Remove the jargon.
2. Who you help or what makes you special: "Helping you build a timeless wardrobe." or "Sustainably sourced and ethically made." Connect with your target audience’s goals or values.
3. A Clear Call to Action (CTA): Tell them what to do next. "Shop our new arrivals 👇" or "Get your free guide here 👇"
4. The Link in Bio: This is the only clickable link on your profile, so make it count. You can link directly to your website homepage, a specific product page, or a link-in-bio tool like Linktree to host multiple links.

Example:
Artisanal Coffee & Roastery ☕️
Sourced with care, roasted with love in sunny Austin, TX.
Voted Austin's Best Espresso.
Shop our latest single-origin beans 👇
[your link]

Step 5: Select a Profile Picture That’s Instantly Recognizable

Your profile picture appears everywhere - on your profile, in the feed, in Stories, and in comments. It needs to be clear, high-quality, and instantly representative of your brand. For most businesses, this is straightforward: use your logo.

Make sure the logo is designed to fit well within Instagram's circular format. If your logo is wide and horizontal, you might need to use a stacked version or a simplified brand mark that fits perfectly in the circle. Avoid text-heavy logos that will be unreadable when small. The goal is instant recognition, even in a tiny thumbnail.

Step 6: Fill Out Your Profile Details Completely

A half-empty profile can feel unprofessional or inactive. Navigate to “Edit profile” and fill out everything that’s relevant to your business. This not only gives users the information they need but also helps Instagram’s algorithm understand your business better.

• Name: Beyond your @username, you have a “Name” field. Use this for your full business name and can even include a keyword for searchability (e.g., “Maple Street Cafe | NYC Coffee”).
• Category: Choose the category that best describes your business (e.g., "Restaurant," "Clothing Brand," "Marketing Agency"). This shows up right under your name.
• Contact Options: Add your business email, phone number, and physical address if you have one. This creates those handy contact buttons right on your profile.
• Action Buttons: Depending on your category, you can connect third-party services to add buttons like "Book Now," "Reserve," or "Order Food."

Step 7: Plan and Create Your First 9 Posts Before Promoting

You’re almost ready, but don’t start inviting people to follow you just yet. Imagine someone lands on your brand-new profile and sees... nothing. An empty account is a missed conversion opportunity waiting to happen.

Aim to have at least nine high-quality posts live on your grid before you officially "launch" or promote your page. This gives newcomers an immediate sense of who you are and what to expect from your content. Your first nine posts should act as a snapshot of your brand. Create a balanced mix that shows off different facets of your business. For instance:

1. An introduction post telling your founding story.
2. A high-quality photo of your star product or signature service.
3. A behind-the-scenes shot of your workspace or team.
4. A post sharing a valuable tip or information related to your industry.
5. A piece of user-generated content or a customer testimonial.
6. A video introducing your brand mission.
7. An aesthetic photo that captures your brand's vibe.
8. A post explaining who your products/services are for.
9. A fun engagement post, like a carousel asking a this-or-that question.

Building Your Initial Content Strategy

With your profile fully set up, the next stage is keeping the momentum going. Creating content without a plan is a quick path to burnout. A simple content strategy will keep you focused, consistent, and on-brand.

Define Your Content Pillars

Content pillars are the 3-5 core themes or topics you will consistently talk about. They are the foundation of your content calendar and ensure everything you post is relevant to your audience and aligned with your business goals.

For example, a sustainable fashion brand's content pillars might be:

• Sustainable Style Tips: Posts on how to build a timeless wardrobe with eco-friendly pieces.
• Behind the Seams: Content showcasing ethical production, material sourcing, and the people behind the brand.
• Product Spotlights: High-quality visuals and Reels highlighting new arrivals and best-sellers.
• Community Features: Sharing posts from customers who have tagged the brand.

Take 15 minutes and brainstorm your pillars. They will make deciding what to post incredibly simple.

Establish Your Visual Identity

Instagram is a visual platform. A cohesive, attractive grid is more than just pretty - it builds brand recognition. Decide on a simple visual language for your account: a consistent color palette, go-to fonts, and a particular editing style or filter. You don't need to be a graphic designer. Tools like Canva offer templates you can customize to fit your brand, helping you create a polished look with minimal effort.

Plan for a Variety of Formats

Successful content strategies use a mix of Instagram’s features to connect with their audience. Here's a quick cheat sheet for what to post where:

• Feed Posts (Photos & Carousels): Your core, evergreen content lives here. Use them for high-quality product shots, sharing valuable information, telling brand stories, and educational carousels that users will want to save and share.
• Reels: This is currently the most powerful format for reaching new audiences. Create short, engaging videos that entertain, educate, or inspire. Think product demos, tutorials, behind-the-scenes peeks, and hopping on relevant trends.
• Stories: Use Stories for more casual, in-the-moment content. It’s perfect for daily updates, running polls and quizzes, sharing user content, and offering a raw, unfiltered look at your brand. It builds a deeper connection with your existing followers.
• Highlights: Your Stories disappear after 24 hours, but you can save the best ones as Highlights on your profile. Create Highlight collections for important categories like "FAQ," "About Us," "Reviews," and "New."

Final Thoughts

Setting up your company Instagram account is about getting the small details right from the start. A fully optimized profile, a clear bio, and a visually appealing first wave of content create a strong foundation that attracts the right followers and turns them into happy customers.

Once your account is live, consistency becomes your new best friend. To help with that part of the journey, we built Postbase from the ground up to make managing modern social media easier. We offer a simple visual calendar for planning your Reels and posts, powerful scheduling tools that let you publish everywhere at once, and a unified inbox for all your comments and DMs, so you can focus on building your brand without fighting your tools.