Why Can't I Get the Blue Tick on Instagram?

The mistake people make when working towards applying for the coveted blue tick is thinking they only need to get more followers. So in essence, building their notoriety of Instagram. Whilst this is seemingly the thing to do, it isn't.

So if I get thousands of followers I still may not get the tick?

Exactly. If you base all of your efforts around creating celebrity status on Instagram first of all then this is a mistake and you will most probably find you will not be given any kind of kudos from Instagram.

Huh?

I know, annoying isn't it! Although a little counterintuitive, what you must do is build your notoriety elsewhere first. You must become a celebrity or known as a brand first. It's not enough to get thousands of Instagram followers and think 'job done'

Get your name and brand out there on other channels. Get 'alt' tags into the images on your website if you have one. Mention your name where-ever possible.

Write shareable posts for Facebook and Twitter. Add images of yourself.

Open a Youtube channel and promote yourself that way. Actually Youtube is a great medium for giving yourself 'celebrity' status. It takes work, but once you have a big pool of followers, people will spread the word. They'll tell their friends to check out your channel and then they in turn will tell more people, and so on and so on...

To me this is not desirable, but you may not have an issue with it so if there is a chance that people might want to impersonate you online, then there is a chance you may be accepted for the blue verified tick.

Why?

Because we as the people viewing your content, need to see that you are the real you! Instagram recognises the fact that you don't want people talking about themselves as if they were you, saying things that might be detrimental to your brand, promoting inappropriate content etc.

This is probably a very good way to get the tick. It obviously has it's downside though. Do you really want to be so well known that people want to actually grab on to your coat-tails and take a ride without putting in any of the work?

If you don't have an issue with there being the risk of impersonation or you want the tick more than you care, then go for it!

If you can be either funny or controversial and do it in a clever way then this will help. Don't force it. If you can't do it naturally and with class then it's best not to attempt it.

It's widely accepted that these type of accounts on social media build bigger followings and much faster than others. That's not to say you too can't increase your following massively.

People love video content over imagery and text. Make video content and get it out on as many channels as possible.

Do you have a great sense of humour? Are you getting that out there? Images alone can't convey a person's true personality quickly, only snippets at a time and it's a longer burn, whereas video is immediate.

Really, over-night successes are very rare. If you really do want to become verified on Instagram then you will need to put in the ground-work.

If it's worth having then it's worth the effort. Get your name out there, as much as you can. I can't stress enough, how beneficial Youtube will be in aiding you on your quest to celebrity or Brand master status.

It is a fact that people flock to the accounts showing the verification symbol. We see it as somehow better, more influential, popular....all of the things it probably isn't in fact.If you have a great story to tell, some great imagery, lots of spare time (or a student hanging about who will promote you online for pennies!) then there's no good reason not to go about getting your tick. They really are not reserved only for top celebs or big brands. You too can be a verified celebrity!