I speak to and interact with a ton of actors and industry people every day. One of the most common questions I get is not what you might think.
Some want to know about the “best” acting classes and coaches in town.
Others want to know about landing a top tier agent, and a few are even bold enough to ask for introductions to Casting Directors and industry decision makers.
However, almost all of them want to know the same thing.
“How do I get verified on Instagram” is a questions I am asked all day everyday.
See, getting verified and having that prized blue check mark on your profile, can do wonders for your acting career.
It will open doors and unlock new opportunities for you to make giant career leaps, if you leverage it properly.
That is something almost nobody has a clue how to do.
There are so many actors with verification badges that are still going to open calls and that are not making any meaningful career progress, because getting verified on Instagram is the easy part.
Let me walk you through it step by step...
Everyone thinks that you need to have hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers to get verified, but that’s not the case at all.
I’ve seen accounts with under 1,000 followers get verified, because Instagram does not formally have a minimum requirement.
Going through verification is a process, but most actors don’t follow any kind of progression nor do they have a rhyme or reason to how they use their account. More on this in a sec.
In reality, getting verified is simple and everyone makes it much harder than it needs to be.
To be eligible for the badge, your profile must be public. If you are using Instagram as a career building tool, it should be public anyway so that you can have as much attention coming to your posts as possible.
As I mentioned a moment ago, Instagram likes to see that your account has some kind of reason for existing.
Here’s what I mean by that.
If your account exists solely for the purpose of staying in touch with friends and family, that’s ok butyour page will not be “verification worthy.”
There has to be a compelling reason for why you need a badge.
Think of it this way. A badge signals to other Instagram users that you are the real you and not an imposter.
If the only users coming to your profile are your friends and family, they already know you are who you say you are.
Because of this, they also don’t issue badges to general or reposting pages, unless you have a massive following.
If all you are doing is finding and reposting other user’s content on your own page, does it really matter who is behind your page?
Of course not, so there is no compelling reason for Instagram to issue a badge in this case either.
So, if you are in the process of preparing your profile for verification, you should be posting personal and original content that shows you are a real human being sharing your life story, rather than just posting whatever, whenever in the hopes of being verified.
Beyond this, there are a few ways to increase your chances of being verified.
Remember that your Instagram name cannot be changed when you are verified and it could even hurt your chances of being verified.
For example, if your Instagram name is @TheRealTomCruize, it is too close to @TheRealTomCruise. It runs the risk of being mistaken for the official Tom Cruise account would never pass verification.
Even though it is rumored that changing your Instagram handle can hurt your chances of being verified, in this case it would be wise of you to change your handle before applying.
Instagram keeps a log of all (literally all of your activity) so they will be able to see that you changed your handle just a bit prior to applying for verification. However, seeing a change from @TheRealTomCruize to @TheOtherTomCruize or @NotThatTomCruize would be justifiable.
The applications are processed by humans that make the final determination on whether or not to approve your application and issue you a bade.
They want to see that your profile is being used and not just randomly and hastily put together to chase the checkmark
Post, post, post and seek engagement on your posts. When people leave a comment on your post, reply to their comment and then go to their page and leave a comment on their content as well.
Leaving thoughtful and insightful comments goes a long way. Not only will it build good will with your followers, it also shows the people processing your application that you are a real person.
Simple leaving an emoji or “This post was 🔥 🔥 🔥” is a big red flag.
Whether you are starting this process form scratch, or if you have an already established account with tens of thousands of followers, you will need to set aside at least 30 days to prepare your profile.
This includes, reviewing your bio to reflect that you are a professional actor.
A common mistake I see people make is describing themselves as “performing artist, dog lover, and world traveler.”
Consider whether your bio would nudge Instagram in the direction of issuing you a badge or not.
Instead, your bio should say something like “Professional Actor best known for...” and then lost your top2 or 3 credits.
Spend the next 30 days diligently posting content, seeking engagement and engaging with others as well.
When your profile is ready, open your Instagram app. Go to settings, account, and request verification.
The application is super simple.
The link is sometimes removed to clear a backlog, if Instagram is swamped with requests.
Most applications are processed within 48 hours under normal conditions, so if it is removed, check back frequently.
If you have submitted an application and are denied, don’t worry about it!
You can submit an application every 30 days, if you are not approved. Take an objective look at your profile and ask yourself if there is a compelling reason for why you should be awarded a verification badge.
If you are after verification because you are an actor, then having an IMDb reputation that reflects you are a professional actor, rather than a hobbyist, will go a long way.
Earning your verification badge is only part of the process.
When used properly, it can absolutely skyrocket your career because it is an instant credibility boost.
CDs look to social media as a major deciding factor during the casting process and having a badge on your profile is something that will make you stand out above the rest.
Also, what it will most help you with is increasing your visibility to the industry.
Consider it from a Casting Director’s perspective. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine them looking at your IMDb and then scrolling through your Instagram page. Here’s how I can help with both, because what they find will either give you an edge or simply throw you in with everyone else.
In the next report, we’ll discuss how to use your badge to get in touch with virtually anyone.
What you need to start doing right now is lay the groundwork. Start getting your profile ready for the verification process.
Think of it as though it were an audition and make sure that your industry reputation matches your goals.
In the same way that you should feel confident and be 100% prepared when you walk into an audition, you should also feel confident and 100% prepared when you submit your application for verification, so feel free to shoot me an email or ask your questions in the comment section below.
I’ll help you in any way I can because my goal is to...
See you at the top,
Scott