Being verified on Facebook first helps with Instagram verification

Obtaining the verified status on Instagram is a major achievement for brands, including both startups and individual influencers. One little-known trick to reaching that milestone quicker is getting verified on Facebook first. Although getting verified on Facebook doesn’t immediately grant you verification on Instagram, it does help.
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Facebook verification is easier
First of all, getting verified on Facebook is considered much easier than on Instagram. Because Facebook is often used by small businesses as a point of contact – in lieu of an official website – Facebook grants verification to much smaller brands than Instagram would.
Instagram, meanwhile, has a different set of criteria for successfully completing verification. Where Facebook essentially verifies the identity of the person behind the account, Instagram’s focus is more on the public noteworthiness of that person.
Despite popular opinion, it’s not the number of followers on your Instagram account that determines whether you’ll get the blue verified badge. Much more important is your overall online presence, specifically whether you’re a person (or brand) of public interest. As the Instagram Help Centre puts it, “your account must represent a well-known, highly searched for person, brand or entity.” In order to obtain verification, therefore, you’ll need a combination of third-party coverage (such as news articles that reference your brand) and presence on other social media platforms.

You can reuse the same resources
Facebook verification for brands and influencers also typically requires evidence of public interest. Examples of such evidence could include a Wikipedia page and a series of press mentions and features. It’s therefore recommended to have a good level of press coverage and positioning in search engine results prior to requesting Facebook verification.
The easiest and most efficient way to obtain these is to work with an established PR agency. PR professionals have existing contacts in various media outlets, as well as relationships with editors and copywriters. These can be leveraged to quickly build an online presence and establish your brand as noteworthy and popular. Similarly, PR agencies have the resources to successfully use these media references for producing a professional Wikipedia page for your company or brand.
Once Facebook reviews this information, you will be granted a verified status on the platform – while the press coverage will be there to stay, ready to be used for other purposes. While this level of coverage alone may not be enough for Instagram to accept your verification request, a pre-existing Facebook verification will likely make up for it.
When Instagram reviews your application for the verified status, a previous Facebook verification will count in your favour enough to tip the scales. It will prove that you are active on other social media and have an established enough presence there to warrant being verified. Because Instagram is owned by Facebook, it views Facebook verification as a trustworthy measure of your credibility.
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Is it worth getting verified on Instagram?
If you’re wondering whether it’s worth going to all that trouble just to get a blue badge next to your Instagram username, the short answer is a resounding “yes”. Verification does more than to simply confirm the identity of the person behind the account.
The purpose behind verification is to prevent others from impersonating you. To a casual user, the obvious line of thinking is that if you’re worth impersonating, you’re probably worth following – or at least checking out.
Significantly, verified accounts appear at the top of the search results on Instagram. This helps to drive traffic onto your profile and increase your brand awareness.
The verified badge marks you as a member of the platform’s elite, as well as indicating you represent a maintained brand. This increases your chances of landing influencer deals with brands and making an extra profit from your Instagram activity by promoting other companies’ products and services.
Last but not least, verified Instagram accounts get access to special features on the platform, such as the swipe-up tool on stories. These can help to make your posts stand out and give you more creative scope when posting new content.
Even if you don’t currently meet the verification criteria on Facebook or Instagram, an experienced PR agency like FamousInfluencer will help you get verified quickly and easily. 

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