Let’s discuss the 5 key Instagram username rules! Choosing the right username is the first “starting up with Instagram” phase when many people get stuck. Many times, you have plenty of ideas, but you aren’t quite sure which one will attract your target audience and will be the easiest one to remember. Does it sound good enough? Is it striking? Isn’t it too complicated or difficult to associate with your niche?

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If you already have a brand’s official name and you want it to be your Instagram username – lucky you, then you don’t really have to worry about discovering new perfect ideas. The situation looks completely different if you’re developing a new brand and you aren’t sure where to start.

Protip: if you’re thinking about a personal brand or freelance career, you can always consider your own name and/or surname as a username. It’s a good solution because it’s such a strong base for building the brand around your person. If you’re going to be the face of your business, it can turn out to be a powerful strategic option.

Why is it good to take things slow and analyze your ideas in detail?

This step isn’t as easy as it may seem at the beginning. The first obstacle? Many usernames are already taken – actually, you’ll be surprised how many. It may be frustrating, especially when you find out that someone has registered your ideal username and there is an empty account behind it: they’re not even using it. Anyway, if it happens, don’t worry – there are a few tricks and smart solutions you can use instead – we’ll discuss them all in the next lesson 🙂

Today’s goal is pretty simple: you need to come up with an idea you won’t regret in the future. Are you going to still like it in a year? Changing username after a while isn’t a strategic idea: once your followers get used to your first one, changing it may slow your growth and may leave your audience disoriented. You may need to spend more on marketing and wait longer till your audience gets familiar with your new username – so it’s much better to stay loyal to your first one. Easier said than done – to make it work, you need an excellent idea, meeting a few crucial requirements. What are they? Below we’ll discuss five traits of a good Instagram username. The one that will make you stand out from the crowd. The one that is catchy, unique, and will serve you well. Sounds promising, right?

To make things easier for you, we want to dive deeper into the topic: how to distinguish which ideas are good and which most probably won’t be beneficial for your on-line recognition?

Here we go, with golden rules of a good Instagram username – let’s begin, shall we?

Well-crafted Instagram username should be:

1. Instagram Username Rules: It needs to be relating to your niche in some way

What type of account are you creating? What are you going to write about? What is the domain of your brand? When looking for inspiration and good ideas, you need to consider that, because it absolutely will work in your favor, if your username relates to your niche. It’s going to be easier to remember and find you.

What vibe do you want your username to have? Should it be funny and easy-going, or rather sophisticated and enigmatic? Analyze your answers to those questions because they will give you a better understanding of the effect you’d like to achieve.

2. Instagram Username Rules: Keep it short!

The shorter, the better – short usernames are more precious because they’re most often already taken. If you manage to come up with a short and catchy one – that’s a huge advantage! Your username shouldn’t consist of too many words: believe us, people will have problems remembering it the first time they visit your profile (so they may have troubles with finding you again, if they forget to click the follow button or save your post). Make it easier for them, and don’t make your username too complicated – we all need memory stretching sometimes, but long username won’t be your best friend.

Of course, many times you’ll need more than one word – that’s completely okay – but five words can mess it up and make your username completely unfriendly for new users.

3. Instagram Username Rules: Make it catchy

Naming your profile is a real challenge, we won’t lie about it. You’re going to use it so often, it has to be well-knit as you want to feel proud when you mention it somewhere, right? You’re going to spend long hours creating content for this account – if you choose something you aren’t really sure about, you’re going to waste your time.

This research is going to be worth it. The oldest but consistently accurate piece of advice: check your competitors; you may find some inspiration or get new ideas to modify.

Taking time to choose the username you finally feel is a great match for you will pay off— test different ideas. Ask your friends for feedback – decide with them which one is the most creative and unique.

4. Instagram Username Rules: Make it memorable

You want your username to be as much user-friendly as possible – they should be able to recall it effortlessly after the second time they visit your profile.

Conduct your own research and test how fast new people are able to remember your idea by heart. If the experiment goes well, it’s a promising sign.

5. Instagram Username Rules: You need to feel good with it – and like pronouncing it

Make sure your username isn’t a tongue twister – when your account grows, you’re going to have to say its name loud pretty often. Make life easier for yourself, for journalists, and people from your niche. Choose something pleasant for ears, without too many “r” or other troublesome combinations. Make sure you won’t feel embarrassed when sharing the username with the whole world.

If you have severe doubts about your username when establishing it – they will grow bigger with time. There are also times when the username looks IDEAL on the paper, but when you try to pronounce it, there’s something just not right. How will you feel being interviewed by someone and telling the story behind your username?

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Picking the right username may take some time – sometimes even whole weeks of intense thinking, but don’t underestimate the importance of this step. We really hope this guide will help you choose a suitable one – of course, once you have it, share it with us so that we can be proud of your choice!

Stay tuned for the next Instagram lesson! We want you to get into the art of driving sales with Instagram, as well as the mastery of increasing the visibility of your brand or business. You don’t have to wait until you have 10 000 followers to observe significant results and get impressive feedback from your followers. Well-optimized, encouraging business profile is a crucial part of your online presence and your digital marketing strategy; never underestimate that. We know: Instagram may seem a little bit complicated or even intimidating at first, but we promise – with the proper guidance, you’ll learn everything quicker than you imagine.

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Kasia Pilch

Kasia Pilch is an online strategist and marketing expert, with an extensive background in content marketing, and strategy consulting. Here, at IQ Hashtags, she’s sharing her knowledge of building strong online presence, and helping creative, ambitious entrepreneurs and talented creators achieve their Instagram goals. She'll be right there alongside you, at every step of the way.
We know you will love her passion for anecdotes, remarkable insights, and her new addiction - Reels! 📸

Instagram Username Rules: 5 Qualities of a Good Instagram Username