How to Choose an Instagram Username

In the 21st century – your online presence is everything. Whether you’re an individual or a brand, being online, where your audience is, is crucial. And, along with building an online presence on social media, comes your digital branding. In a world where almost everyone has a social media account on platforms like Instagram, standing out from the crowd can make or break your social media journey. And it all begins with the perfect username. Unfortunately, registering the perfect username can be quite a complicated task. And today, we’ll discuss all about how you can choose the perfect username. And we’ll always discuss how to get an inactive Instagram username, later in the article. 

Here is the deal. Your username is your identity in the world of social media. Your username is how your people will remember you. Your username is how your customers will find you. Your username is how they’ll search you on Instagram’s search field. 

If you’re out to find the perfect Instagram username, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll discuss how you can come up with the perfect username for your personal or business brand identity. 

What is Instagram Username?

An Instagram username is your unique username on the social platform. It is unique to you, and you alone. A username once registered, cannot be taken by any other user. And a username is what comes up for your Instagram URL. 

Instagram Handle Vs. Instagram Username Vs. Instagram Link

Your username and your handle are one and the same. 

For example, @david is your handle. And your username would be ‘david’. Its interchangeable and the same thing. 

The link to your profile would be Instagram.com/david

Again – this is unique to you. Your username is like your address on the Instagram social network. 

Instagram Username Vs. Instagram Display Name

Now, your username and display name are completely different. Whereas your username is your address and link on Instagram, your display name is completely different. It is anything you want it to be, it can have emojis, it can have special characters of all sorts, special fonts and is not unique. Your display name is not unique to you. Multiple accounts can have the same display name. It must be noted though, your display name is, just like your username, a searchable element. 

The Basics

Here a few things to keep in mind when deciding on an Instagram username – 

• Instagram usernames are not case sensitive. @DavidBrown and @davidbrown are one and the same. 
• The ideal situation would be to have a consistent social media branding across all networks. This means, you should try your best to have the same username across all social accounts. 
• Be true to your brand. If you’re a brand, you want your audience to easily find you. In this case, the best username would be one that you are known for. So, @shopify would make more sense for Shopify than going with @makewebsiteseasily

The Recipe for a Perfect Instagram Username

Your username is your identity. That is what you’ll be known by. That is how your audience, your fans, your customers will find you on the social network. A good username can really help you go a long way on Instagram. 

If you have a username that you’d like but it’s taken and inactive, well, there is a work around for that too. Later in the article, we will discuss how to get an inactive Instagram username. 

Be Relevant

The most important thing for a personal profile would be to be relevant. If you’re a photographer, a traveler, or a mommy-blogger – the best thing you can do for your username is to quickly let the audience know what it is that your page is about. 

Of course, you do not want to create a page that is all over the place. Instead, you want to pick and stick with a niche, and you want to build a community around it. 

The easier you make it for potential viewers to know what it is your page is about, the better your conversions will be. 

For example, if you’re a cook, then going with a name like @cookwithryan or @cookwithalisha would be ideal. It would quickly tell the viewers what you do and who you are. 

If you’re a traveler, then a name like @travelwithben or @thenomadtraveler would be ideal. 

The idea is to keep the name easy to spell, descriptive and memorable. What you do not want to do is go with something like @the_wanderer. While this is descriptive, it’s neither creative nor easy to spell. You must try your best to leave no room for confusion. The moment your potential fans get confused about your name, which is essentially your address, the harder it is for them to find you. 

Avoid Special Characters

Nothing is more off-putting than using special characters. It creates confusion and is tacky. I mean, what do you think looks and sounds good from below – 

@cookwithryan

@cook_with_ryan

@cookwith.ryan

@cook.with.ryan

Yeah, avoid special characters as much as you can. It does nothing but create confusion. And the moment your audience is confused, your growth starts to get affected. 

Optimize For Instagram Search

Your username and your display name are both searchable. Here is a tip. When thinking about your display name, try to include common search terms within it. 

For example, if you have landed on the username @travelwithalex, which is a great username, is easy to spell and memorable – your display could go something like this – 

‘Travel Blog by Alex’

‘Luxury Travel Stories by Alex’

Here is what having ‘keywords’ in your display name does. Whenever someone searches for something on Instagram that is included in your display name, you show up. Now, the idea here is to stay relevant whilst using keywords that are not too common. So, ‘luxury travel’ would be more rank-able than just ‘travel’.

How to Get a Taken Username

So, here we are. What do you do if the username you’d like is taken but inactive? Someone has registered it, but they’re not even using it. So, how to get an inactive Instagram username, you say? Well, it’s easier than you think. If a username is taken but inactive, it can be claimed. All you’d need is to hire a social media agency who can file a request for a username claim with their internal contact at Instagram and have your desired username reassigned to you.