A good username is one of the most important parts of growing your Instagram page. Instagram handle is how your page is recognized, how your fans will refer to you, and how the platform knows you as a creator.
Having a good handle can help you get more followers on Instagram as well. To have the best possible Instagram handle you need to know what is an Instagram handle, why it’s so important, and how you can create one.
What Is an Instagram Handle?
Your username on Instagram is often referred to as a handle. A great way to represent your page and what your account is all about is your IG handle.
At times you’re making a page for all your friends to find or a more private page. Alternatively, you could be making a business page that isn’t supposed to have any person behind it at all. All of that is possible to achieve with your Instagram handle.
Your handle is important in a variety of things. Its benefits range from making it easier for you to be found to improving your Instagram engagement. Now that you know the Instagram handle’s meaning, let’s take a look at why it’s so important to have a good Instagram handle.
How to Change Your Instagram Handle
Changing your username is a bit more difficult than setting up a new one. You need to start by opening Instagram:
- Tap your profile picture on the bottom right,
- Tap the three lines on the top right,
- Select “Account Centre”,
- Tap the profile of your choice,
- Select “Username”,
- Change it to whatever you want,
- Tap “Done”.
That’s it. Now your Instagram handle is whatever you want it to be.
Why Is Your Instagram Handle Important?
We’ve insisted that having a good Insta handle is extremely important, but why is that? Here are the top 4 reasons your IG handle is so significant.
1. Accessibility
When your fans introduce you to others, the first thing they’ll mention is your username. Word of mouth is one of the best influencer marketing tools available and having a memorable and shareable username makes the process much easier.
Imagine someone introduces you to an influencer and you’re immediately interested in their content. You ask for their username and you’re offered an obscure word that’s hard to spell and easy to forget. This makes you much less likely to actually search and follow that creator.
2. Unique Identity
Your handle is also the easiest way you’re identified. The username makes you unique and sets you apart from other creators. That’s why it’s so important to have something that describes you well. It sets your page’s identity.
3. Consistency
You may be popular on a certain platform, and trying to gain attraction on another one. Your Instagram handle is what people look for on different platforms. If you have the same username on TikTok and Instagram for example, your audience will have an easier time finding you on both.
4. Opportunity
Keywords are an easy way for people to discover you. Having that keyword in your Instagram handle can be helpful in gaining new followers. When people search for a niche and your username pops up, they’ll likely follow you for that niche.
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Instagram Handle
Now that the importance of having a good username is apparent, let’s go over what makes your username a good one.
If you’re looking for a good Instagram handle for your personal page, then there really isn’t much to it. You’re either trying to be easily recognizable, or hard to find. Your full name is the best option for the former, and a creative or cute nickname is perfect for the latter.
Now professional pages are a completely different story. There are many ways to make better, more useful professional usernames. Most importantly you need to keep it simple.
1. Simplicity
Keeping your username short and simple is very important. Instagram doesn’t allow for usernames exceeding 30 characters, so make sure to convey everything you want in under 30 characters.
Short isn’t where the simplicity ends. In addition to having short usernames, you should also strive to keep it simple. Avoid difficult words, unusual spellings, and too many dots and signs.
2. SEO Optimization
We already mentioned the importance of keywords in your username. SEO elements such as keywords and short descriptions can turn your username into a marketing tool. Make sure to remain precise with your SEO usage.
For example, if you’re an Instagram beauty influencer you may want to incorporate that into your username. A great example of this is an influencer called Sadafbeauty. The handle immediately makes her type of content apparent.
3. The Power of Your Name
If you’re already popular as a public figure, or looking to have your fame tied to your name rather than your page, then using your name as an Instagram handle is a brilliant idea. This is under the assumption that your name alone will attract an audience.
4. The Power of Your Brand
As opposed to having fame tied to your name, your brand may have all the recognition. If you’re building a page off your brand, then make sure to incorporate the brand name into your username as well.
Overall, if there is something in your life that’s already popular, like your brand or your name, then you should be using that as your username.
5. Uniqueness
We mentioned that your username should remain consistent across platforms. If the username you’re going for is too common, you are unlikely to be able to use it on more than one platform.
Try to find a handle that’s not too overused. This allows you to reuse that username without having to add too many atypical characters.
6. Avoid Difficult Characters
We understand the urge to add dots and underscores to keep your desired username. However, this significantly lowers the searchability of your username. So if you end up having to use too many of these tricks, we recommend just switching to a different word.
7. Audience Consideration
It’s important to consider who you’re trying to resonate with. Is your page aimed at other professionals? Is it aimed at kids? Or maybe you’re trying to connect with a 20-something-year-old audience.
Your target audience forms what handle you’re going to use. At times you may need to keep it professional, make a kid-friendly joke, or even use a cheeky word in your username.
8. Brand Identity
If your page is a business one, then make sure your username and brand identity agree. In addition to the audience you’re trying to attract, you need to consider the general identity of your brand as well.
Don’t sacrifice your brand’s integrity for the small chance of getting a few followers for a funny username.
9. Avoid Current Events
It’s tempting to name your page after current events, or current memes. However, these momentarily popular things will be out of the news cycle in a week or two. If your username is a reference that doesn’t make sense over time, change it.
10. Pronunciation
Make sure that your username doesn’t just look good, but it also sounds good. People will have to voice out your handle to introduce your page to others. So make sure the pronunciation is appropriate as well.
Good Instagram Handle Examples
Now that you know everything you need to pick a good username, let’s take a look at some Instagram handle examples.
Buzzfeedtasty
Tasty is a cooking page that’s powered by the media company Buzzfeed. The user name is strong for a few reasons. First of all, it’s using the company name which already has an audience tied to it.
So they’re making use of their pre-existing fame. Secondly, it’s on-brand with the content of the page. When you hear Tasty, you immediately think of food. Another significant point with this username is that it sounds good. The actual pronunciation of BuzzFeedtasty is pleasant.
DanielHowell
Another good example is internet personality Daniel Howell. Dan’s original popularity came from his YouTube channel with the same name. This means that Daniel’s name carried fame and an audience with itself.
So choosing his name as his IG handle was the best decision he could make. He’s also trying to maintain a relatively professional page, while still giving the feel of an individual connection with his audience. Both of which are achieved by using his full name.
Redbull
Redbull is another page with a massive following and a great username. The brand carries an incredible amount of fame and popularity and has made great use of that. Redbull has also kept it as simple as it gets.
How to Write an Instagram Handle
You don’t have to do much to set up an Instagram username. When you’re making an account, Instagram asks you to pick a username. The platform also doesn’t allow for repeated usernames so you don’t need to do much research either.
When you choose to create a new account on Instagram, the very first thing you have to do is pick a username.
If that username is already taken, you will be told that it’s unavailable. Instagram will then offer other recommendations.
Once you find an available username, it’ll immediately be approved.
That’s everything you need to know to set up an Instagram handle.
FAQs
Here are the most common questions asked about Instagram handles.
1. How Long Can My Instagram Handle Be?
The platform has a limit of 30 characters for usernames. However, experts recommend keeping your username shorter than that. Unless you’re using your full name or your brand’s name, which is already well-known, you should keep your username around 20 characters.
2. Why Is It Called a Handle on Instagram?
The term was popularized by internet users in the early 2000s. One theory is that it’s because your username is something of an alias that you use and therefore a handle. Another suggests that because this is a name that you use to handle your social media, it’s called a handle.
3. Is My Instagram Handle the Same as My Username?
Yes. Handle and username both refer to the same thing and are used interchangeably. When you’re asked to choose a username in account creation, you are also picking your handle as they’re both the same thing.
Conclusion
Your Instagram handle is an incredibly significant part of your page. It’s a clear reflection of your brand identity, your page content, and your influence on the internet. So make sure to take note of all our tips and tricks, and make great use of your creativity.
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