How to Set Up an Instagram Business Profile

*This post has been updated since its original publish date of August 2, 2016. Updates by Rina Bottom.

Have you used Instagram for your business? Have you wondered how you can gain more followers and increase engagement on Instagram?

First things first: Set up your Instagram business profile. This post will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to update your profile, giving you access to Instagram’s insights and promotion options.

To get started, you need to have a personal Instagram account. If you have an existing personal account, head to Part 2. 

Part 1: Create a new Instagram account

1. Add a new account

Open the Instagram app on your phone, then click on your profile. Click the drop-down arrow beside your name at the top. This area will show you all the accounts you own or have access to. Click “Add account” to create a new account. 

2. Create your username 

3. Complete sign up

If you don’t want your business account linked to your personal information, such as your email and phone number, click on “Add new phone or email.” Otherwise, click “Complete sign up.”

4. Add friends

You are welcome to add friends to help get your new Instagram account off the ground. However, holding off until you fully launch your business account is also a good idea. Either click “Find friends” to add friends or “Skip” to bypass this step. 

5. Set your privacy settings 

Set your account to public or private. You might consider choosing the “Private” option for your business account until you are ready to launch. 

6. Add a profile photo

Add your company logo or a picture that showcases your brand, and you are all set with your new personal profile. Now it’s time to change to a business account.

Part 2: Switching a personal account to a business account

1. Access your account settings

In Instagram, access your account settings by clicking on your profile picture, then click on the hamburger icon at the top right of the screen. From there, you will click the Settings option. 

2. Click on the blue text, “Switch to professional account” 

3. Read and click through the professional tools summary

4. Pick the best category for your brand

Once you choose a category, the option to “Display on profile” is shown. Toggle to enable this option if you want to.

5. Are you a creator? 

Select the best option for you. If you are an influencer, select the Creator option. If not, choose the Business category. You can switch this at any time if needed. 

Now that you have set up your account follow the first five steps of getting acquainted with your Professional Account. Instagram makes it easy to ensure your business gets started on the right foot and helps you grow your following. 

Part 3. Connect your Instagram Business Account to your Facebook Business Account

Now, it’s time to make sure your Meta accounts are connected. You can share posts between Instagram and Facebook or use Meta Business Suite to schedule and manage both. 

1. Open Accounts Center

Start by opening your Instagram app. Open the Settings area in your Instagram Account, then scroll down and click the “Meta Accounts Center” option. 

2. Add Facebook Account

3. Finish adding permissions and following up in the Accounts Center 

You will need to log into your Facebook account and provide the password to your Instagram account to connect the two accounts. Once completed, everything will be connected. 

Part 4: Get familiar with Instagram’s Insights panel

To access your Instagram Insights Panel, click on the grey Professional dashboard button or choose the Insights option in your Account Settings. 

Once you’ve posted something on behalf of your business, you’ll be able to see how many impressions the post gets. If you click on the “See more” link, you’ll also see other details about your post, including how many people clicked over to your website:

You can also gain some insight about your followers by clicking on the “See all” link.

You’ll see gender, age, location, etc. as well as the days and times your followers tend to be online. This information will help you fine-tune your posting schedule, and it will be especially helpful if you’re using a link in your bio to update your content. For example, we can see from the Followers panel that ShortStack has more male followers than female, and the majority of our followers are 25-44 years old.

Creating a new Business Account on Instagram gives you valuable insights into how your customers interact with your content. Additionally, once you have a Business Account you can use 3rd party apps to collect user-generated content such as posts and reels. 

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