41 Instagram Features, Hacks, and Tips You Need to Know

Did you know you could schedule Instagram posts ahead of time? Or should you optimize your bio so that it appears in the Explore tab?

There are numerous lesser-known Instagram features, settings, hacks, and search options to help you elevate your Instagram game. And we’ve gathered them all here. Here are Instagram tips and features for you to use, whether you’re a recruiter looking to showcase company culture, an eCommerce marketer, or just an individual looking to use Instagram in the best ways possible.

Note: Before you begin, make sure you’re using the most recent version of Instagram. At the time of writing, the most recent version on iOS and Android is 273. Please keep in mind that, while this article may use an iPhone or an Android device to demonstrate each tip below, all items on this list are available for both operating systems and can be enjoyed using the same step-by-step instructions.

The following is the table of contents:

• Instagram Account Highlights

• Instagram Design Elements

• Features for Instagram Optimization

• Instagram Reels Highlights

• Instagram Stories Highlights

• Instagram’s User Preferences Functions

• Instagram’s User Search Functions

41 Instagram Secrets, Tips, and Features

Instagram Account Highlights

1. “From the same device, add and manage multiple accounts.”

Do you keep a separate account for your dog?” Don’t be ashamed; stick to your puppy profile. In fact, you can add and manage this account alongside your personal account, whether it’s a pet account or a business account.

Here’s how it’s done:

Tap the gear icon in your profile. To find this icon on an Android device, first tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of your screen.

2. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click “Add Account.”

3. Enter your other account’s username and password, and you’re done.

To switch between the two profiles, click and hold your profile picture in the navigation bar to see all connected accounts.

2. View all of the posts that you’ve liked.

Have you ever wanted to see all of the posts you’ve liked in one place? Simply go to your profile, tap the three lines on the top right (on Android and iOS), tap “Your Activity,” tap “Interactions,” and then click “Likes.”

You can see 300 of the most recent posts you’ve liked with this.

Simply go to the post and deselect the “heart” icon below it to un-like any posts you’ve liked. Don’t worry, the user will not be informed that you have un-Liked the post.

3. Hide, delete, or disable posts’ comments and likes.

Twitter’s commentary culture may be more “anything goes,” but your Instagram is your domain — and it’s much easier to control who says what on your content. This is especially true if you manage a company account.

To filter comments by keyword, use the following syntax:

Go to Settings and select “Privacy,” then “Hidden Words.” To filter general offensive words, toggle “Hide comments,” or click “Manage custom words and phrases for messages, comments, and posts” to add custom filters.

To Remove Comments:

Swipe lightly to the left over this text after tapping the speech bubble icon below the comment you want to delete. To delete this post, click the garbage can icon that appears. You can do the same with your own comments.

To completely disable comments:

To be clear, you cannot disable comments across your entire profile; you can only disable them for specific posts.

Begin by posting an image on which you don’t want anyone to comment. When you get to the page where you can add a caption, tags, and location, scroll down and tap “Advanced Settings.” This will bring up a screen where you can easily toggle the “Turn Off Commenting” option.

4. Delete all of your Instagram search history.

Go to your profile, tap Settings, then “Your activity” to clear your Instagram search history (on Android and iOS). Tap “Recent searches,” then “Clear all.”

5. Include an additional Instagram account in your bio.

Perhaps your company has multiple Instagram accounts for various aspects of your brand. HubSpot, for example, has a HubSpot verified account, a HubSpot Life account, a HubSpot Academy account, and a HubSpot Partners account.

To bring attention back to its main company page, HubSpot links to the @HubSpot account in its other account bios, such as @HubSpotLife’s:

You can, however, include another Instagram account in your Instagram bio. Simply type the “@” sign into your Bio, then select the account you want to tag. Then press the “Done” button.

6. Use Instagram Broadcast channels to communicate with your audience.”

Instagram’s newest feature, Broadcast Channels, is a messaging tool that allows creators to engage directly with a large group of followers.

Updates and behind-the-scenes content can be shared as text, video, voice notes, and images by creators. Followers are unable to send messages, but they can enjoy the content, react to it, and vote in polls.

The feature is currently in Beta mode for US creators only as of February 2023.

Instagram Design Elements

7. Include unique fonts in your bio.

Here’s an Instagram bio hack that will truly set your profile apart. You can already add emojis to the bio beneath your profile photo, but your keyboard severely limits your options.

You can copy over some more unique fonts not commonly seen in the Instagram community by using a couple of simple third-party websites. This is how.

Tap and select “Copy” to copy your chosen font to your Instagram bio. Then, open your Instagram app, go to your profile, tap “Edit Profile,” tap the “Bio” section, and paste your font of choice into the empty field.

“To Add a Custom Font to Your Desktop Bio:

Font Space has a library of fonts you can download and copy into your bio in seconds if you’re editing your Instagram profile on your laptop or desktop. To do so, locate a font you like and click the “Download” button next to the font’s sample image, as shown below.

When you download this font, it will create a folder on your desktop from which you can extract a “.ttf” file containing the various versions of this font. The file will look similar to the image below.”

Once you’ve copied this font to your computer’s clipboard, launch your browser and navigate to Instagram.com. Choose “Edit Profile,” then paste your downloaded font into the biofield.

You can then modify the sample text that came with your font to create your new bio.

8. Include unique characters in your bio.

You can not only personalize your bio with a unique font, but you can also include unusual characters that distinguish you or your brand — but that you won’t find on your smartphone’s standard keyboard. These include, and even if your Instagram handle contains a trademarked product name.

To Include Mobile Special Characters

Install a free mobile app like Character Pad on your mobile device, which catalogs nearly every character and symbol you might need but won’t find in the 26-letter English alphabet.

Launch the app and look for the character you want to include in your Instagram bio. Simply double-tap the image of your chosen symbol in Character Pad to paste it into a text box, as shown below. Then, copy this character to the clipboard on your phone. (I double-tapped the half-moon icon for our purposes.)

After you’ve copied your symbol to your clipboard, open Instagram, go to your bio, and tap “Edit Profile.”

Hold your finger down on the field of your bio where you want to insert your special character until the option “Paste” appears, as shown below. You’re done when you tap “Paste” and then “Done.”

To Incorporate Special Characters from a PC

You can also use Instagram’s web client on a desktop or laptop computer to insert special characters and symbols. The simplest method is to use the “Symbol” insertion icon in Microsoft Word, as shown below.

Copy the desired symbol or character to your computer’s clipboard. Then, go to Instagram.com and repeat the steps above to paste your character into a specific section of your bio.

You may be tempted to simply Google the special character you seek, and this method may work just as well as the steps outlined above. However, keep in mind that not all special characters copied from the internet are “clean” when pasted into Instagram — some of them may become corrupted or not appear correctly.

9. Reorder filters to put your favorites at the top.

If you use Instagram frequently, you probably have a few favorite go-to filters and others that you never use. You can reorder the filters in your editing window to make photo editing easier.

Add a new post and begin editing it to reorder filters. When you arrive at the filters page, hold down on a filter you want to move and drag it to your desired location.

10. Make use of Instagram as a photo editor (without having to post anything).

Perhaps you enjoy Instagram’s filters and editing tools but aren’t quite ready to post the photo to your account — now or ever. To use Instagram as a photo editor without having to post anything, simply publish a picture while your phone is in airplane mode.

To begin, ensure that “Save Original Photo” is enabled in your Instagram settings.

“Then, proceed as usual to post a photo to Instagram: Upload the photo, then edit it before clicking “Share.” The upload will fail and an error message will appear, but the edited image will be available in your phone’s photo gallery.

11. Include line breaks in your biography and captions.

When you write a caption on Instagram, you’ll notice that the keyboard does not allow you to press “Enter” or “Return.” The same can be said for your bio. So, how do all those people insert line breaks?

All you have to do is press the “123” key in the bottom left corner of the keyboard, and the “Return” key will appear in the bottom right corner.

I know this seems obvious, but many people overlook it — including myself until a colleague pointed it out. We’ve seen some elaborate solutions to this problem, such as writing the caption copy in another app, then copying and pasting it into Instagram. Fortunately, it’s much simpler than that.

Features for Instagram Optimization

12, move important content to the top of your Instagram Grid.

If you want to draw attention to an Instagram post, you can pin it to the top of your profile grid.

Select the Reel or image post you want to pin. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post and select “Pin to your profile.”

“The post is now at the top of your grid.”

This is a useful tool for sharing ongoing partnerships with your followers, drawing attention to popular content, and ensuring that new followers or browsers see the most important content you want to share with them right away.

13. Improve your Instagram bio so that it appears in the Explore tab.

Your friends, family, and coworkers may be your first Instagram followers, but expanding your audience requires more than just people you already know. One important way to accomplish this is to have your profile appear on Instagram’s Explore page.

“The Explore page, which can be accessed by clicking the magnifying glass icon above, is a browsing page that organizes the entire Instagram community by topic and keyword.” These categories include “Fitness,” “Style,” “Science,” and others.

Hashtagging your posts with these words will help expose your content to people who are interested in these topics, but you can also use them in your Instagram name and bio to promote your profile.

If Jane Doe is a marketing consultant, she might want to change her Instagram handle to “Jane Doe Marketing” rather than just “Jane Doe.” Then she can include all of her specialties in her bio, such as “SEO,” “blogging,” “email marketing,” and so on.

14 Direct traffic to a third-party website.

One of the most common complaints about marketing on Instagram is that clickable URLs aren’t permitted anywhere except the single “website” box in your bio. If you include a URL in a photo caption, it will appear as plain text, requiring users to copy the URL, open a web browser, and paste or type it in.

One sneaky way to get people to visit your Instagram profile, which is where that one clickable URL is allowed, is to encourage people to visit your profile for a link in your photo captions. Then, update that URL on a regular basis to point to your most recent blog post, YouTube video, product, or offer.

Consider the following example from the food magazine Bon Appétit, which includes a link in its bio that directs readers to external Bon Appétit content.

You can also add links to your Story if you have a verified Instagram account. More information about this feature can be found here.

15. Use Shoppable Posts on Instagram to sell products.

You may already be aware that you can tag people in Instagram posts as (or after) you post new content. You can now tag products and direct your viewers to a product page where they can buy what they saw.

How to Create an Instagram Business Account

To publish shoppable posts, you’ll need an Instagram Business account. You can get one by going to your Instagram profile and clicking “Edit Profile,” then tapping “Try Instagram Business Tools,” as shown below.

To Add Products to a Post

Once you’ve created an Instagram Business account, you’ll need to enable product tags in order to use them on a product-related post. Select “Products” from your profile page’s settings by clicking the gear icon. Tap “Continue” and follow the on-screen instructions to add a “product catalog” to your business profile.

When you enable product tags on your Instagram Business account, you can now upload new posts and tag your photos with products from your product catalog. Here’s an example of a shoppable post:

16. For standard responses, create an auto-complete quick reply.

Responding to user comments and questions is extremely time-consuming, but fortunately, there is a hack to streamline and improve the process. (Please keep in mind that this only works on Instagram Business accounts.)

Simply create a one-to-two-word phrase that will serve as a shortcut to a longer standard response that you may send frequently. To do so, go to Settings, then “Business,” then “Quick Replies” — or, click the three-dot chat bubble icon at the bottom of the screen, then “New Quick Reply.”

Add a shortcut that you can use to respond. For example, you could type “return policy” as a shortcut for a longer response, such as “Hey there. We’re sorry you’re unhappy with your purchase. Fortunately, we accept returns within 30 days, no questions asked. To begin the process, please send us your order confirmation number.

Once you’ve added a shortcut, you can either type “return policy” into the comment box to have it auto-generate, or tap the three-dot chat Quick Replies bubble icon at the bottom of your screen to select a response you’ve created. (To learn more about Quick Replies, click here.)

17. Share your Instagram post on Pinterest.

For publishing Instagram posts to other social accounts, Instagram does not have a natural integration with many social networks (except Facebook, its parent company).

However, when it comes to Pinterest, image-loving platforms band together. Here’s a backdoor method for pinning your most recent Instagram Story to Pinterest:

Tap a post to view it in full on the Instagram mobile app, then tap the three dots to the top-right of the image. Select “Copy Share URL” to copy the link to your clipboard.

Navigate to your profile page by opening the Pinterest mobile app (or downloading it; you’ll need it for this step). If you have the most recent version of Pinterest installed, it may ask you to produce the image from your clipboard as soon as you open the app.

If not, click the “+” icon in the top right to add a new pin, and you’ll be presented with a menu of options from which you can add your “Copied Link” to a new Pin or board on your profile.

Instagram Reels Highlights

18. Use Instagram Reels to upload and browse video content.

Instagram Reels is one of the most significant new Instagram features to date.

Instagram Reels can be found by opening the app and tapping the TV icon in the bottom navigation bar. You’ll be presented with a gallery of Reels to watch, including those from people you follow, trending videos, and the app’s most popular creators.

As you watch more videos, the algorithm will learn about your preferences and show you Reels that are relevant to your tastes. The same is true for your intended audience.

Your Reels are displayed on your Profile under the Reels icon. When you want to upload a new Reel, follow the same steps as you would upload an image, but instead click Reels.

19. Use the template feature to quickly create Reels.

Instagram’s native Reels template allows anyone to create a Reel quickly and easily. You have two options for creating a Reel using a template:

Find a Reel that you like, tap the three dots in the bottom right corner of the real, tap “Use as a template,” and follow the steps. It’s worth noting that the only Reels that can be used as a template have the Use as a Template button.

Or,

Swipe left to access the “Templates” option, and then select the template you want to use. Then, proceed as directed on the screen.

20. Add captions to your Reels and Stories automatically.

The auto-caption feature automatically converts your Reels and Stories’ speech into captions. This feature is critical for increasing the accessibility of your content as well as allowing people to consume it without sound.

21. Remix Reels to interact with other users.

Remixing a Reel means making one that incorporates content from another Reel. It’s an excellent way to interact with other users and generate side-by-side interaction.

Tap the three dots on the Reel you want to remix to Remix it (on Android and iOS). Tap “Remix” and select whether you want your video to play alongside or after the original video.

After that, record your Reel and upload it to your profile.

You can mix the audio and add voiceovers, text, and stickers to your Reel and the original Reel if you remix a Reel using side-by-side video.

You cannot change the audio from the original post if you remix a Reel and add your video after the original, but you can adjust the volume level of the original Reel and add a voiceover.

22. Use a Reel to respond to a comment on your Reel.

Instagram now allows users to create Reels in order to respond to comments on Reels. It’s a fun way to interact with followers and make new connections.

On Android and iOS, tap “Reply” beneath a comment and then click the camera icon.

Create your reel or upload a video from your camera roll.

To change the background color or position of the comment sticker in the frame, click on it.

After you’ve finished editing your reel, click “Share.”

Instagram Stories Highlights

23. Use Notes to communicate status updates.

In the messages inbox, notes are 60-character posts that appear next to profile images.

Notes will appear in the inboxes of your followers, and you can choose to share them with all of your followers or your Close Friends list. They are valid for 24 hours, and Notes responses appear as DMs.

The new feature is an excellent way to share timely thoughts, interact with others, and see what others are saying.

24. Make a collection of saved posts.

In addition to viewing all of the posts you’ve liked, Instagram allows you to save or bookmark specific posts in collections that you create.

Begin by going to your profile and tapping the “Settings” icon in the top-right corner of your screen, followed by “Saved”:

Then, click the “+” button and give your new Collection a name.

Click “Next,” then choose images from your “Saved” folder.

To save photos for future collections, tap the bookmark icon shown below the post you want to add:

Then, return to your previously saved photos by repeating the previous steps.

You’ll see the photos you’ve saved; to add them to your Collection, go to the Collection you want to add them to and tap “Add to Collection.” You can then add any of your saved photos.

25. Create Stories Highlights to keep Stories visible for more than a day.

Posts to your story, like Snapchat, are only visible to your followers for 24 hours. But every now and then, you come across a story that deserves to be told.

That’s where Instagram’s Stories Highlights feature comes in, allowing you to save stories together in the same space on your profile page. If you’ve ever wondered what that “New” button with the “+” icon below your profile image was for, this is the answer.

Tap this New option and choose any number of past stories from your album to create a Stories Highlight:

Then, give it a cover photo and a name to appear on your profile page as its own Instagram Story. By tapping and holding this story, you can remove the Stories Highlights at any time.

26. Rearrange the highlights on Instagram Stories.

Your Instagram feed’s Highlights serve as your brand’s portfolio; you can use them to demonstrate your company’s values, showcase new products or services, or categorize various topics you frequently post about.

The North Face, for example, uses its Highlights section to highlight various initiatives important to the brand, such as “Summit Series,” “Explore Fund,” “XPLR Pass,” “Pride,” and “Athletes.”

Because a user can only see the first five highlights of your profile when they come across it, you’ll want to make sure your first highlights are the ones you’re most proud of. Simply follow these steps to accomplish this:

1. When the slide-up appears, hold down the highlight you want to move to the top of the list and click “Edit Highlight.”

2. Next, locate an image or video to include in the highlight. (Don’t worry — you’ll be able to delete this within 30 seconds, so there’s no need to select one that will remain on the highlight.)

3. In the top right corner, click “Done.”

4. Your Highlight will now be at the top of the list. To remove the image or video you just added, simply uncheck the box next to the image you added. Your highlight will be at the top of the Highlight reel.

27. Change the icon on your Instagram Highlights without publishing it to your feed.

The image you select for each Highlight should accurately represent the type of content users can expect to see if they tap the Highlight, so choose a compelling, engaging image.

However, if you want to use a design, logo, or image that isn’t already in your Instagram feed, you can still make it the Highlight Icon.

To do so, click “Edit Highlight” (as in the previous step):

“Scroll through your camera roll to find an image you like, then click “Edit Cover.”

After selecting an image from your camera roll, click “Done.” Your Highlight cover image is now something you’ve never posted on Instagram:

28. Plan your posts ahead of time.

Because Instagram is a mobile app, you’re probably used to snapping photos and posting them to your Instagram Story on the fly. You can, however, schedule them from your computer for a specific day and time in the future.

If you have an Instagram business account, you can use this feature with a social media scheduling tool as well as HubSpot. Switch to this business profile via the Instagram mobile app and follow the prompts to connect it to Facebook if you have one.

This step may or may not be included depending on the social scheduling tool you use. However, once you’ve selected the correct account, you’ll be able to launch your scheduling tool, navigate to your currently connected profiles, and see Instagram as an available integration.

29. Make use of ‘Type Mode’ to improve your Instagram Stories.

Stories have evolved since their inception, and it takes more than a pretty filter to stand out to your audience. Enter “Type Mode,” a feature similar to Snapchat that allows you to caption Stories that require additional context to resonate with someone. Here’s how to put it to use:

1. Swipe right from your Instagram feed to access Instagram Stories. This will activate your smartphone’s camera. Then, as shown below, take a photo or video and press the “Aa” icon in the upper-right corner of your screen:

The “Aa” icon will launch Type Mode, where you can select one of eight fonts. Here is an example of a Story in Modern font:

30. Share other people’s content on your Instagram Story.

Although Instagram Stories are a great way to get your content on the homepages of your followers, you may not always have something Story-worthy. In those cases, you can use Instagram Stories to share an inspiring post from someone else. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Find a post in your Instagram Stories that you want to share and tap the paper airplane icon, as shown below.

This icon will take you to a screen where you can send this post to specific followers or add it to your Story. As shown below, select the latter option.

Tapping this option will automatically convert the post into an Instagram Story, which you can edit and design just like any other Instagram Story.

Picture

31. Tell your followers honest stories.

Instagram Candid Stories allows you to share in-the-moment updates with friends to keep them up to date on your activities. Each Story is only visible to others who have posted their own Candid Stories, which is a unique feature.

Use the stories camera and select Candid Story to share a Candid Story, or wait for the daily Candid Story notification.

Please keep in mind that the Candid Story feature is not yet available to all users.

Instagram’s User Preferences Functions

32. Use Quiet Mode to silence Instagram notifications.

Quiet Mode disables all app notifications and displays a badge on your profile to let others know you’re taking a break. When you disable Quiet Mode, you’ll see a list of notifications that you’ve missed.

Navigate to your profile page to activate Quiet Mode on Instagram. Select “Settings,” “Notifications,” and “Quiet mode.”

“Enable it by toggling the “Quiet mode” button, then turn it off when you’re ready to receive notifications again.”

You can also set a daily timer to activate Quiet Mode so you don’t have to remember to turn it off and on.

Quiet Mode is currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

33. Make a Favorites list to prioritize your favorite accounts.

If you have favorite Instagram accounts or friends whose content you want to see more often, you can add up to 50 accounts to your Favorites list.

You’ll see their posts appear higher up and more frequently in your Feed, and you can even switch to a favorites-only feed to see what they’re up to. Every Favorites feed is free of advertisements and suggested posts, and no one knows who you’ve added to the list.

To add your favorite accounts, tap the Instagram logo in the top left corner and select your favorites.

34. Get alerts when your favorite people post.

Want to never miss another Instagram post from your favorite influencers? You can choose to be notified whenever a specific user posts a new photo. All you have to do is enable notifications for each individual user.

To enable these notifications, go to a user’s profile, click the bell icon in the upper right corner, and select whether you want a notification for Posts, Stories, Reels, Videos, or Live Videos.

Do you want to disable post notifications? Simply repeat the process. It’s important to note that you must enable Instagram app notifications in your phone’s settings — here’s how.

• To enable notifications on your iPhone or iPad, follow these steps: Navigate to “Settings” and then “Notifications.” Select “Instagram” and then enable the “Allow Notifications” setting.

• To enable notifications on Android, follow these steps: Go to “Settings,” then “Apps,” and finally “Instagram.” Select the Show Notifications option.

35. Hide Photos in Which You’ve Been Tag

When someone tags you in a photo or video on Instagram, the photo or video is automatically added to your profile under “Photos of You,” unless you choose to manually add tagged photos (see the next tip).

Go to your own profile and click the person icon below your bio to see the posts you’ve been tagged in.

Next, select an individual post (from your tagged photos) and click the three dots in the upper right corner. Tap “Post options,” then select “Remove me from the post” or “Hide from my profile.”

The first delete your tag, while the second deletes it from all of your tagged photos.

36. Modify your settings so that tagged photos are approved before they appear in your profile.

When someone tags a photo or video of you on Instagram, it’s automatically added to your profile, as we mentioned in the previous step. However, you can change your Instagram settings to allow you to manually select which photos you’ve been tagged in that appear on your profile.

To manually approve tagged posts, go to “Settings,” then “Privacy,” “Posts,” and finally “Manually approve tags,” and turn the switch on. You’ll now be notified when you’re tagged in a post, and you can approve it before it appears on your profile.

37. Hide ads that you don’t find interesting.

Instagram makes an effort to show you advertisements that are interesting and relevant to you. You may see advertisements based on the people you follow and the things you like on Instagram, as well as the third-party websites and apps you visit.

If you see sponsored posts that you don’t think are relevant, you can notify Instagram and gradually teach its algorithm what you like and don’t like to see.

To hide ads on Instagram, tap the three dots to the right of a sponsored post and select “Hide ad.”

It will then ask you to explain why you no longer want to see the advertisement.

You can also turn off ads based on sites and apps other than Instagram and Facebook in your device’s settings. Even if you choose not to see these types of ads, you will continue to see ads based on your Instagram and Facebook activity.

• To disable ad tracking on an iPhone or iPad, follow these steps: Go to “Settings,” then “Privacy & Security,” and finally “Apple Advertising.” Then, select the option to disable personalized ads.

• To disable interest-based ads on Android, follow these steps: Navigate to “Google Settings,” and then to “Ads.” Choose “Turn off interest-based ads” from the drop-down menu.

38. Send photos to friends in private.

The only way to share content on Instagram is to share photos with all of your followers or with the public. You can also send them to single or multiple users, much like a Facebook message or group text message.

You have the option of sending a new photo to friends or sending one that you or someone else has already posted.

To send a new photo privately, upload a photo and begin editing it in the same way you would edit a new post. When you arrive at the “Share” page, tap the top where it says “New Post,” but when prompted, choose “Direct Message.” From there, you can select to who you want to send the photo to.

You can always access your direct messages by clicking the mailbox icon in the top right corner of your homepage.

To send a private photo, first, open the post you want to share — it can be your own or someone else’s, as long as the latter has a public account. Then, below the post, click the paper-airplane-like icon, and then select who you want to receive it when the “Send to” box appears.

Instagram’s User Search Functions

39. Look for Instagram users who do not have an account.

While Instagram would prefer that you eventually create an account for yourself or your business, you can peruse the beautiful brands, people, and dogs that are waiting for you without an account to see if it’s worth signing up.
Without logging in, there are two ways to search for people on Instagram:

Filling in a Username at the End of an Instagram URL

The first method for finding users who do not have an account is to use an Instagram username you already know and append it to the end of “www.instagram.com/.”

For example, if you start with our Instagram username — simply “HubSpot” — you can type www.instagram.com/hubspot into your browser’s address bar. This will take you to our Instagram page as well as the enigmatic search bar at the top of the page:

Once you’ve arrived at this page, you can browse users who are already active on the platform by using the search bar to the left of the “Sign Up” button.

Using an Instagram Site Search to Find Them

A slightly “hackier” method of looking up users who do not have their own Instagram account is to simply search their name in a Google site search. This means instructing Google to only look up search terms on a specific website (in this case, Instagram).
To find a user’s website, launch a Google search and enter the following:

“site:instagram.com [name of user].”

By leaving all of the text before the brackets in your search bar, you can shuffle through the names of people and businesses, and Google will produce results that only exist on Instagram.” Below is an example of a HubSpot site search. As you can see, Google creates our main profile, our culture-focused HubSpot Life profile, Instagram posts with the hashtag #hubspot, and our HubSpot Academy Page.

40. Browse through photos without liking any of them.

It’s fairly simple to learn how to like something on Instagram — so simple, in fact, that people do it unintentionally: Once you’ve entered the photo’s full view, it’s just a quick double tap.

The problem is that it’s so easy to do quickly by accident.

So, here’s a quick Instagram trick: To view someone’s photos without experiencing “double-tap paranoia,” scroll through Instagram feeds while your phone is in airplane mode. You won’t be able to Like a photo if you don’t have internet access, even if you accidentally double-tap it.

However, if you start in airplane mode, the images will not load at all. You must first go to the feed to load the posts, then turn on airplane mode and begin scrolling.

When you’ve finished the first rows of posts and want to load more, simply turn off airplane mode, wait for more to load, and then turn it back on. Cumbersome? Maybe a little, but it might be worth it for the paranoia relief.

• Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and click the airplane icon to activate airplane mode on an iPhone or iPad. Alternatively, go to “Settings,” then “Wi-Fi,” and enable “Airplane Mode.”

• To enable airplane mode on an Android device, follow these steps: Swipe down from the screen’s top. Then, swipe left to right until you see “Settings,” then touch it. To activate it, tap “Airplane Mode.”

41. Search for posts from specific locations.

Instagram allows you to browse photos and videos taken in a specific location or near your current location. When I’m planning a trip or want to check out a new restaurant, I like to scroll through the photos taken there.
Here’s how to accomplish both of these tasks.

To Search for Posts in a Specific Location:

You can either search for a specific location or enter a geotag into an existing photo.

To search for a specific location, go to the general search page by tapping the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your home screen. Enter a location to search for, and you’ll see content most relevant to your search, such as the most popular Reels, accounts, audios, tagged photos, and locations.

How to Verify Your Instagram Account

A verified badge (the blue check next to a celebrity or brand account name) informs users that you are “the authentic presence of a notable public figure, celebrity, global brand, or entity it represents,” according to Instagram.

For example, while there are numerous “Reese Witherspoon” fan pages on Instagram, there is only one genuine Reese Witherspoon account, as verified by the blue badge:

You must be a public figure, celebrity, or brand and meet certain requirements to request a verified badge. If you’ve determined that you meet Instagram’s verification criteria, follow these steps to request a badge:

1. Navigate to your profile (the person icon in the bottom left corner).

2. Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner.

3. Navigate to “Settings,” “Account,” and “Request Verification.”

4. Complete the form by entering your username, full name, document type (such as a government-issued photo ID), category, country/region, and audience.

5. When you’ve completed all of the form fields, click “Send.”

It’s important to note that requesting a verified badge does not guarantee you’ll get one. Discover what happens after you request a verified badge.

Instagram Tips & Tricks

I may be biased, but Instagram is one of the most entertaining (and visually appealing) social apps available. And now, with these tips, you can use them even more effectively.
Furthermore, many of these features can help to improve your brand’s Instagram presence. You now know how to use the app more effectively, how to ensure that you’re only tagged in photos that you want to appear on your profile, and how to engage with the people you want to be discovered by.