Probably the most frustrating moment is when you come up with a great Instagram username that 100% matches your wants and needs, but then you realize it’s already in use.
It’s not strange, because the number of accounts on any social network is only growing by the day and unique and good-sounding usernames are already taken. Of course, you can use any username you want, but you should understand that a good and concise username can be one of the keys to success, so it should not be neglected.
So, you find that the username you want is already taken. In case it’s already used by another active user, there is almost no chance of getting it, especially if this user is a popular one. Of course, you can try to buy a username, but the price tag will most likely be too high and you simply cannot afford to pay this price.
However, there is another option: an account with this nickname was once created, but it’s no longer in use. In that case, your chances increase significantly and there are several ways that can help you get the desirable Instagram username.
In this article, I provide a lot of ways of how you can get the desirable username, starting from the easiest ways (and the cheapest ones) and ending with the ideas that can help you if you trully need this username not just for fun or for esthetics reasons, but for business first of all.
Create the similar-sounding name
That’s actually the easiest way of how you can get the desirable Instagram username.
Of course, this isn’t the pure way, because then you won’t get the desirable username exactly, but think about whether you need it.
I’m not talking about using Instagram recommendations and entering numbers or extra letters after the desirable username. I’m talking about more refined things.
For example, you have a brand that sells something and you want it to have a presence on Instagram, but you don’t have the resources or desire to spend the money and time to get your brand name specifically.
In that case, you can add the word “official” at the end of your username or, if your brand name is made up of two words, you can simply add an underscore or a period between them.
Of course, it does not look as aesthetically pleasing, but you will not waste your time on unnecessary actions and can immediately begin to promote the account.
There are a lot of variants of how you can change your username, but still keep it recognizable. From the word “official” to dots, to underscores in the middle of the username, to the front or back.
It may seem too simple, but I’m a proponent of the idea that you don’t need to waste your resources where you can save them. And in that case, this is one of the best ways to do it.
Just wait until Instagram would delete inactive account
Instagram deletes accounts that are not in use. This means that you can just sit and wait and maybe (but there is no guarantee) your name will become free and you can use it for your own needs.
Honestly, I don’t like this method. At least because Instagram doesn’t have any clear timeline for when inactive users will be deleted. Moreover, according to the information I could find, they are deleted only when Instagram decides to clean its database.
So we can say it’s a random event and in this case everything depends on your luck. Moreover, there is no guarantee that you will be the first to register such a username. So even if you wait, there is no guarantee that you will be rewarded for it.
The way I see it, this makes this approach not very good. At the very least you will have to spend a lot of time each day monitoring your account to see if it was deleted. So I don’t recommend this method, although of course it’s up to you to decide.
Register a trademark
This way is much more difficult than the previous two, so it will only work for you if you really want to get that Instagram username for real business needs, not just want to get a pretty username.
And so, you need to register a trademark or a patent. Then when you get confirmation that the word or combination belongs to you or your business, you can go to Instagram support and ask for the rights to the inactive account username to be transferred to you.
Many businesses go this route and get success, but you should also check a few things, as it can cause a lot of problems.
First of all, you need to make sure that such a trademark is not registered in another jurisdiction. Otherwise, you will just get a counterclaim from the trademark owner and that will make your case much more difficult.
Secondly, you should keep in mind that this is quite a long and expensive process, so double check if you really need it, as the resources spent may not be worth it.
If you do decide to go this route, here’s the Instagram form you should use to get an answer.
Just buy an inactive Instagram account
Heh, that’s the easiest way in case you need the exact username.
And so, your account name is busy, but inactive. In that case, it may just be a way for the account owner to earn a little money. There are even businesses where people monitor trends and register accounts that may be in demand.
To start with, just write a personal message, chances are the owner will read your message and sell you the account.
But what if the owner doesn’t read personal messages? In that case, you can use other ways to reach them.
For example, Instagram has an option to open your contact information to the public, such as email or phone number. In that case, email or send a message on the phone number or in messenger (like Viber or Whatsapp) with your offering.
If e-mail and phone number is hidden, there’s still a chance to contact the account owner. In this case, do the following:
- Use Instagram Email finder to find the email that was used to create an account
- Check the followings on the account, maybe this account is subscribed to the actual owner’s account (or the Instagram account of owner’s friends)
- Check bio for contact information
How to maximize your chances to buy an Instagram account
It’s simple. Here are a few tricks.
First, never start with the fact that this particular account name is very important to you, as you will immediately increase the price of the Instagram account.
Second, if a similar account name is not registered on other social networks, then register it. That way the owner can’t use it anywhere else but Instagram, this will help get a lower price for the Instagram.
Third, describe a specific offer with a specific price. This will be the anchor price and the owner is more likely to bargain based on it. However, don’t try to underbid too low, be judicious and estimate how much you are realistically willing to pay for that Instagram account.
Consider whether you need exactly this username
To be fair, if you add an underscore or a period, it won’t interfere with your business. So there’s no point in trying to get that particular account name, so act wisely. Sometimes it’s better to just change the name a little bit, but save the effort and put it in a more productive direction.
The truth is, the username doesn’t play too much of a role. So you can be successful even if you don’t get exactly what you want, so if you’re not going to get it, there’s no point in getting hung up on it.
What to do if you can’t log in into created an account
This usually happens in several cases and the most common reason is that the account has been frozen by Instagram but has not been deleted. In that case, when you search for username, it will not exist and you can create a new account with this username. However, you will not be able to log into it, and when the account is unfrozen, your account will simply be deleted.
Many media people advise you to contact Instagram support or try logging in from another device or browser, but neither the first nor the second will help you.
So in this case you’re just out of luck and you’re not likely to get that username. I’m telling it like it really is and I’m not trying to encourage you with false hope.
I had a situation with a friend of mine whose account was frozen and he tried to create one with a similar username, but he couldn’t log into the new account until his old one was unfrozen.
So keep that in mind.
