How to make instagram creator account private

Everything You Need to Know About the Instagram Creator Account

Are you curious about how Instagram creator accounts differ from other profiles? Or whether or not an Instagram creator profile is right for you?

You’re not alone.

Instagram’s growth in 2021 made its popularity with creators skyrocket. Those impressive stats don’t lie!

In fact, “50 million independent content creators, curators, and community builders including social media influencers, bloggers, and videographers” make up the creator economy. Instagram created creator accounts with people like these 50 million in mind.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand what Instagram creator profiles are and whether or not they’re right for you. As a bonus, we’ve also included how to sign up for one if you decide it’s your vibe.

What is an Instagram creator account?

What special features do Instagram creator accounts include?

Instagram creator profile vs. business profile

How to switch to an Instagram creator account

How to turn off a creator account on Instagram

Can you have a private creator account on Instagram?

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

What is an Instagram creator account?

An Instagram creator account is a type of Instagram account created especially for content creators. It’s a lot like an Instagram business account but designed with individual creators instead of businesses in mind.

Creator accounts are meant for:

influencers,
public figures,
content producers,
artists, or
folks who want to monetize their personal brand.

When you upgrade to an Instagram creator account, you get access to features that allow you to:

better control your online presence,
understand your growth metrics, and
easily manage messages.

Instagram introduced creator accounts in 2018 to encourage influencers on the platform.

(Looking for the other Instagram feature for creators, Creator Studio? Creator Studio is more like a desktop dashboard for your creator account — check out our blog for more info)

What special features do Instagram creator accounts include?

Detailed follower growth insights

Understanding your follower growth and activity is a priority for influencers and creators. Creator accounts give you access to an in-depth insights dashboard. Here, you can access data on your followers and how they engage with your account.

For example, influencers and creators can now map new content with net follower changes. This will help you see what’s resonating, so you can keep producing the right type of posts and grow your following.

One thing to note: You can only access the Instagram insights dashboard on mobile. If you’re looking for insights on your desktop, you’ll have to head to Creator Studio.

Streamlined messaging

Creator accounts mean access to DM-filtering options! That’s right — say goodbye to the swamp of DMs in your inbox.

Creators can filter by three new tabs:

Primary (comes with notifications),
General (no notifications), and
Requests (messages from people you don’t follow, no notifications).

These filters allow you to split friends from fans (and trolls from, well, everyone). You can also flag important conversations, ensuring you never forget to reply.

Looking for message-related time-savers? Creators can generate saved replies so you can personalize keyboard shortcuts for standard messaging. These are a life-saver when you’re constantly answering the same questions via DM.

Here’s how to make your own:

Click the hamburger icon (top right corner) on your profile page.
Hit Settings, scroll down to Creator and navigate to Saved Replies.
Create custom keyboard shortcuts.
Save your shortcuts and start saving time in your DMs.

Scheduling options

Unfortunately, creator account users can’t connect to any third-party scheduling apps. If you’ve got one of these accounts, you’ll have to schedule your feed and IGTV posts using the Creator Studio dashboard.

In your Creator Studio dashboard, hit the green Create Post button in the top left corner. Then, upload your content, write your caption, and any other information you would like to include. Then, hit the drop-down arrow next to Publish in the bottom right corner.

Click the Schedule option and choose your date and time, and voila! You’re set.

Profile control & flexibility

You decide what people see on your creator account. You can display or hide your contact information, CTA, and creator label.

And you can choose your preferred contact choice on your profile (including call, text, and email). This way, you can list a specific business contact and keep your private life private.

Shoppable posts

If you sell products or give recommendations, a creator account allows you to create shoppable posts and tag products. When someone clicks on your tag, they’re taken to a product description page where they can get more information or make a purchase.

This feature is great for influencers who work with or recommend multiple brands. If this sounds like you, a creator account may be right.

Note: You need the brand you’re featuring to give you approved access to their products to be able to tag them.

Try these 31 little-known Instagram features and hacks (for any type of account).

Instagram creator profile vs. business profile

Still not sure whether you should have an Instagram creator profile or a business profile? Here are five notable differences between the two accounts.

Labels

Notably, creator accounts have more specific options to say what you do or who you are. These label options tend to be related to the individual — writer, chef, artist, etc.

On the other hand, business accounts offer professional industry-related labels for your account, like advertising agency, sports team, or business center. They’re great for company accounts or anyone who’s speaking for a larger group, not just themselves.

In short:

Business accounts = great for corporations, organizations and companies
Creator accounts = great for individuals

For creators, being specific with your category can allow you to niche down and find your community. For business accounts, understanding your industry category shows your audience what you can do for them.

But wait! A business profile might still make better sense even if you’re an individual creator. Keep reading for more differences.

Contact

Both business and creator accounts allow you to share your email address and phone number. This makes for an easy contact method for interested collaborators or customers.

Only business accounts, though, can add in a location. This can be useful for organizations with a head office, cafe location, or any official brick and mortar location.

You can hide your contact information on either account if you prefer DMs.

Call-to-actions (CTAs)

Instagram CTAs sit under your bio on your profile. If you’ve enabled contact information on your account, your CTA will be next to that.

Business accounts use the Order food, Book now, or Reserve CTAs.

On the other hand, a creator account can only use the Book Now or Reserve CTAs.

If you’re in the food and beverage services, then a business account may be right for you.

Shoppable options

Business and creator accounts on Instagram do have one main ecommerce difference: shoppable options.

As we mentioned above, you can tag shoppable products from brands that have approved access. Business accounts, however, can add a Shop to their profile, tag shoppable products in posts and Stories, and access Shop insights.

A business account may be right for you if you’re predominantly trying to sell products on Instagram. And, good news for you, Instagram Shopping is one of 12 Instagram trends for 2022 our experts have predicted.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Get the free guide right now!

Third-party app access

Third-party apps — like Hootsuite, our favorite — can help you:

Schedule posts,
Stay organized with your community management and engagement,
and provide you with in-depth analytics.

Unfortunately, the Instagram API doesn’t allow third-party app integration for creator accounts. But if you use a business account, you can.

If you manage multiple accounts, a business account may be right for you.

How to switch to an Instagram creator account

Step 1: Go into your settings

Go to your profile and click on the hamburger menu in the top right corner.

Then click on Settings, sitting at the top of the list. Then, select Account.

If you have a personal account, select Switch to Professional Account.

If you have a business account, select Switch to Creator Account.

Note: You may also be prompted on your profile page by Instagram to switch to a professional account. This does the same as above.

Step 2. Create your account

Choose the label that best describes who you are or what you do from the list provided. Then, you can decide whether or not you want this displayed on your profile.

At this point, Instagram may ask whether you’re a creator or a business. Click Creator, then next. You’ll be prompted to set up your professional account.

Here, you can choose from the following list of steps to help you get acquainted with your creator profile:

Get Inspired
Grow Your Audience
Share Content to View Insights
Explore Professional Tools
Complete Your Profile

You’ll be asked whether or not you’d like to share logins using the Accounts Center. If you skip this step by clicking Not now, you can always set it up later.

You’ll be brought to the Set Up Your Professional Account page. Here, you can browse your new features and tools.

Step 3: Check out your new features and tools

If you’ve clicked off the Set Up Your Professional Account page, you can still access it by clicking on the “# of 5 STEPS COMPLETE” bar at the top of your profile.

You’ll have a bar graph icon in the top right corner of your profile page. Click this to access your Professional Dashboard.

Your Professional Dashboard is where you can find your account insights, access your tools and discover tips and resources.

Head here for more on Instagram analytics.

Head back to your profile page. From here, hit the hamburger menu in the top right corner. Hit Settings, then navigate to Creator. Under this tab, you can manage more features like:

Ad payments
Branded content
Branded content ads
Saved replies
Frequently asked questions
Connect or create
Minimum age
Monetization status
Set up Instagram Shopping

How to turn off a creator account on Instagram

Decided that creator life isn’t for you? Going back to a personal Instagram account is easy. But, you will lose the analytic data that you’ve collected so far. And, if you choose to go back to a creator account, you’ll need to re-sign up.

Simply head back to your Settings (in the hamburger menu on your profile). Navigate to Account. Scroll down to Switch account type at the bottom and click Switch to personal account.

Note: You can also switch to a business account here.

Can you have a private creator account on Instagram?

You cannot have a private creator or business account on Instagram. You’ll first have to switch back to a personal account to go private.

Sorry! We don’t make the rules.

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How to Switch Back to a Personal Account on Instagram

When the Instagram business account launched in 2014, many brands, influencers, and content creators quickly switched from their personal accounts.

The appeal of detailed insights and analytics was too strong to ignore! Not to mention, access to a plethora of useful business tools to promote your content.

1 Types of Instagram Accounts

2 How to Change Instagram from Business to Personal (Step by Step!)

3 Should You Switch to a Personal Account on Instagram?

4 Conclusion: How to Go Back to a Personal Account on Instagram

But you may be contemplating whether to switch back to your personal Instagram account these days.

It’s understandable. Maybe you want to restrict your content to a tight-knit community of followers. Or you might be looking for ways to leverage Instagram’s algorithm and increase the organic reach of your posts.

In either case, chances are you’ve thought about making the switch to a personal account on Instagram at one point or another.

While switching from a professional account to a personal one on Instagram takes few simple steps, it’s a critical decision.

That’s why you should analyze the pros and cons before you decide to switch back to your personal account. We’ll delve deeper into these aspects below. We’ll also discuss how to switch back to a personal account on Instagram.

But let’s first take a quick look at the different types of accounts available on Instagram!

Types of Instagram Accounts

Instagram offers two main types of accounts to its users – personal, and professional!

A personal Instagram account lets you use all of the platform’s basic features. You can still upload posts, reels, IGTV videos, and stories. But you can’t monitor how your posts are performing or have access to in-depth analytics.

Professional Instagram accounts are further categorized into two types of professional accounts -business and Instagram creator accounts. These accounts give you access to a treasure trove of creator-friendly tools, including insights and promotions.

So, now that you know what kinds of Instagram accounts you have access to, let’s talk over how to switch between them!

How to Change Instagram from Business to Personal (Step by Step!)

First things first – switching your Instagram account from business to personal isn’t rocket science.

Switching to an Instagram business profile, or back to a personal account involves a few simple steps and takes less than five minutes! The difficult part comes when you’re thinking about whether you should make the switch in the first place. (More on that later!)

But if you’ve already made up your mind, here are the steps to switch back to your personal Instagram profile:

Open the Instagram App
Go to your Instagram Business Profile
Tap the menu button in the upper right corner of your Instagram profile
Tap Settings
Select Account from the menu
Scroll down to “Switch Account Type”
Choose “Switch to Personal Account”
Read the pop-up and confirm the switch

Should You Switch to a Personal Account on Instagram?

If you’ve ever tried changing your Instagram account from business to personal, you’ve likely come across a warning message. If you haven’t, you’ll see it here!

It explains how you can’t use some of the app’s features on your personal account.

To some people, the loss of insights might not be a big deal. But to professional brands and businesses that use Instagram as a main social media marketing platform, it can be disastrous.

The final choice between a personal and business account depends on your needs and preferences.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of turning off your Instagram business account:

Pro: You Can Have a Private Account

This is likely the biggest advantage of having a personal Instagram profile. You can navigate to your “Privacy” settings and enable the “Private Account” option. It’ll ensure that your Instagram posts are only available to your followers.

Also, you can approve or dismiss follower requests to control whether new users can view your posts.

Pro: You May See a Positive Impact on Your Organic Reach

Some content creators and influencers have reported that the organic reach of their posts improved after changing their Instagram accounts to personal. This isn’t surprising considering that the Instagram algorithm could suppress the organic reach of business accounts to compel them to run ads.

But there’s no concrete data to support this argument. So, it isn’t wise to switch to a personal Instagram account with the sole intent of boosting your organic reach.

Con: You Lose Out on Detailed Insights and Analytics

The best part about having an Instagram business profile is that you get access to useful analytics on audience engagement. You can monitor the organic and paid reach of your posts, as well as gain a deeper understanding of your followers’ demographic.

Switching to a personal account means you can no longer use the “Insights” dashboard. Also, the analytics from your existing posts is erased. Even if you change back to a business account, you can never recover this data.

Con: Contact Options Become Limited

Unlike a business account, your personal Instagram profile doesn’t have a “Contact” button.

This means your followers can’t access your phone number, email address, Facebook page, or website.

Also, you lose other valuable buttons, such as “Insights” and “Promotions”.

Con: You Won’t Be Able to Auto Post from Tailwind

If you manage an Instagram business profile, you’re likely using a social media tool to plan and publish your posts. Tailwind’s Instagram scheduling tool lets you draft and schedule Instagram posts for weeks in advance with SmartSchedule – and automatically publishes content at the right time on your behalf!

But the auto-posting feature is only available for business accounts. While you can still schedule posts from your personal account, Tailwind won’t automatically upload them. Instead, you’ll have to rely on push notifications from the app to remind you to upload the post.

Conclusion: How to Go Back to a Personal Account on Instagram

Changing your Instagram account from business to personal is quite simple. You need to navigate to your account settings and select “Switch to Personal Account” from the available options. But if you’re a marketer or content creator, you shouldn’t be asking how to switch back to a personal account on Instagram.

Instead, you should evaluate the consequences of making the switch and whether it’s going to be the right decision. A personal account gives you more control over who gets to view your content. But you lose access to powerful audience insights and other tools.

Not sure about what type of Instagram account is the right choice for you? Pin this article and come back to it once you’ve made up your mind!

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How to make a private account on Instagram and restrict access to the profile

Instagram is one of the most extensive platforms for maintaining personal pages and promoting businesses of various directions. The social network has the ability to maintain public and private accounts. Each of them offers significant advantages and some disadvantages, so it is important to know how to make your Instagram account private. By default, the created page remains open, but if necessary, you can restrict access through special settings.

Private profile features

A private Instagram account means hiding everything that happens in the profile from unauthorized users. Publications, live broadcasts, subscriptions and subscribers will be available to a limited circle of people, the application of which will be approved by the owner. In this case, all users will be able to send a request for correspondence. In a private profile, you need to approve each incoming subscription request manually.

How to anonymously view stories on Instagram.

Advantages of a private profile

- More subscribers come to a private Instagram profile (intrigue is created and unsubscribed users want to know what kind of information is published on the page).

- Fewer unsubscribes (when you click on the "Unsubscribe" button, this window is displayed, which makes subscribers change their mind).

- Control who has access to published information (a valuable feature for personal pages - only approved subscribers can see posts).

- Posts, even those tagged with hashtags, don't show up in the Instagram search engine.

- Likes on private page posts are not displayed in the "Subscriptions" section (they are visible only to the one who liked and to the one who was liked)

Disadvantages of a private profile profile is interesting.

- Publications do not fall into the "Recommendations" (many users come from this section who increase the number of views, likes, reposts).

- Additional spending on advertising and long promotion of a business account (users learn about the profile through a recommendation or come from paid advertising from other pages).

- Inability to view statistics (data is available only for open accounts).

Features of an open personal Instagram account

Having an open account, you can share information with all users of the social network. Live broadcasts, publications and all activity on them will be available to everyone. Also, in open Instagram accounts, you can see not only the total number of subscribers and subscriptions, but also see who these users are. Non-private profiles are suitable for public people, businessmen and simple bloggers who like to share their own pictures, videos and other information online.

Benefits of an open account

- Fully accessible information (a plus for those who don't like to subscribe to private profiles).

- Posts are included in the "Recommendations" of Instagram.

— Hashtags are actively working and bringing in new subscribers.

- Posts with the most activity become available to more users.

- There is no need to manually confirm each application.

Disadvantages of an open account

- There is no way to hide personal information.

- There is a high possibility of stealing photos and videos from the page by intruders.

- No control over new subscribers.

Why you can't close a business account on Instagram

An Instagram business page is created to promote a brand or service. Targeted advertising is configured in accounts, which speeds up profile promotion and increases activity in it, including due to unsubscribed users. Also available in the business account are visit statistics and a report on each publication (the total number of likes, comments, saves and reposts). A business account cannot be private. It is possible to transfer it to personal (losing the ability to see the statistics) and only then make it private.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a private Instagram account

To create a private Instagram profile, follow the instructions:

1. Enter this menu in the upper right corner to search for settings (this is how it looks after the update in 2021).

2. Next, click the "Settings" icon

3. Select "Account Privacy".

4. Drag the slider to the Closed Account field.

How to make your Instagram account private

Content:

Everyone seems to be using Instagram now. People from all walks of life have an Instagram account as part of their social media presence. Their profile and posts can be viewed by anyone with access to Instagram.com if they set their account to "Public".

But what if you don't want your Instagram posts to be visible to everyone on the site? This is where the "Private" setting comes into play. The "Private" setting allows only your approved followers to see. And any hashtags you use will be hidden from searches.

In this article, you will learn how to make your Instagram account "private" using various devices. Our FAQ section has seven tips to help make your Instagram account more private and secure.

How to make Instagram account private on iPhone

To set your profile to "Private" using iPhone, follow these steps:

Open Instagram.
In the lower right corner, click on your profile icon.
In the upper right corner, click on the hamburger icon.
Click "Settings" in the pop-up window.
Click "Privacy".
At the top of the Privacy page, tap the Personal Account slider to turn it on. Its color will change from gray to blue.
In the confirmation popup, select Switch to Private.

You now have a personal Instagram account.

How to make an Instagram account private on an Android device

Follow these steps to set your Instagram account to Private using your Android device:

Open Instagram.
Click on your profile icon in the lower right corner,
In the upper right corner, click on the hamburger icon.
Select "Settings" in the pop-up window.
Click "Privacy".
At the top of the Privacy page, click the Personal Account radio button to turn it on. The switch will turn blue.
In the confirmation popup, click Switch to Private.

Your Instagram profile is now closed.

How to make a personal Instagram account on PC

To make your Instagram profile private using the web version on PC, follow these steps:

Visit Instagram.com and sign in to your account.
In the upper right corner of the screen, click your profile icon.
Select "Settings" from the drop-down menu.
From the sidebar menu on the left, select the Privacy and Security tab.
At the top of the page, check the "Private account" box to make your account private.
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