Before you get to optimising your Instagram for business, are you wondering which Instagram account type to use? Personal. Creator. Business. There are some big differences between these accounts so today we’ll break down the pros, the cons and features of each profile so you can choose the right one for you. And stick around because we’ll also be sharing a few myths, rumours and warnings about Instagram accounts!
That’s said, let’s break down the three types of Instagram accounts. These are organised into two categories, personal and professional.
Personal Accounts
First let’s look at personal accounts. They are geared towards, you guessed it, personal use. They have no analytics or API access, which means you can’t schedule posts, use the Facebook Creator Studio to manage Instagram and you won’t have third-party access to analytics. Additionally, you can’t use contact buttons on your profile or use gift card or delivery stickers or the swipe up function in stories. So if you are a business owner or marketer, those are big disadvantages, but they do have some benefits. Personal accounts have access to all of the music options in reels and stories. Additionally, personal accounts are the only account type that can be private. Professional accounts cannot be.
Professional Accounts
Instagram groups business and creator accounts together under the title of professional accounts, though they are two distinct account types. They both have analytics or insights. They both have access to contact buttons and the gift card delivery stickers. They allow you to collaborate with other accounts leveraging the branded content features.
Business vs. Creator Accounts
Even though they share a lot of the same features, they also have some important differences. Business accounts are intended for a business entity that is making money or selling something. So they have API access. That means scheduling, access to the Facebook creator studio so you can manage Instagram from your desktop and the ability to use third-party analytics. We should point out that the creator profiles do not have this API access.
Another difference between the business and creator accounts is the music access. Most business accounts don’t have the full music library. They have the royalty free music library, which means it’s very limited in scope and you won’t have pop culture related music in that music library. In comparison, creator accounts are intended for influencers. These are for those people creating content that might align with a brand but may not be actually selling their own products. Creators have access to all the music in addition to business features like analytics and branded content.
In short, if you need scheduling then use a business account. If you really need all the music for your reels content and don’t care about the scheduling or using Facebook creator studio, then go with a creator account.
How to Change Your Instagram Account Type
So how do you change account types or check to see what account you currently have? To figure this out, you’re gonna go to your Instagram settings. And in there, scroll down to the account option. Once you are in the account menu, you’re gonna scroll all the way down to the very bottom. And from there, you’re gonna see the option to switch account type. Tap on that, and you will get the option of the two accounts that you are not. So if you are a business, you would have the option to switch to personal or switch to a creator account.
Sometimes things look a little bit different on different devices and Instagram likes to run some updates. So you may see the option to switch to a professional account. If you see that option, it means you are a personal account. Choose the switch to professional option and you’ll have the choice then to choose creator or business. Now, before you make the switch we have a few rumours and warnings to address.
Rumours and Warnings
While you can switch back and forth between account types without too much consequence, Instagram does temporarily hide insights when switching to a business account. It may also delay your access to features like music if you’re switching over to a creator account. The reason they do this is because they don’t want you taking advantage of the system, swapping back and forth to get all the best of both. You need to pick one and stick with it. So you can switch back and forth two or three times in a day to try out a feature, that’s fine. But if you’re constantly switching everyday or week, going back and forth, Instagram’s gonna pick up on this spam-like behaviour and potentially flag your account, which could reduce your reach and impact on the platform.
If you have heard that there is some kind of penalty or limited reach for professional accounts, that is false. Instagram wants to keep their users engaged and on the platform. So whether you are a personal account, business account or creator account, you need to be engaging with your viewers and adding value to them, whether that be through education, entertainment, encouragement or all three.
If you’re using Instagram for business, you need to really consider the pros and cons of all three Instagram account type. In particular, consider key features you may need access to, such as analytics, music, scheduling and Creator Studio!
