How to Pick the Perfect IG Handle aka Username: How to Choose & Change Your Instagram Username in 2023

You want to create the right Instagram handle or username, but you're not sure where to begin. Look no further because, in this episode of the Hey Hey Emmy Show, I'm spilling all my Instagram secrets to help you create the perfect username! Choosing the right username/handle is important since they are SEO keywords on Instagram and can help you be discovered.

Using your first and last name as your handle will allow your business to grow with you if you are branding yourself for your business. If the username you want is already taken, you'll have to get creative. You can add words and symbols to find a username you can claim. Remember, you want it to be easy and memorable. I'm not certain I would have chosen @theheyheyemmy if I could go back, but it does have that easy and memorable quality.

Social media names help you build your personal brand and can help you connect to build a community. When choosing a creative name, you should take into account your personal factors and what makes you unique. Choosing a name that represents your brand and personality is therefore vital. But where do you start?

If you've been struggling to come up with the perfect Instagram handle or username, this episode is for you. With my expert guidance and tips, you'll find a username/handle that reflects your brand and personality. I'm giving you the step-by-step process to pick and change your Instagram username/handle, from creation to update your profile. Businesses use Instagram to increase visibility, generate leads, and increase the money in their bank accounts. Take advantage of this opportunity to improve your Instagram game! 

Connect with Emmy on the GRAM  @theheyheyemmy or hang out on Facebook.

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Connect with Emmy on the GRAM @theheyheyemmy or hang out on Facebook.

Transcript

Our names are an incredibly important part of our identity. They carry a deep, personal, cultural, familial, and historical connection, but they also give us a sense of who we are. They give us a sense of the communities that we belong to and our place in this world. Now, when we are talking about the social media world, the world of Instagram, Names are also very, very important.

In today's episode, I'm gonna help you pick the perfect Instagram handle, aka a username. I'm gonna show you how to choose it or maybe how to change it. If after you listen to this episode, you're like, Hmm, maybe I need to change my Instagram username. I'm gonna help you do it. Alright, let's go.

Hey, hey, it's your girl, Emmy Cornwell, Instagram biz coach and social selling expert. Welcome to the Hey, hey, Emmy show. This is a podcast where we talk about all things that will be helpful for you and your business. Everything from Instagram tips and tricks to health hacks to relationships. And definitely some Jesus.

Basically everything in between Proverbs 31 and Tupac. I am so excited to party with you in each and every episode because ain't no party like a Hey, hey Emmy party. Can I get Amen? All right, let's get into it, sister. Hey, hey. What's going on? What's up? What's shaken? Hopefully you are having the best day ever.

I am your host, Emmy Cornwell. Welcome to the Hey, hey, Emmy Show podcast, all things. Proverbs 31 to Tupac. I am so pumped to be here with you talking about, of course, my favorite thing, Instagram. Okay. There are so many different things that you can talk about when it comes to Instagram. There are so many things that you as a business owner need to be aware of when it comes to Instagram.

That's why I'm in a job. That's why I have job security, because Instagram is always changing and you have to stay up to date if you're a business owner that's utilizing it as a tool and resource for you to increase your visibility. Right. You're building a personal brand. You wanna increase your visibility, you wanna generate more leads, you want to increase your bank account.

Well, sister, girl, you're going to have to be recognizable. People are gonna have to find you. And the way, one of the main ways they do that on Instagram is through your username and s e o search. Engine optimization is the name of the game. When it comes to Instagram and your username or your handle, you can use those terms interchangeably.

That is one of the pieces and places on Instagram, on your bio and your profile that is, is determined by seo. Okay? So there's so many different ways that you could create user names, and we're gonna go over a couple. I'm gonna give you some best practices. I'm also gonna answer some like frequently asked questions when it comes to how to choose a handle or a username, and.

It's really, really important. It may seem silly, it may seem simple, it may seem obvious. Maybe it's not. Either way. I'm glad you're here, whether it's to confirm that you have a great username or if you've been trying to determine what your username should be, or potentially even if you have one and you wanna change it cuz you feel like it doesn't.

All the things that I shared, your username doesn't add up and you're missing out. You're missing out on potential clients because you're missing out on people actually finding you. This episode is for you, speaking of names. Okay. Do you remember a o l? Like what was your A o l Instant Messenger Name?

Your aim name. Mine was Roxy Wahini three. Okay. I loved the brand, Roxy. And I'm Hawaiian and I'm a girl, and Wahini is girl in Hawaiian, and number three was my basketball number and it was my favorite number. I was really good at shooting threes. I think that's one of the reasons why I loved that number, but that's how I determined my, at that time, what we would classify as a user name right, or a handle was something that I liked.

You know, it was, um, it was something that identified me that I had an identity, right? I was. Something. I loved who I was and you know, one of my favorite things, well, that is one way to determine a handle on Instagram if you have a personal account. But if you have a business and if you are building a personal brand, you are going to most likely not decide that pathway to determine what your handle and username is.

Now, if you're just building a personal, not even building a personal account, if you just have a personal account, And you're my friend, and that's why you listen to this podcast. Great. Keep your, keep whatever handle you want, keep your account private. But if you're a business owner, you really need to be intentional and strategic when it comes to your handle.

So let's talk about it because it, it really does play a huge role in you getting discovered by new followers, a k a, potentially new customers and clients. So I'm gonna break it down. What makes a great username? You know, I'm gonna reveal to you some of my top tips to help you choose that best Instagram username, plus everything you need to know in between, um, before making the switch, if that's what you're gonna do.

Okay? So it is one of the most essential parts of your account because of the discoverability. And so it has to not only be someone find you. Also someone needs to remember you. Okay. That is a key component. Is it memorable? The perfect Instagram username, people remember? Okay. Hey, hey, Emmy. Memorable, Memor memorable?

Or is it, I think it's memorable, but it's, you remember it. Okay. And it, it is catchy. It is catchy. We're gonna talk about. Some, some different examples of names that you can, but like, I like to think of it almost like a website, like when you are, when you're going to get a website or maybe you already have one, most likely, at least the first domain that you're going to get.

Cuz if you're like me, I collect domains is like a fun hobby of at least over 20 different domains that I pay for, that I have potential like ideas for vanity domains. Anyways, the number one that you're gonna have, at least whether you're utilizing it or not, whether you have a website or not, is your first and last name, because that is your personal brand, okay?

I remember listening to Shalene Johnson talk about this, like in one of her trainings that I took like years ago about why you w why you want to use your first and last name. Because think about it this way, if you are, and so it's similar with Instagram and your handle if you're into fitness. And you're like fitness fun, Franny, and that's like your niche and that's what you're going hard on.

But then you make a pivot. You know, when I heard this training was in 2020 when everyone was pivoting, and I also pivoted not because of Covid.  It was more like 2019 actually was when I started to go from health and wellness coaching to business coaching. But if so this fitness example really resonates with me.

What if fun? Fitness. Franny wanted to pivot into doing something different. Well, she's built a brand now just on that, that's going to be a little bit harder to pivot. Whereas if she built off of a personal brand, which I teach you to do, and how to use her name, that was her name, she could do anything.

She could do anything under the sun, under that handle, and so that is one of the reasons why I believe first and foremost, if it is available to you, your Instagram handle name should be your first and last name. That's like the first place to start. Are there exceptions? Yes. If you have like a brick and mortar business or you have more of a product-based business, or if you do have something that is catchy that makes sense, for instance, hey, hey.

Emmy was, would not have probably been my first choice. I actually believe I did have Emmy Cornwell and one day when I was working at the Y M C A, when I was the director, No, I was at, I was at a different y I used to be a director of group exercise at one y and then I became the membership coordinator.

I took a demotion to move closer to Scott cause we were getting more serious. And I became the membership coordinator at a different y one of our guys that worked the front desk with us who had diverse abilities. His name was Christopher. Oh my gosh. He's so cool. Cool dude, I wonder how he's doing.

I would love to an update on Christopher. Anyways, he one day came into the break room, into like the staff room was like, Hey, hey ma. Like he said it m a, almost like the letter's M and a, but it, he was saying my name Emmy, and he was like being funny and fun. And I was like, oh my goodness, Christopher, I think you just gave me a brilliant idea.

And from that point I became, Hey, hey Emmy. And I'm still, Hey, hey Emmy, even though my handle is B, Hey, hey Emmy. Now, because my account got hacked, which I. Side note, I'm gonna try and potentially episode to come potentially try and do the blue verification check just to see if my old accounts can come back, keep it for a little bit, and then get, I don't need the check.

The check is dumb. Okay. By the way, again, episode controversial Ruffle your feather's episode. Coming on the blue, the new blue check verification for Instagram accounts. Don't be fooled by the shiny object. It's not as like, cool. Or necessary as you think it is. I don't care if you're using the excuse that it's a tax write off, because I did a post on Facebook about that.

It's a bunch of bs and that was one of the things that people said. I was like, well, it's a tax write off and a lot of people follow me and yada, yada, yada. Anyways, stay tuned. Sister, if that's you, or if you're just curious that episode is coming because I do believe there are benefits, but. I also don't think it's an automatic anyways, back to how to choose and change your Instagram username in 2023.

What is working in 2023? Well, that story led to my handle with Christopher. Hey, hey Emmy. And, but it's not my first and last name. So if you're first and last name, you don't have that, start there. If you have like Jane Smith, then you might wanna do some variations like I am the real Jane Smith. It's me, Jane Smith.

Of course you can try the periods that underscores the dashes and the dots, you know, in between like Jane dot Smith, Jane dash Smith, um, you don't wanna add like a bunch of dashes to the front or to the end. But specifically the front, because most people aren't gonna search those dashes. So there are some variations that you can do that were still your first and last name that I've given you that you should try and.

Then if not, you can try and find a catch name anyways there. There are some exceptions, but I'm just giving you some best practices because a lot of people's usernames are not going to be searchable. And again, like I said, you're going to lose out on getting discovered by new followers. So what is your Instagram name?

Just to make sure that we are all on the same page? The basics. It's your profile address that helps you make your account more discoverable on the Instagram platform. Okay. It's gonna be unique to you and your account, and it's the one that's preceded by the at symbol. You can include up to 30 characters or letters, numbers and symbols, but, Let's stick to your first and last name.

Okay. Why is it important that you have a good name? What we've kind of touched on a little bit, but choosing an Instagram username may seem simple, small, silly, like non-relevant, but picking the right one honestly can establish what we talked about, your brand identity and discoverability. You're gonna hear that word over and over again right off the bat.

Okay, so how do you choose the right one on top of some of the things that we've already shared? Well, a good username for Instagram. It needs to be simple, memorable, and consistent as well. On other platforms. That's a side note. Okay, more on that later. But here are the top five tips to help you choose the right one.

Okay? You're gonna make it simple. Like I said, you're gonna get creative potentially, but you also. Could just stick to the clarity of your first and last name. It really depends. Rewind a little bit of this episode to go back what we talked about. Let your brand and you come through right in your username.

You wanna be consistent. And with your brand identity and you wanna keep your long-term goals in mind, kind of like I talked about, building from a personal brand versus like very niche specific username. So what if you have a name that you wanna change, okay, that this probably that's probably you potentially, once you've nailed down your perfect Instagram username.

Now there's no magic about a username. So when I say perfect, like use that term loosely. Making the switch is super, super easy. So I wanna walk you through how to do it, like the logistics of it in your settings. So you change your Instagram username in a few like really easy steps. Step one from your profile.

You're gonna go to edit, edit profile, and you're gonna see your bio. Okay? Now you're gonna tap username. So your username again is different than. The like bold title where I tell you when I'm telling you how to optimize your bio, where to put your like name and your area of expertise. Yes, you do want your name and you do want your area of expertise.

Um, and that most likely could be the same as your handle, but it could be different. Like for mine it says, Hey, hey Emmy, but then it says Emmy Cornwell in that name field. The name field is different than the username, just so you know. Okay, so you're gonna go to your profile. You're going to tap edit profile, then you're gonna tap username and you're gonna type your new Instagram username in the space.

Provided, hit done. There you go, ma'am. That's how you change it. Okay. What, um, what do you do once you change it? Well, once you change your Instagram username, I, I want you to stick with it. Okay. It's kind of like you're, oh, hi buddy. Oh, Kim Kim. Speaking of names. Cam is not short for anything and he is here with me podcasting as our special guest.

So if you heard that, that's Mr. Cam. Cam, Kiko, or Ratter. Very strong name because names are important.  What do you do once you change your ins? Like your name, your handle, right?  I want you to stick with it, just like your niche. Don't be a niche switcher. Don't be a name switcher. Okay. Because changing your Instagram username too often can really confuse your followers, uh, potentially lead to a loss of followers, like a rise in people unfollowing you.

Um, so don't, so don't do it often, right? Make sure that you've gone through some of these things that I've said and best practices of, of. Why it's important, how to change it and what to change it to, and then go with it. Go with it for a little bit. Okay. Try it on like a coat. If it doesn't fit, yes, change it.

It's, you know, it's changeable. It's not set in stone, but don't change it tomorrow. Right? Here's a big tip, an Instagram bio that is really, really great cuz your name and your username and your handle is a part of that, again, is going to establish the brand identity. Does it? Is it consistent with your brand and is it consistent throughout the whole bio?

Okay, here are some FAQs. Is this helpful? Let me know if it's helpful. Here's what you do is you take a screenshot of this episode, you listening it tag me, the, Hey, hey, Emmy, right? I would love to connect with you. That's the best way for me to do that. Let me know what your takeaways were. But here, Here are some questions that you may be asking yourself that I get frequently asked about names and handles.

Okay? How do you see your old Instagram username? Maybe you wanna check out what you've done in the past and you wanna have that information to help you then make sure you're getting a great new one. Okay? Well, again, logistically it's super easy. All you have to do. Is go to your profile, select the three horizontal lines.

I call it the hamburger in the top right hand corner of your screen, and then tap on your activity. Step three for this is scroll down and select account history, and then to see all the changes you've made to your account. That's where it's gonna be. All right. You're gonna find your past usernames and you are going to.

Click on update type in order to filter by the usernames. Okay. That could be helpful if you are someone who has changed your name a lot and you wanna see what potentially didn't work, so you don't do that one again. Right? Or maybe there are some that That was great that you're gonna go back to. Here's another question.

When I try to change my username, what does it say or why does it say username not available? Okay. If you are hit with the username is not available alert, it means that Instagram username is simply already chosen and taken by someone else. What is the most like, disheartening thing is when you go, like say, that happens to you.

And I was doing this when I got Grippy and I was trying to make an account for him, for my dog, for my Australian Labradoodle. And also I run into this with my clients that have more common names. Is a lot of times that person, Jane Smith, she's not even using her Instagram. She has like zero posts and it's a private account.

Well, did you know that you can actually message people and ask them if they would be willing to kind of relinquish that? It's just like websites. You know how GoDaddy and any website domain host, you can actually sell your domain? Because like someone else wants it. It's the same with usernames. Now, I'm not saying you can sell it, maybe people would sell it.

I don't know. It's kinda like a black market memo type situation. But you absolutely can ask someone, right? Why could you not ask someone like, Hey, you know, and, and hit your case like, I'm a business owner. This is, you know, something that is beneficial for me and my business. I noticed that you're not really posting.

Would it be something that you would be up to, um, you know, allowing. That handle to be switched over to me, right? I mean, that's just for my, for my booty, right? That's not as eloquent as maybe I would say it, but why not ask if it is already taken, okay? Like that is okay. Um, slide into those dms again. You may potentially need to offer them some money, but why not ask if you don't ask the answer's always No.

Here's the last question that I get that's frequently asked about usernames. How many times can you change your Instagram username? Okay, well, you can change it twice in a 14 day period. Okay, so you, again, you don't want to always change it. And say you change it and you made a mistake, and then you change it back to the previous one, and then you wanna change it again.

Well, you're gonna have to wait 14 days. That's annoying. Right? So again, make sure that what you're changed to follows kind of some of the best practice guidelines that I shared in this episode before you just go ahead and do it. But there you go. There you have it. Everything you need to know, sister Girl, about choosing and changing your Instagram username in 2023 so that you can.

Be discoverable and people can follow you. They know who you are, what you do, how you can help them. That's all a part of the bio and it starts with the username. Make sure it's memorable because if people do not remember you, if you are not top of mind, this is like not digital marketing loan, it's marketing 1 0 1.

Then people are not going to remember you when it comes time to buy from you. And I want you, sister, girl, to have clients and customers. I want you raking in the cash on the gram. All right? You up for it? I think you are because you're here listening to this episode. I cannot wait to see you on the gram.

Make sure you DM me, tag me in your stories. The hey Emmy, and I will see you on the next episode.