You came up with an idea for the perfect username – and you’d already imagined how good it would look on your profile, but then the reality craps in… The username is taken, and you worry you’ll have to choose another one. If you’re stuck, because the one you had in your mind was your best idea, you already did research and your intuition was telling you it’s the only right choice, don’t worry – there are a few solutions, so you won’t have to give up on this particular handle brainchild! 

You don’t have to make long brainstorms, mix and match new words to come up with new potential concepts. You can still use this one – just with one of minor modifications. 

Checking if your perfect username is available is pretty stressful – we all know it: Instagram is a long-time player, and with its amount of users, no wonder someone may have used your idea long before you. Let’s figure out what you can add to it to use its potential without having to look for another one. 

 

 

Your dream username is already taken – but it can still be yours 

Your Instagram username is your on-line identity in many ways: you don’t want to make compromises there. You’ll invest much time and effort into building this social media presence, so you need to be sure that you’re starting this journey just right. Your future motivation depends on it. If you don’t like your username, you won’t have this much-needed energy to build your tribe because you won’t feel engaged enough. 

So what to do next once your world crashes down for a minute when you find out that your dream username is already someone else’s choice? In this Instagram Lesson, we’ll show you how to edit your idea so that you can use it right away. As a result, you won’t have to give it up. Sounds like a plan, right?

1 // Underscore or a dash can save your idea

Try adding a dash or underscore between the words. Let’s say you want to name your account immortaldesigns, but you’ve found out there is already a profile existing under this username: you still can use immortal-designs. It’s even more memorable and easy to read in many cases. 

 

 

 

2 // Add a neutral word at the end

Look for the words that won’t change the meaning of your username and will be suitable for your niche – or maybe even emphasize it. Let’s say you’re a graphic designer and you want to name your profile busybeedraws, but you find out this one is already taken. What can you do? Put an underscore or a dash and add the neutral word after it: for example you can go with busybeedraws-designs. A little bit longer, but still pretty catchy and accurate, from a strategic and marketing point of view.

 

 

3 // Add “official” at the end of it

If you’re sure you’re going to attract a lot of people and maybe even a bunch of copycats, you can consider adding “official” at the end of your username. Then you’ll be sure that your potential followers know which account is the right one owned by you. Actually, it’s the solution commonly used by celebrities or gurus from different niches – but hey, who says it’s not suitable for beginners as well?

We don’t see any significant contradictions.

 

 

4 // Add initials or location

If your dream Instagram handle is relatively short, it may look really good with additional initials or your location. Adding your business location is also a good move from a strategic point of view – it may make your profile more searchable for local audiences. 

 

 

Deciding on a username is the crucial part of setting up your Instagram. If you have an idea you’ve kept in your mind for a long time, it’s a better choice to modify it a little bit and use its potential than to try to come up with a different one: because there’s a high risk, it won’t be as good as the first one. Play around with underscores, dashes, and neutral words, which don’t change the meaning of your username.

 

 

The result? Happy profile creator (you) and happier potential followers who appreciate the energy you put into building the profile you genuinely love (and to love it, you need to adore your username, simple logic!)

PS: We’ll be diving much deeper into the topics about getting started on Instagram (and doing it with well-crafted strategy), so stay tuned for lots of credible materials coming this way!