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.
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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