The whole idea behind social media networks is to make lasting connections with other users of the platform.
While many social media platforms started out as a simple way to connect with friends and family, just about every single one has expanded, offering opportunities for lead generation, relationship building, marketing, and conversion.
With so many possibilities that social media holds, it’s no surprise that people are eager to connect with others on the platforms, Instagram included. Instagram is one of the most popular networks available, and any reputable brand or business should have a solid Instagram presence.
The main goal is to have as many followers as you possibly can, thus connecting with users on Instagram is something that must be done, and done well. Expanding the range of people that you engage with and interact with can be an excellent way to generate interest around your account.
You can also take a look at competitors and other influencers in your niche to see what’s working for them, what you’d like to model, and how you can create some new strategies for your Instagram content creation and captioning.
Instagram makes it very easy to find your friends, family, and even users in your target audience if you know how to look. In this article, we’ll help you learn how to find an Instagram user.
How to Find Someone on Instagram
If you already know the person you want to find on Instagram and you haven’t previously connected before, Instagram makes it very easy to find them. After all, a great place to start when building your fan base is to get in contact with people you already know.
Follow these steps if you want to find someone on Instagram:
- Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right of the screen once on your profile page.
- Towards the bottom of the list, you’ll see an icon with a plus sign and a person that reads Discover People. Select that option.
- On the following screen you’ll see a list of suggested accounts for you. These accounts may be people you know, people you are friends with on other platforms, people who are in your contacts and are linked to a phone number, people who you may be interested in following, and people who are new to Instagram.
- While scrolling through the list, you’ll see a blue Follow button next to the username and how you may know them. If you want to follow them, you can tap that. If the account is private, you’ll be able to request that they accept you, but you’ll have to wait. Instagram will alert you that “you are now following username.”
If you already know the username or the person’s name, you can use the Instagram search feature to find that user:
- Tap the Search icon at the bottom of your screen.
- Type the username that you want to locate.
- As you type, a list of usernames will populate and you will hopefully see the one you’re looking for.
- Visit the profile and follow using the blue Follow button if you wish.
When you want to find popular influencers or other interesting accounts related to your niche or business, you can check the Explore page for popular and trending content, navigate to the poster’s Instagram account, and follow them.
You can also use hashtag searches and location searches to find new users that inspire you and that you want to follow. This is the best way to get more Instagram followers because you can engage with them and then they’ll be likely to follow back.
While this can be time-consuming, you can use an Instagram growth service like Growthoid to take over all that work for you so that you can focus on your content creation and reach more people in your ideal target audience.
Why Can’t I Find an Account I’m Looking for?
In some cases, you might run into difficulties while looking for an Instagram account that you want to find. There are a couple of reasons this might happen, including:
- The profile you’re looking for may have been deactivated or deleted on either a temporary or permanent basis.
- The user changed their username
- The name that you’re typing in isn’t linked to their account or their username is very different from their actual name
- The person whose account you’re searching for has blocked you. If this is the case, they won’t even appear in the search.
If you are becoming frustrated about not finding an Instagram account you’re looking for, here are a few things to help:
- Verify that you typed everything in correctly. If you’re using a name, make sure the name is correct and corresponds with the account. When using a username, confirm that everything is correctly written and that nothing is missing. Some usernames may use a 0 instead of an O, or they may have a double “y” at the end (example: emilyy). They may even be using punctuation (example: _hithere, hi.there.you, hi_there, etc.), and if they are, you have to have it just right so that you can accurately find the account.
- If you try to confirm that everything is correct and you still can’t find the account, you can try to use another device, or even a web browser, to try your search and see if you get better results.
Still Can’t Find an Instagram Account?
If you’ve done all of the following and you are still unable to locate the account you’re searching for, there may be a problem or glitch with the account itself.
Alternatively, it’s likely you’ve been blocked and can no longer access the account. You can look for the user on other social networks and kindly ask them why you’ve been blocked and to undo the action.
Reaching out on other social networks can also help you to find Instagram users whose username you can’t remember (or perhaps has special characters).
In some cases, things may still go unsuccessfully. If this happens, you can report the problem to Instagram, or you can uninstall and reinstall the app to see if this refreshes it enough to work again. Make sure to turn off your phone to reset it either before or after downloading the app.
Remember, making good use of the expansive Instagram community is great, and you should always be taking advantage of it. Let Growthoid do it for you if you want to focus your energy on producing great content, captions, and hashtags.
