If you’re serious about building your brand on Instagram, you know that one of the most important steps to attracting followers is to have a catchy, attractive, and above all, catchy username. The username sets the tone for your entire account and the community you want to build around it. Your username can be silly, weird, serious or angry – just like you. The right username will grab people’s attention and attract them. The perfect username will also pair nicely with your account and its content. So how do you come up with a catchy, cool, creative username that’s totally right for you?
Things to Consider Before You Begin
Before you start brainstorming a list of ideal nicknames, ask yourself a few key questions to make sure the name you choose is correct. A gram of planning can save you a ton of trouble.
- Am I honest with myself? Obviously, if you’re craving names, then you’re not planning on using your own. However, you can still stay true to yourself and the image you want to project by choosing a name that reflects you and your personality. If your name is completely outside the left field and doesn’t match the tone or content of your account, it will appear insincere and mislead potential followers. Nobody wants to look at GanjaGangsta420Killa’s thoughtful landscape collages.
- Is the name I chose offensive? You can avoid offending people by skipping a few well-known words. However, your name may be more subtly offensive if it unknowingly uses certain kinds of slang or conjures up certain kinds of images. Make sure you know what your name means before you make it official – Google it and head over to UrbanDictionary.com when you’re ready.
- Does my name reflect my feed? This is very similar to the first question. However, it guarantees its own bullet point. Obviously, if you call yourself “Colonel Catz,” you don’t have to just post pictures of cats. Don’t take it too literally. Instead, think about the emotion your name evokes and rate it against your feed. If your name is silly and weird, your feed should be silly and weird. Try to feel consistent.
- What do other people think about it? Move around among your friends and some strangers. Maybe you think your name sounds weird, but many people think it’s childish. It’s a good idea to test the name sanity by letting other people take a look at it before committing.
Remember that this is a decision that cannot be easily changed. The last thing you want is to build a solid following and then decide that the name isn’t quite right and you have to effectively start over with a new account.
Tips for Making an Unforgettable Name
Now that you know what to aim for, it’s time to consider the most important details of name creation. After all, we’re not all Shakespeare, and sometimes our creativity needs a little boost. Consider some of the following tips for making a singing name.
- Titles. Examples: Colonel, Queen, Sargent, Doctor, Professor, Sir.
- alliteration. Examples: Colonel Catz, Doctor DJ, Professor Puff.
- Be awkward (join unrelated words together). Examples: Flamboyant Brain Muffins, Undersea Dance Alert, Alien Tu-Tu.
- Sentences. Examples: I’m Got Sunshine, Let’s Run Away, welcome to (your name)ville.
- word games Examples: Latte Love (lots of love), Grand Theft Otter (Grand Theft Auto). Bonus points if you can make a pun with your name.
- References (tie in some pop culture). Examples: Like a Brick House (song title), The Great Catsby (a pun on a book), Here’s Johnny (movie line).
- Nouns and verbs together. Examples: Lemmings Run!, Racing Turtle, Big Kids Cry.
- Less but self! Examples: Madonna (well, this is already filmed, but you get the point).
Whichever you choose, try to make it easy to read. Names that are easier to read are easier to remember. You should also try combining some of the above principles to create names that are two or three times more unique.
- Splinter is Coming (uses a pun and two references).
- Captain Caruso (uses a title, alliteration, and reference).
- Slytherin Around Town (uses a pun, a sentence, and a reference).
- Jetson Jellyfish Unite (uses alliteration, randomness, reference and sentence).
Getting Around Unusable Names
If you thought of the perfect name but were disappointed to learn that someone else thought of it first, don’t worry. Here are a few tips for setting up your name to get it accepted by Instagram.
- Add a dot in the middle of the name.
- Add an underscore or hyphen between two or more words in the name.
- Slightly misspell a word in the name (try to do it in a way that feels intentional).
- Add numbers (preferably some that make sense and are just added to the name rather than making it look like they’re pasted).
When your name is finally finalized, it’s time to find the perfect profile picture to compliment it.
