New Update Alert!
Instagram is making it easier for people to discover Black-owned businesses directly on Instagram. Businesses based in the US with Shops on Instagram will now be able to designate as Black-owned and display a “Black-owned” label. 

How to designate your business as Black-owned on Instagram

To begin, tap on “Edit Profile,” and select “Business Diversity Info” where you can learn more about what it means to designate your business as Black-owned. Tap “Get Started” and you will land on the “Diversity Info” page. Toggle on the “Show Black-owned business label” setting, which will enable a “Black-owned” label on your business profile and product pages.

Once you designate your business as Black-owned, it may also be highlighted in places like the Shop tab — helping more potential customers discover your business

It’s also important that businesses can safely express themselves on Instagram. Business accounts have full access to tools to protect from abuse, spam, inappropriate comments and offensive language.

Discover more Black-owned businesses

We’ve heard from our community that in addition to showing love to their favorite Black-owned businesses, they’re eager to discover more of them. If you are located in the US, you will see the “Black-owned” label on the profile and corresponding product pages of any eligible business that has self-designated. You can also explore curated collections created by @Shop in the Shop tab, highlighting a range of products from Black-owned businesses.

An example notification of Black-owned shop on Instagram.

Don’t yet have a business Account? Follow these instructions to Set Up a Business Account on Instagram

On Instagram, you can convert your personal profile to a business account to access features that can help you grow your business.

Note: you may only have 5 Instagram accounts at a time.

To switch your profile to a business account:

  1. Go to your profile and tap Menu in the upper right corner.
  2. Tap Settings.
    • For some accounts, the Switch to Professional Account option will be listed directly under Settings.
  3. Tap Account.
  4. Tap Switch to Professional Account.
  5. Tap Continue.
  6. Select a Category for your business and tap Done.
  7. Tap OK to confirm.
  8. Tap Business.
  9. Tap Next.
  10. Add Contact details and tap Next. Or tap Don’t use my contact info to skip this step.
  11. If you’d like, you can follow the steps to connect your business account to a Facebook Page associated with your business. This step is optional, and will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses across the Facebook family of apps. At this time, only one Facebook Page can be connected to your business account.
  12. Tap X on the top right corner to return to your profile.

With a business account, you’ll be able to access insights that can help you understand who is engaging with your business on Instagram. You also have access to the Professional Dashboard, where you can track your performance, access and discover professional tools, and explore educational information curated by Instagram.

You also have the option to display or hide your business category and contact information on your profile. After setting up, go to your profile and tap Edit Profile. Go to Profile Display under Public Business Information to choose whether you want to hide or display your category label and contact info. Then, tap Done.