Best Instagram accounts to follow

How to spot an official account

So you think you’ve found an account for your favourite celebrity, or brand. How do you know it’s really them? Luckily, Instagram realised this was an issue, and they’ve made it easy to identify official accounts for celebrities and businesses. On Instagram, official accounts have a blue tick next to the Instagram name to show the account is verified. See how the little blue verified badge shows on the Instagram for Business official account bio below:

News & current affairs

Most of the news outlets have Instagram feeds, but interestingly, they’re not as popular as you might think. That’s probably because people prefer to get their news elsewhere – on official apps, or websites.These feeds all feature news and current affairs, but approach them with different perspectives,so find what works for you.

Because everyone is different, we’ve ranked these in order of how many followers they have, rather than our personal favourites.

Sports stars with great Instagram feeds

With so many sporting greats using Instagram too, we couldn’t possibly document them all. You’ll find your favourites, depending on your favourite sport or team. Whether you’re following them for inspiration or just because you love them doesn’t matter! We’ve taken a look at a cross-section of some of our favourites – from footballers to F1 stars.

Cristiano Ronaldo

@cristiano 176m followers

Not only is Cristiano Ronaldo one of the world’s most famous athletes, he’s also currently the most followed Instagram user. He’s got more followers than all our other sporting stars together! His feed mainly features images of him – either with his team, exercising or with his family.

Follow if: you’re impressed by footballers and incredibly toned male physique.

Daniel Ricciardo

@danielricciardo 2.3m followers

Although F1 fans will find most of the F1 teams and drivers worth following, Daniel is one of our favourites. His effervescent, happy-go-lucky personality absolutely shines through on Instagram. He regularly posts videos of himself working out, lip-syncing to tracks and posting behind the scenes at races. He’s also pretty honest, with reflective posts when things don’t work out as planned at the Grand Prix.

Follow if: you want a slice of humour alongside behind-the-scenes at F1 photos.

Serena Williams

@serenawilliams 11.3m followers

With tennis being her career, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume there’s lots of on-court action on Serena’s Instagram. But it’s not just tennis! Serena shares pictures of her family, modelling shots and front covers of magazines that she’s featured on. She’s also pretty reflective and honest, even posting when she’s had a bad day.

Follow if:Wimbledon is a must-attend event on your summer calendar.

David Beckham

@davidbeckham 57.5m followers

David Beckham might have retired from professional football in 2013, but he’ll always be an England star to us. His Instagram is full of insights into his current work.You’ll see promotional shotsfor Haig Club Whisky, Unicef, and announcements about his company. A clear family man, there’s plenty of pictures of his children,wife Victoria Beckham, and his Mum.

Follow if:Saturday evening doesn’t start until the full-time whistle blows.

Tiger Woods

@tigerwoods 1.9m followers

Tiger Woods feed is mostly made up of photos of himself, both on and off the golf course. There’s plenty to find though – information about his spinal surgery, promotions of different golf brands, and of course, Nike.

Follow if: you’re perfecting your swing and dream of the day you achieve a hole-in-one.

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill

@jessicaennishill 403k followers

Jessica Ennis-Hill won the 2012 Heptathlon, and continues to inspire women nationwide. Her Instagram feed is made up of posts about fitness, and her work on her Jennis brand and fitness app. You’ll see photos promoting magazines she has been featured in, as well as the odd shot of her family and dog.

Follow if: you’re looking for motivation to get in the gym, or you’re an aspiring athlete.

Chris Froome

@chrisfroome 963k followers

4-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome is a favourite in British cycling. His Instagram feed is full of inspiration to get on your bike – shots of him riding up mountains, training and so on. He’s also documented his recovery from his recent crash on his Instagram, so you get the highs and the lows.

Follow if: you dream of winning a yellow jersey, even as you pop to the shop on your bike.

Instagram feeds for companies

If you’re marketing your own business on Instagram, look to others who are doing Instagram well. We’ve picked some of our favourites – some that make us laugh, some with great photos, some using great user-generated tactics. We recommend following not just your competitors, but businesses that you hope to emulate someday.

Innocent

@innocent 103k followers

The team at Innocent, the brand of healthy drinks really excel when it comes to Instagram. They’re not just focused on directly marketing their products – recent posts included an official memo that it is more than halfway to Christmas, and comments on what your biscuit choice says about you. Innocent’s Instagram posts are funny, self-deprecating and they have excellent levels of engagement with their followers. One of our favourites – not just on Instagram, but on Facebook and Twitter too.

Follow if: you want to cultivate a brand voice with humour that is more than just sell, sell, sell.

Chipotle

@chipotle 677k followers

The bio says it all on US Mexican food brand Chipotle’s Instagram feed – delivering memes and burritos! Although If you’re looking to develop your own brand of humour on Instagram, this is another good one to spark inspiration. Their UK locations are limited to London so far. The @chipotleuk feed isn’t quite as hot as the US one, but still worth a look.

Follow if: you’re looking for inspiration to create memes about your brand.

Lululemon

@lululemon 2.9m followers

Lululemon sell athletic clothing, and rather than taking the overt marketing approach, they increase engagement by building a ‘community’ and providing inspiration. There’s a lot of positivity as they promote yoga, talk about workouts and so on. They promote their apparel by showing people enjoying their exercise (lots of smiley yoga poses!) while wearing Lululemon products. They’re also currently running ‘boobtruth Tuesdays’ – a campaign to talk about women’s bodies in a realistic way, without Photoshop. As a culturally diverse team, we applaud all efforts to recognise individuality.

Follow if: you’re trying to build a brand that people aspire to, or you’re aiming to be recognised as an expert in your field.

IKEA UK

@ikeauk 808k followers

If you’re selling affordable homewares, or thinking about decorating your house, following IKEA UK can provide plenty of inspiration. With so many styles and different sized rooms, there is something for everyone. (even if we all recognise our own homes aren’t this tidy normally!) There’s no hard sell on the IKEA UK feed – justbeautifully decorated rooms (and not even a hint of meatballs!).

Follow if: Swedish style is your thing, or you’re looking for ways to ‘finish’ your room’s aesthetic.

The Honest Company

@honest 952k followers

The Honest Company was set up by Jessica Alba, when she couldn’t find natural products that worked for her children. They have a list of over 3,000 chemicals they don’t use in their products, and aim to be as eco-friendly as possible. Since launching, the company has moved into beauty products, vitamins and cleaning products. Their Instagram is packed with pictures of beautiful babies and reassuring quotes about the reality of parenthood. It’s a great example of lifestyle marketing, quotes and reassurance for parents.

Follow if: you’re a new parent, or you adore photos of babies.

Levi’s

@levis 6.5m followers

Originally launched in 1853, Levi Strauss & Co have been worn by people worldwide for years. Whether dressed up or dressed down, jeans are a constant in fashion. Because of this, people invest in good quality denim, with Levi’s being the unspoken standard to measure by. The Levi’s Instagram feed is people from all walks of life showcasing childrenswear as well as adult denim.

Follow if: you can’t get enough denim in your wardrobe.

GoPro

@gopro 15.9m followers

Marketing themselves as ‘the world’s most versatile camera’, the GoPro feed is full of stunning user-created content. We’re sure that for every great photo on the GoPro feed, there’s thousands that are terrible – but that’s the fun of photography! With high-octane, crystal-clear shots, we’re inspired to get ourselves outdoors and have a go – which is exactly the desired effect.

Follow if: You’re looking for a great example of how to do user-created content well.

Lego

@lego 4.3m followers

Everything is awesome… of course it is! Lego as we know it might have been a family favourite since 1947, but there’s no stopping the popularity of Lego, with both kids and parents alike. There’s lots of marketing shots on this feed, but there’s also loads of just plain cool ideas. (tree house, or replica of Apollo 11 perhaps?) With Disney movie Lego collaborations, there’s huge amounts of inspiration to be found here.

Follow if: you’ve got kids that need encouragement to build, or you haven’t grown out of Lego yet. (don’t worry, neither have we!)

Royal Instagram accounts

Although royal families traditionally distanced themselves from their public, the royal family of today use social media wisely. They use their following list to ‘shine a spotlight’ on causes while providing much-desired photos for their adoring public.

Kensington Palace

@kensingtonroyal 9.7m followers

Run by the palace rather than Prince William and Catherine themselves, there are official photos of the events they attend. That said, photos that make it to the Kensington Royal feed that are of the Duke and Duchess’ children were taken by Catherine, who is known to be a keen photographer.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

@sussexroyal 9.2m followers

When launched, Prince Harry and Meghan announced they would be sharing photos about their work, and use the channel to ‘shine a light on key issues’. They have released official photos, shots from the Invictus Games and announced the birth of their son on their feed. Each month, they have changed their ‘following’ list, to encourage their followers to find out more.

Princess Eugenie

@princesseugenie 1m followers

As with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Princess Eugenie launched her Instagram account in order to help document her charity work. Her account was launched shortly before her engagement to Jack Brooksbank, and shots from their wedding can be found on her Story Highlights.

We’ve talked about UK royals here, but if you’re a fan of international royalty, take a look at @prinsparet (Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden), @olympiaGreece (Princess Olympia of Greece) and @tmski (Prince Mateen of Brunei). If you’re looking for adorable royal children, check out @hshprincesscharlene – the account for the Palace of Monaco.

Instagram accounts to inspire you to travel

We can’t all take the trips we want to take each year, but we can definitely all dream about them! There are thousands of travel accounts on Instagram, and the type of travel you prefer will influence who you follow. We’ve listed some of the most beautiful feeds here, rather than looking at individual travel influencers and backpacker diaries.

National Geographic Travel

@Natgeotravel 32.5m followers

Featuring stunningly beautiful photos from around the world, the National Geographic Travel feed is everything you imagine it to be. There are unimaginable photos from places that it’s hard to imagine are even Earth. Alongside, there are stunning shots that you might expect – sunsets, deserts, cities and beaches. From shots of people paddle boarding in glacier lakes to elephants in Tanzania, keep scrolling for serious amounts of wanderlust.

Follow if: you’re dreaming big and planning the trip of a lifetime.

Lonely Planet

@lonelyplanet 2.3m followers

The Lonely Planet guides have been helping tourists see the world since 1972. Their feed features plenty of regrams, providing plenty of inspiration to add to your travel bucket list. The photos that get featured are full of colour, with waterfalls, beaches, greenery and fantastic cities. Interested in a specific area of the world? Check their Story highights to find posts that are tailored by continent. You’ll also find tips for travel, including how to handle delays, solo travel and how to meet people.

Follow if: you’re looking for places it would be achievable to see, including plenty of shots from European destinations.

Arc’teryx

@arcteryx 693k followers

Arc’teryx is a Canadian outdoor clothing company. If you’re into climbing, mountains and snow, this is a great account to follow! Their feed is full of breath-taking shots – halfway up a crag, or in the mountains – with little emphasis on sales. Their Story highlights are divided nicely so you can see the exact type of shots you’re looking for.

Follow if: mountains and rock-climbing are the reason you get out of bed in the morning.

Daniel Kordan

@danielkordan 1.1m followers

Daniel’s feed is full of stunning landscapes that we can only dream about when stuck in the office! As a photographer, he’s an ambassador for brands including Nikon. For those of us who adore the geeky technical information about the shot, this account is fantastic.

Follow if: stunningly gorgeous, ‘that can’t possibly be real’ shots are your thing.

From Where I Drone

@fromwhereidrone 233k followers

Illustrating how drones can get images the likes of which most of us never will! The From Where I Drone feed is full of phenomenal images taken by drone photographers. Offering unique perspectives on incredible locations worldwide, this account is not just inspiring us to buy a drone… but a plane ticket too!

Follow if: you don’t just like to see places from ground level.

Expedia

@expedia 251k followers

Wondering where to head off to next? Aren’t we all?! Expedia’s feed is a good one – filled with bright colours of beautiful places shot in excellent weather.

Follow if: you want to take a trip but don’t have any particular destination in mind. Maybe you’re going travelling and want to create your itinerary, or you’re simply building your bucket list.

Instagram accounts with high fashion

Visual platforms like Instagram are perfectly suited to the world of art and fashion. It’s ideal for those who are trying to make it, as well as long-standing companies who already have. We’ve not dived into the world of fashion influencers too much here, as there are too many to choose from. With literally millions of accounts documenting #ootd (outfit of the day), we’ll let you take your pick! We’ve mentioned three major companies that simply cannot be ignored, and three fashion influencers/celebrities renowned for their fashion choices.

Christian Louboutin

@louboutinworld 12.6m followers

After an apprenticeship with Roger Vivier in the 1980s, Christian Louboutin built his company from the early ‘90s. Today, it sells over 600,000 pairs of shoes each year, and is the most searched-for shoe brand online. Famously painting the soles of his shoes red, you get what you’d expect on the Louboutinworld feed. Gorgeous shoes and accessories grace the feed, with flamboyant use of colour – and of course, those desirable red soles.

Follow if: high fashion and accessories are your thing – men AND women.

Chanel

@chanelofficial 35.8m followers

We don’t need to introduce Chanel, do we? Some argue Chanel is the most prestigious high-fashion brand since Coco launched her business in the 1930s.The @chanelofficial Instagram feed is full of beautifully photographed shots of impeccably tailored dresses, accessories and details. If you love fashion, or you are in the business of fashion, you need to be following Chanel.

Follow if: owning a classic Chanel handbag is a dream and would complete your wardrobe perfectly.

Vogue Magazine

voguemagazine 24m followers

Even those of us with minimal fashion knowledge understand why Vogue is so important to the industry. If Vogue says it’s a trend, it’s a trend. The Vogue magazine feed is curated by the American Vogue team, and doesn’t just stick to one aesthetic, as you might expect. It’s a mixture of colour and inspiration that followers can pull inspiration from.

Follow if: you believe fashion has no boundaries.

Chiara Ferragni

17m followers

Starting her fashion blog in October 2009, Chiara’s blog ‘The Blonde Salad’ became one of the most influential fashion blogs. Her success in business even led to the Harvard Business School using the model as a case study in 2015. Her Instagram feed features pictures of herself wearing her own fashion line, and other brands. You’ll also see shots of her family – her husband, Italian rapper and producer Fedez, and their son.

Follow if: you need a great example of how being an influencer can be a real career choice!

Alexa Chung

3.3m followers

Alexa Chung is a darling of the high fashion world, regularly photographed on the ‘frow’ (front row) at fashion shows. As a model, she worked with Vivienne Westwood, DKNY and Stella McCartney. Her experience led to her own fashion label Alexachung, launched in 2016. Alexa’s feed features arty shots – think evening dresses paired with men’s tuxedo jackets, close-ups of minimalist makeup and Barbour jackets.

Follow if: your style isn’t quite like everyone else’s, and neither would you want it to be.

Olivia Palermo

6.1m followers

Olivia first came into the public eye on MTV’s show The City in 2008. During the show, she worked for Diane von Furstenberg, and Elle magazine. She later went on to work with brands such as Aspinal of London, Baublebar and Nordstrom. She’s currently promoting a collaboration with the Karl Lagerfeld brand, bringing plenty of Chanel-type influence on her feed. (Karl Lagerfeld revitalised the Chanel brand in the 1980s and was still creative director when he died in February 2019)

Follow if: you’re looking for attainable street style inspiration with a hint of high fashion.

Instagram accounts with the cutest animals

Animals contribute to many of our lives, in many different ways. Whether you want to see more pets just like yours (but yours will always be cutest) or you can’t have a pet yet, it doesn’t matter!Seeing animals on your Instagram feed can brighten up your day. There are countless accounts dedicated to different domestic pets. If furry friends aren’t your thing, you can find plenty of exotic pets and wild animals on Instagram too.

Loki the Wolfdog

@loki 2m followers

Loki is a husky/artic wolf/malamute mix and loves to be outdoors, exploring the US and Canada by truck. Loki’s human (and driver) Kelly manages to capture some incredibly beautiful shots, with great choices of filter. Loki’s pal Bailey is frequently featured, and they aim to inspire dog owners to bring their four-legged friends on trips.

Follow if: seeing huskies in the great outdoors make you melt.

BarkBox

@barkbox 1.5m followers

BarkBox is the monthly subscription service for dogs, and the BarkBox Instagram feed is full of adorable dogs. Some are funny, some full of joy and others just plain cute. Pups of all ages are welcome here, and the majority of the feed is made up of user-generated content. If you’re a dog person, we highly recommend following BarkBox.

Follow if: it doesn’t matter what the dog is, you just love dogs.

Cole and Marmalade

@coleandmarmalade 602k followers

Cole and Marmalade are a pair of cats who live together in perfect harmony. One black, one ginger, Cole and Marmalade’s feed is a delight for cat lovers. There’s not much else to say here!

Follow if: your preferred 4-legged friends are of the feline variety.

Jiffpom

@jiffpom 9.2m followers

If you’re into cutesy dogs, Jiffpom is a perfect account to follow! He’s so perfect looking that he could almost be fake. (in fact, if it wasn’t for the videos, we still might not be convinced!) He’s a hit worldwide, and even celebrities like Ariana Grande have popped up on his feed. His humans are making the most of his cuteness too, with Jiffpom collectable plushies being sold via @jiffpomcutelife.

Follow if: you like your pets looking perfectly groomed and sugary sweet. This is one pup we don’t imagine gets out on muddy walks very often.

Pumpkin The Raccoon

@pumpkintheraccoon 1.4m followers

A raccoon might not be the pet of choice for most of us, but Pumpkin’s Instagram feed is adorable. She’s a rescued Bahamian raccoon who lives with canine pals Toffee and Oreo, who also feature heavily in her feed. You’ll see shots of Pumpkin trying new foods, as well her with incredible beach backgrounds.

Follow if: you think any animals can be a pet, given the right circumstances!

Jill The Squirrel

@this_girl_is_a_squirrel 612k followers

Rescued after Hurricane Isaac, 6-year-old Jill’s feed is full of videos of her snacking, and adorable pictures of her napping. Although many might regard squirrels as pests, Jill’s family think that this is definitely one that isn’t!

Follow if: tiny rodents and adorable amounts of fluff appeal to you.

Why use Instagram for your business?

There are many reasons to use Instagram. It’s a wonderfully visual platform, and captions allow for reflective insights into the photo. People use Instagram to document their lives, projects they’re working on, or simply to amuse themselves and others.For businesses, Instagram is an ideal platform to showcase your products, services and your company ethos. Followers can start to feel personally connected with you, increasing the chance that they’ll choose to buy from you again. Not only that, every time they like your post, the chances of the post reaching the Explore page increase. That means more brand awareness, more followers and more sales. Not a bad return for the price of a few pictures, is it?

How to get your Instagram account verified

If you’re a business owner and you want your Instagram account verified, it’s easy to do. It’s a good idea too, especially if you have copycats or fake accounts trying to replicate your success. There’s a few things your account needs before Instagram will consider verifying it though. Obviously, you’ll need to follow the Instagram Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. If you’ve broken the rules, you’re unlikely to get verified.

Requirements for verification:

Your account should be authentic – it needs to represent a real person, business or entity.
Your account needs to be unique – only one account per person or business may be verified. Instagram might consider exceptions for language-specific accounts.
Your account needs to be public, and your profile needs to be complete with at least one post. You can’t have ‘add me’ links to other social media services on your profile.
Your account needs to be notable – so, you’ll need to be a well-known, highly searched person, brand or entity.

Don’t think you can get away with telling fibs to get your account verified either. If the information you provide is found to be untrue, you risk losing your verification badge AND your account. Not a wise move when you’ve been working hard to grow your followers!

If you meet the requirements as detailed above, here’s how to apply for verification!

You’ll need to full out some information, and attach a photo ID – so, a passport, driving license etc – and Instagram will respond to your request. If you’re not eligible for verification yet, keep adding new followers and can try again in 30 days.

How to create an Instagram feed worth following

Perfect your profile
Your Instagram username should be the same as elsewhere, with all the right information in your profile. Your profile picture should be your brand logo, your bio should read well, and you should link to your website.

Post regularly
It doesn’t need to be multiple times daily – or even daily, for that matter. Too much content is overwhelming, and will lead to unfollows. Check back to your target customer, and post at times they’re likely to be scrolling their feed. You might not end up at the top every time, but most of the time is better than none.

Write compelling captions
Whether you copy a phrase or add a stream of consciousness to posts, make the most of those 2200 characters. Reveal more about yourself and your business on your posts. Commenting on your pictures helps to give more depth to the post, even that’s just a single emoji. Use calls to action and relevant hashtags to make sure your post reaches more people.

Add Stories
Adding Stories to your feed – single images or short video clips – can increase engagement with your followers. Your Stories can be less formal, more insightful and increase the amount of love followers have for you. Over 400 million people watch Instagram Stories every day! If you get it right, your Story should be authentic while remaining true to your brand. They don’t have to be perfect – so don’t worry if the camera isn’t quite straight or you drop your phone. Laugh on your next clip and carry on.

You can even improve the way your Stories look using templates – so use them to make your Story more on-brand. If the Instagram templates don’t suit your brand, head to Canva or Photoshop. And if you have a particularly great bit of content – an FAQ perhaps – save it to your Story Highlights. This can help new followers understand your brand.

Appealing aesthetic
You might notice on some of the feeds we’ve looked at, all the posts have a similar ‘feel’ to them. If you Google ‘Instagram aesthetic’, you’ll find thousands of bits of advice about how to achieve a great aesthetic. Basically, it’s not just about curating great images, it’s also keeping it on-brand. You can use filters to achieve this, or presets to control colours.

Use Hashtags
You can use up to 30 hashtags on each post, and they can help draw more viewers to your feed. The key with hashtags is to keep it relevant. Yes, your post might feature #love, but as we write, there are 1,645,815,919 posts on Instagram with that hashtag. With that many posts, using that hashtag means that your post simply fades into the noise.Searching #icecreamlove, for example, only has 175,107 posts. So, if you’re posting a shot of your Solero on the beach, use the #icecreamlove hashtag. It means more people who are searching for that will see your post.

We’ve used the ice cream example here because we’re writing after the hottest day of the year so far. However, you can see how this translates to business. If you’re selling niche products, using hashtags can mean more people searching for those items will find you. When they find your posts, they’re more likely to follow you, and eventually, buy from you.