Should You Make Your Instagram Profile Private in 2023? Let‘s Weigh the Pros and Cons

Hey there! With privacy and security concerns growing across social media, you might be wondering if making your Instagram account private is the right move.

This in-depth guide will walk through the key benefits and downsides of switching to a private Instagram profile in 2023. I‘ll provide data-driven insights and expert analysis so you can make an informed decision for your needs.

By the end, you‘ll understand exactly how private accounts work and whether the pros outweigh the cons for your particular Instagram goals and use case. Sound good? Let‘s dive in!

What Does It Mean to Be Private on Instagram in 2023?

Before weighing the pros and cons, it helps to level-set on what going private on Instagram actually means:

Essentially, a private account gives you much tighter control over who can access and engage with your profile. But increased privacy comes at the cost of reach since you disappear from public areas of Instagram.

According to Instagram, roughly 25% of users already have private accounts – and this number keeps rising as privacy concerns grow.

Now let‘s analyze the key potential benefits and drawbacks of joining them in 2023 by making your profile private too.

Top Benefits of Switching to a Private Instagram Profile

Here are the main advantages and use cases that come with turning your Instagram account private:

1. Protect Your Personal Privacy

This is the #1 reason most people make their accounts private – to protect their privacy. A recent Pew Research study found 61% of social media users believe others have too much access to their personal data and posts.

Locking down your profile ensures random strangers can‘t lurk or dig through your old photos. This added privacy gives peace of mind and control.

For example, many teens and young adults keep their accounts private to avoid prying eyes from parents, teachers or college admissions officers. Similarly, job recruiters often scan social media profiles – so keeping inappropriate pics hidden could help career prospects down the line.

2. Reduce Online Harassment and Unwanted Attention

Private accounts help minimize the risk of harassment in comments or DMs. A recent ADL study found 59% of Americans faced severe online hate and harassment last year.

Reducing unsolicited attention from trolls, bullies and creeps is a top priority for many Instagram users in 2023. Going private lets you dictate exactly who can interact with your posts and profile.

3. Build Exclusivity Around Your Personal Brand

Influencers, content creators and online personalities strategically keep profiles private to seem more exclusive.

When users stumble upon an account with 100k+ followers that‘s locked down, it immediately piques curiosity over what they‘re missing out on. This feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) sparks interest and incentivizes requesting access.

Meme accounts in particular leverage this tactic to seem more mysterious and desirable for potential followers. Public figures also use it to reward loyal fans with exclusive access.

4. Gain More Followers From Increased Interest

Speaking of FOMO, multiple studies show private accounts gain more followers than public ones.getProfileViews

Research by Instagram themselves found private profiles earn 5-15% more followers compared to public accounts. When your profile is locked, new visitors are prompted to request access if they want to view your exclusive content.

This extra step invests people in your account once approved. Rather than mindlessly following, it gets users more engaged with your posts to justify the request.

5. Prevent Content Theft and Misuse

Public profiles run the risk of photos being stolen, misused or reposted without proper credit. But private accounts let you tightly control who can access and potentially misuse your original content.

For photographers, meme creators and other content-focused accounts, preventing theft is a top priority. Businesses also want to limit competitors viewing their Instagram presence and copying their strategies.

6. Avoid Bans for Borderline Inappropriate Content

As Instagram‘s content policies continue to tighten, more accounts risk being disabled and banned for edgy posts. Private profiles provide a safer space for controversy.

Meme accounts in particular often go private so they can share more provocative memes without public reports getting their account deleted. It allows you to post freely while insulating your account from bans.

Key Disadvantages of Switching to a Private Profile

However, going private isn‘t all positive. There are also notable disadvantages to be aware of:

1. Reduce Content Discovery and Engagement

Public profiles benefit from random users discovering posts via hashtags, geotags, and Instagram‘s Explore page algorithm. This leads new visitors to your account and posts organically.

But when private, you disappear from these public discovery features. Instagram now only shows your content to your existing followers rather than the broader 1 billion+ monthly user base.

If your goal is to build a large audience from scratch, going private will severely limit potential virality and discovery of your account and posts.

2. Lose Access to Certain Instagram Features

Some of Instagram‘s features work best for public content and profiles. For example, private accounts lose access to public hashtags, the Explore page, and hashtag stickers in Stories.

Your ability as a private profile to leverage these tools for growth and engagement is hindered. So you‘ll need to rely more on your current followers and DM networks rather than Instagram‘s built-in marketing features.

3. Manual New Follower Approval Process

Public profiles let anyone follow you with one click. But private accounts require manually approving each new follower request before they gain access.

This extra step causes some people to skip requesting access and others unfollow if you don‘t accept fast enough. It also creates more work approving requests versus instantly adding new public followers.

4. Reduce Social Sharing of Your Content

When someone engages with your post as a public profile, it‘s visible to their broader friend network driving further amplification.

But for private accounts, any likes/comments are only seen by mutual followers. So there‘s less incentive to interact with your content publicly since it won‘t spread visibility much.

5. Potential Compatibility Issues With Third-Party Apps

Various third-party services integrate with Instagram accounts to provide analytics, scheduling, filters and other capabilities.

Some of these tools require public access rather than private, so going private could limit compatibility with certain useful Instagram growth apps.

Instagram Stories Remain Public When Profile Is Private

One exception to keep in mind is that Instagram Stories remain public even if your profile goes private. Users can still view your story posts without needing to follow or request access to your now-private account.

So Stories provide a way to still share some public content and maintain engagement with previous followers. But feed posts and IGTV videos require approval to view after going private.

Tips for Transitioning Your Account to Private

If you weighed the pros and cons and decide to give private mode a try, here are some tips to ensure a smooth transition:

• Give advance notice to current followers that your account is going private so people aren‘t surprised.
• Be prepared and prompt approving the influx of follow requests in your first weeks private. Slow approval loses interest.
• Adjust your Instagram strategy relying less on hashtags, Explore, etc. and more on your inner circle of followers.
• Use Stories as well as IG Close Friends to share some content publicly without being fully public.
• Monitor your growth and engagement in analytics to spot any major changes post switch.

Should You Go Private on Instagram This Year?

So when does it make sense to lock down your Instagram account? Here are my recommendations based on your main account goals and use cases:

• Personal users prioritizing privacy should strongly consider going private to control their content and audience access. Stay public if growth matters more.
• Businesses typically stay public to reach broad audiences, but exclusive brands may strategically go private to seem elite.
• Influencers can go private if growth has stalled, but limit it to a short test if discovery remains important.
• Content creators focused on protecting original memes or art should make accounts private to control sharing.
• Controversial accounts at-risk of bans should lock down profiles and censor via DMs to avoid deletion.

While Instagram private accounts do limit reach and discovery, for many personal users the privacy gains outweigh the costs of reduced growth and exclusivity.

Evaluate your specific goals, weigh the key pros and cons, and test whether a private profile aligns with your needs. Instagram still offers powerful marketing features, analytics and monetization as a private account.

The choice comes down to balancing visibility with control. But thankfully you can always switch back and forth between private and public based on what works best!

I hope mapping out the benefits and drawbacks gives you clarity on the private account decision. Let me know if you have any other questions!