Is It Better to Create a New Instagram Account for Your Business?

You did it! You started your business! 

Now, you’re probably wondering, “Should I create a new Instagram account for my business?”

On the one hand, a shiny new account feels like the better move. 

It’s more professional, more official – the most legit way to start your business off on the right foot.

Buuuut… you could also just start posting about your business in the account you already have. 👀 

That seems easier, and easier is better, right? But is it weird to go from talking about your personal life to talking about work?

Personally, here’s my opinion: 

I can already guess that that’s not exactly what you expected to hear. But stick with me here – starting entirely from scratch makes everything – growing, selling, gaining followers – that much harder. 

You DON’T need a separate account for your business. 

Now, let’s talk about why… 

My Top 3 Reasons Why You DON’T Need to Create a New Instagram for Your Business

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Okay, so WHY am I against creating a new Instagram for your business? Trust me, I’ve got real reasons. I’m not just saying this to be difficult for funsies. 

I encourage all of my clients to keep their personal account and just start posting business stuff. And there are 3 big reasons why. 

Once you hear them, I have a feeling you’ll be nodding along in agreement by the end. 

You Don’t Need to Create a New Instagram Account Just to Look Professional 

When you’re first getting serious about using Instagram for your business, your gut instinct is probably to hide behind a more “polished” version of yourself.

So, you:

• Use your cool new logo instead of your face as your profile picture
• Fill carousels with ultra-formal Canva graphics
• Talk or write using corporate language across your Reels, Stories, and captions. 

But as a service provider, your content works best when you show up as YOU. 

Your audience doesn’t want some corporate pro talking down to them. They don’t need an aesthetically pleasing background for every Reel or a colour-coordinated feed down your entire grid.

That’s because as service providers, you’ll be creating direct, personal relationships with each of your clients.

And none of them are out looking to hire a logo. 

They’re hiring the person they’ll actually get on a call with, work alongside, and hand their hard-earned money to. 

So don’t be afraid to simply start posting about your business on your personal account, and show off the human behind the business. 

Your First Clients Are Already in Your Network

One of my biggest reasons against creating a new Instagram for your business is because you lose your pre-existing network when you start fresh. 

When you’re first starting out, I truly believe that it’s so, SO important to lean on your network. 

Between your family, your friends, and your coworkers new and old, there are people in your network RIGHT NOW that need what you offer. 

You never know who could become your first client!

Back when I first started my social media business, it never crossed my mind to create a new Instagram account. I just started mentioning what I was doing and who I was helping, and my first retainer clients came out of the woodwork.

One was a teacher I’d had in college. He followed me, saw what I was doing, and ended up hiring me for another business he had. Another came from a past improv teammate who knew someone who owned a brewery needing social media help.

They all came from people who already knew, liked, and trusted me. If I had started a completely new account from scratch, none of them would have found me. I would have just been shouting into the void, crossing my fingers, and hoping that my ideal client would find me.  

Running Two Accounts is Double the Work

Now, let’s talk about TIME. 

Your personal account doesn’t disappear if you decide to create a new Instagram for business.

You’d still have both. That means anytime you want to post something, you’re stuck with an extra decision: Do you post on your personal account or your business one?

For example, let’s say you’re heading to a cool event to cover it for social media.

Your personal network would love seeing that. BUT it’s literally your business at work. 

Which account gets the post?

OR do you post about it twice, meaning DOUBLE the work? 

Making decisions like this is time you could be spending on income-generating activities to grow your business. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

My goal is to get you running your Instagram account in just 15 minutes a day. That becomes a lot harder when you’re running two accounts.

So keep your existing account and just start talking about your business instead of starting up a second Instagram page. Save yourself the headache of running two accounts and spend that time getting clients and bringing in money for your business instead. 

➡️ Ready to revamp your Instagram for your new business look? 

Start with giving your profile a refresh! Sign up for my 5-Minute Bio mini training to get my proven bio formula to help you get more followers, more engagement, and more instant leads. 

Starting from Zero is SUCH a Grind (Even the Head of Instagram Agrees)

Okay, so those are my reasons why I highly recommend against creating a new Instagram account for your business.

But let’s zoom out for a second because there’s a bigger, practical reason too. 

Even if some followers on your personal account aren’t your target audience or interested in your content, you’re still starting with something. Your account already has history. It’s already flagged your activity, your interests, your engagement, and kept a track record of all of it. 

A brand-new account has none of that. You’ll be basically starting your entire Instagram algorithm from scratch. It’s an uphill battle to build it all back up again to find a client.

Which means WORK – a lot of work.

The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, has said the same thing. 

In a Reel about pivoting your content and creating a new account, he said, “Generally speaking, it’s better to continue to use your existing one if you can.” 

He explained that continuing to use your existing account “allows you to maintain your follower base and actually allows us to understand a bit more of who’s interested in you, which will help you grow over time.”

Creating a new Instagram might feel like a necessary next step for your business. BUT a clean slate also means you’re starting completely from zero. 

And that often means a longer road before you see your first client. 

Is There Ever a Good Reason to Create a New Instagram Account for My Business?

Now, even though I have been ADAMANT about not creating a new Instagram account, I’m not going to tell you to never do it. 

Never say never, right? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Here are two reasons where it’s okay to start a new account:

1. You’re pivoting to something totally unrelated to you. 

If your new business requires a complete 180, you might be better off creating a new Instagram account. 

Even Mosseri says, “if it’s a really hard pivot, the content has nothing to do with what you were doing before… a brand-new account might make more sense.”

As a service provider – like a coach, consultant, or creative – YOU are the foundation of your business. But if you’re building a product brand like a clothing line or skincare label, the business exists separately from you. 

In that case, a dedicated account might make more sense. 

2. You want privacy for your personal life.
Do you share your family, relationship, or intimate moments of your life on your personal Instagram?

If so, and if you’re not comfortable sharing that with a business audience, that’s a totally valid reason for creating a new account.

Your comfort and your family’s privacy always come first. 

Just remember, if you are the face of your business (like most service providers are), your audience wants you. 

So, if you’re someone who only posts here and there or doesn’t mind mixing your personal and business life together, 100% keep your existing account.

What to Do INSTEAD of Creating a New Instagram Account

I’m sure you’re wondering, “So Jenna, if I’m not creating a new Instagram for business, what am I supposed to do instead?”

There are a few things you can do to smooth the transition from personal account to business account without going, “BAM! It’s all about my business now!”

Here are a few simple things Mosseri suggests:

• Post a Reel mentioning that you’re changing directions to give your followers a heads up. 
• Archive old content from your profile so the change is less confusing. 
• Use Trial Reels before you decide to fully pivot so you can see if there’s an audience for your new content. 

None of his suggestions requires completely starting over. It’s just a few small signals that bring your audience along for the ride. 

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How I Personally Made the Transition

When I started talking about my business, it was a slow transition. I didn’t come out swinging with sales pitches. There was no, “Hey! Hire me now and give me money!” moment.

Instead, I started by posting more behind-the-scenes content like, “Hey, I’m at this cool event because I’m covering it for social media. AND I’m getting free oysters in exchange for pictures.” 🙌🏻

Or sometimes it was more like, “Take a look at this fun workshop I taught! I spent the morning showing actors how to use social media!”  

I was still just sharing my life, but it started to slowly incorporate more of my new business projects. 

Eventually, my personal page became all about my business – complete with full marketing strategies and sales posts. That’s the whole point of using Instagram for business, after all!

But in the beginning, I kept it very lifestyle-centric to ease the transition.  

➡️ Wondering how to introduce your business to your current followers? 

I have a whole brand introduction template that you can follow for either your first business Reel or caption. You can find it towards the end of my Instagram for Beginners blog. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the difference between personal, business, and creator accounts on Instagram?

A personal account is your default Instagram account. It’s just for posting and connecting with family and friends and includes no professional or analytics tools. It’s also the only account type that you can set to private. 

Business and creator accounts are Instagram’s two types of professional accounts.

Business accounts are for companies or brands, and creator accounts are for influencers or public figures.

There’s not much of a difference between the two. Both have advanced tools for analytics, growth insights, managing your online presence, and interacting with your audience. But the major difference comes down to music access. Creator accounts have Instagram’s full music library, whereas business accounts are limited to music only for commercial use. 

For most service providers, business accounts are the way to go. 

2. Can I turn my personal Instagram into a business account instead of starting fresh?

Absolutely! You can switch from your personal account to a business account at any time. 

To swap account types, click on your profile and tap the three horizontal lines to get to the Settings and Activity menu on the top right. 

Then, scroll down to the Your Insights and Tools section, click “Account type and tools,” and select Switch to professional account. 

From there, Instagram will walk you through the steps of creating a professional account, including selecting from a Business or Creator account and choosing the category that best describes what you do.

When you’re done, you’ll have the same followers, the same content, and the same history, just with all of Instagram’s professional tools at your fingertips. 

3. Should I create a new Instagram account for content creation?

If you consider yourself more of a content creator than a business owner, my answer is even more firmly NO.

Even more than a business owner offering a traditional service, as a content creator, YOU are the brand. 

Everything from your personality to your perspective to your voice IS the brand. 

You’re essentially selling yourself so you can eventually get brand partnerships and collaborations down the line. That’s SO much easier to do with an account that already has a history and an existing audience. 

So, the same advice goes for content creators AND business owners: keep the account you have and let your existing audience grow with you as your content evolves. 

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Bottom line: Should you create a new Instagram account for your business? 

My final answer will always and forever be the same: no. You definitely don’t need one. 

Your personal account already has your warmest leads and your biggest cheerleaders built in. 

Creating a new Instagram wipes your history, your followers, and your algorithm completely blank. Starting from scratch means you’ll have to work twice as hard to build everything back up just to chase a “professional” look you don’t actually need.  

Instead, keep the account you have and slowly transition into talking about your business. You might even be surprised at who comes out of the woodwork to become your first clients. 

➡️ Ready to start landing clients from the account you already have?

Take my free Choose Your Own Adventure Training! In it, you’ll get advice specific to YOU and YOUR needs to start reeling in clients just from your Instagram alone.