I have heard about “a Finsta on Instagram” from my 16-year-old cousin. She had just taken a ridiculous selfie of her own and had declared it “Finsta-worthy”.
When I asked what she meant, she said a “Finsta” is a fake Instagram, or a “Finstagram” (shortened for cool factor, probably).
“But … Why should we need a fake Instagram account? Isn’t one enough?” I asked her.
She showed me her real Instagram account — a perfect, edited collage of good moments with high school friends, her prom date, and vacation photos with family.
“My real Instagram account is kinda fake — like only photos of my ‘best’ life,” My cousin said. “I utilize my Finsta to share humorous, inside jokes with my closest friends. My real Instagram has like, 400 followers. My fake one only has like, eight.”
As you probably already know, Instagram has often used as a chance to present an “ideal” life to your followers — even if that life is, in reality, a poor representation of reality. It is not the place to post embarrassing pictures, or unedited “I just woke up” selfies.
But Instagram’s mirage of great, well-filtered lives does not always lend itself to happiness. For example, one recent study found a correlation between the number of strangers you follow, and depressive symptoms including fearfulness, loneliness, or fatigue. Unfortunately, Instagram could lead users to feel their lives are not good enough, compared to everybody else’s (edited) ones.
Which is why Finsta’s may not be such a bad idea. Finally, a Finsta is an opportunity to share a goofier, less-edited version of yourself with a trustworthy group of friends — and for these friends to see less ‘perfect’ posts and more real ones.
Ironically, a “Fake Instagram” just may be a solution to feelings of inadequacy on the platform, as friends learn to share more honest stories about their lives — the great, and the bad. If you need to learn how to make a Finsta for yourself, keep reading.
What’s a Finsta on Instagram?
A Finsta is a shortened term for Fake Instagram, which is an Instagram account utilized by teens and young adults to doc more real, candid posts they share with only close friends.
Oftentimes, an Instagram account is used to curate a public college of edited pictures for upwards of lots of or thousands of followers. A Finsta is a private Instagram account only followed by 15-20 people by contrast. A Finsta permits users to post more funny, unedited snapshots of their daily lives, or share inside-joke moments with friends.
How to Make a Finsta on Instagram
Making a Finsta on Instagram is an easy process. But before you start including an additional account, you will want to brainstorm a unique username that does not utilize your real first or last name — moreover, you will want to ensure you do not use a real picture of yourself as your profile image. Keep in mind, your Finsta needs to be impossible to find unless you share the username with friends.
To create a Finsta on Instagram, follow these simple steps:
1. Go to your Instagram account, and click on the three-line icon in the prime right.
2. At the bottom of “Settings”, click on “Add Account”.
3. At the bottom of the next page, click on “Sign Up” to make your new account.
4. Next, input your phone number.
5. Click on Create New Account.
When you input your phone number, a box will pop-up to ask whether you’d like to log into the account you already have. Click on “Create New Account” to continue making your Finsta.
6. Next, add your username.
Keep in mind, you do not want to use your real first and last name here. Instead, think about developing with a clever username only good friends will know.
7. Do not link to outside accounts.
Skip the option to link your Finsta to your Fb account (which can make it simpler to link the Finsta to you). Add a profile image, then click on “Next”.
8. Begin posting.
Voila! Your Finsta is ready. You could now publish photos and videos, and invite your closest friends to follow you.
Finsta Examples
@RebekkaHarajuku
Did you know that celebrities create Finstas too? Last year, Bella Hadid made a Finsta on Instagram account for her blonde alter ego named Rebekka Harajuku. The Instagram was similar to a normal influencer account, but it featured Bella in disguise as the character she made.
@Camera_Duels
This Finsta, managed by Riverdale star Cole Sprouse is where he posts photos of people that take photos of him. While he isn’t chronicling his life as he does on his more traditional Instagram, this account still shows off his humorous side.
@Pammburglar
Pammburglar is the Finsta id of Pam Bump, a fellow HubSpot blogger. Because she loves fast-food, her Finsta name is a quirky mix of Pam and Hamburglar. On her Finsta, she posts pictures and videos of events she attends, food, and travel. Along with posting about daily happenings, she also shares plenty of selfies and humorous memes.
While her profile is private, you could scroll down to see a few Finsta image examples that she is allowed for this post.
Finsta Post Ideas
Because Finsta’s do not essentially need to follow rules — or social norms, you could express yourself with a variety of different posts. Here are two styles that are fairly common on Finstas.
Food Posts
When you may use your professional Instagram to show pictures or videos of your self networking, in the office, or talking about your company, you may need to share a lighter side of the day, like lunchtime, on your Finsta.
In the post below, @Pammburglar, noted in the example above, enjoys a ginormous turkey leg.
Throwback Posts
In this post, @Pammburglar reminisces on the time she was “rejected” like a Starbucks model back in 2014. In actuality, she was starring in a student produced film that took place at the coffee chain while in school.
Nostalgic throwback posts like these are both humorous and fascinating to people who have or have not known you in the past.
Finsta Names
To make sure random followers cannot find your Finsta, and to keep it private amongst close friends, you will need to make a fake name for your Finsta account.
A site named SpinXO gives a free tool that assists generate potential Finsta names based on your name or nickname, interests, hobbies, or other random words or numbers.
For example, without inputting any of my own info, SpinXO initially provided these random Finsta names:
- JavaPerfect
- ChellFalls
- KinGambit
- RadiantEnjoy
- VividGiggly
- SimpleEye
- Airbiosav
Alternatively, you may brainstorm a unique name for Finsta account by thining about inside jokes you share with your friends, or TV shows or movies only your best friends know you want. You will want to keep away from utilizing any abbreviation of your first or last name and try to be as obscure as possible.
As an example, if I were making a Finsta (which, trust me, I am not), I may call it “Buttercup”, the name of my cat (on second thought … lots of people have heard me talk about Buttercup. So, scratch that).