Verified? The Scoop on INSTAGRAM and Twitter Blue Checkmarks
Why is everyone suddenly verified? Keep reading to find out…
It used to be a status symbol, but now everyone’s verified. You’re probably wondering why, and if it’s right for your business… well, you know the drill. Keep reading to find out.
WHAT IT USED TO BE
The blue checkmark used to tell people who the real deal was on both Twitter and Instagram. It was a way for social media users to verify that an account was actually their favorite brand or celebrity and not just another fake account that impersonated them. While its intended purpose was to protect both brands and personal accounts from impersonation, I think we can all agree it also represented a sort of “status symbol” since it was only given out to a select group of people, organizations and businesses at the time.
LET’S START WITH TWITTER
Well, recently Twitter’s new CEO: Elon Musk launched a monthly paid subscription to acquire the blue check mark. Which meant that it was no longer this exclusive thing but a subscription that pretty much anyone could get. Which resulted in absolute chaos, with fake accounts that were impersonating big brands and celebrities popping up everywhere (even Joe Biden was impersonated). Since then, Twitter has set in place certain rules to optimize their subscription in hopes of avoiding these fake accounts in the future!
Here’s a recap of some of the most important points regarding Twitter Verification…
Eligible for any account older than 30-days can purchase, that hasn’t had any recent profile photo, name & username changes,
Starts at $8 per month (approximately £6.50),
Benefits include being able to edit or undo a post within 30 minutes of posting, as well as being able to use more characters in posts.
NOW, META
Last month, Meta (including Instagram) and Facebook launched “Meta Verified”, which is essentially a monthly paid fee to acquire the blue check mark and the benefits that come with it. Just like Twitter. Here’s what Mark Zuckerberg said when announcing the new subscription feature:
“Meta Verified is rolling out in the US today, you can get a badge, proactive impersonation protection and direct access to customer support.”
Here’s a recap of some of the most important points regarding Meta Verification…
Only eligible for accounts that are “real people”, governments and registered businesses that are “authentic, unique, and notable”, according to Meta’s criteria,
Starts at $11.99 per month (approximately £9.65),
Benefits include higher reach, access to Meta’s customer service and removal of fake accounts impersonating you.
should you purchase it?
It’s entirely up to you! If you’re a bigger brand or creator, and the threat of impersonation is high + you can afford to pay - then we highly recommend it. But if you’re a smaller creator/ brand — this won’t make or break your success. The only perk the verification has on smaller brands & creators is that you get direct access to Meta’s customer support, and with accounts being lost, left right and centre, it can be helpful to get direct communication with them. All in all, it’s another way for big tech companies to make more money — so make sure you weigh out the pros and the cons for you!