Why Pay for Verification? The Pros and Cons of Social Media Verification Costs

The pursuit of the elusive verification badge has always been a significant milestone, symbolizing authenticity, popularity, and credibility in the digital sphere. Well, that was until Elon Musk came along and made it a possibility for the peasants, his words not mine, to buy themselves a verification badge.

In this blog post, we've delved into the nuanced advantages and drawbacks associated with paying for verification and how you can get one yourself.

1. What’s Paid Social Media Verification?
2. What Platforms Offer Social Media Paid Verification?
3. Who Can Get Verified?
4. How Can You Get Verified?
5. The Pros and Cons of Paid Verification.

What’s Paid Social Media Verification?

Paid social media verification is a service offered by certain social media platforms where users can pay a fee to have their accounts officially verified with a distinctive symbol, often a blue checkmark.

This verification badge is intended to confirm the authenticity and credibility of the account, distinguishing it from fake or impersonation accounts.

The introduction of paid verification services has sparked discussions about the monetization of features that were traditionally offered for free. It has also raised questions about the impact on the accessibility of verification, as some users may not be willing or able to pay for this status.

Authentication has conventionally relied on evidence of identity and prominence. Back in 2009, Twitter was the first to introduce the traditional verification process we all knew, and after the Musk takeover, it was also the first platform to try to profit from it.

The landscape of social verification underwent a significant shift with Twitter's introduction of a paid verification service in late 2022. Meta followed in early 2023.

What Platforms Offer Social Media Paid Verification?

As we mentioned, Both Twitter/X and Meta offer paid verification services. Other platforms are still on the fence, our wallets are thankful, although it’s a possibility that others may join.

Meta

Verification on Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, follows similar processes due to their shared ownership.

Subscribers to Meta Verified, the paid verification platform, receive various benefits beyond a simple account verification. The benefits include:

1. Verified Badge: Confirming the authenticity of the account through government ID authentication and a selfie video.

2. Protection from Impersonation: Monitoring for impersonators targeting users.

3. Customer Support: Access to real-person assistance for common account issues. This is a major plus for a platform not known for the best customer service.

4. Increased Visibility: Visibility in certain areas of the platform such as search, comments, and recommendations.

5. Exclusive Features.

Twitter/X

On the other hand, Twitter offers a comprehensive paid verification system through X Premium.

This includes multiple verification types like the Blue Checkmark for subscribers, a Gold Checkmark and Square Profile Picture for verified businesses, and a Grey Checkmark for governmental organizations…

With the check mark, you get some other pers, such as the ability to edit posts, fewer ads, longer character limits, text formatting options, and a dedicated section for top articles…. This subscription is also required for running advertisements on the platform.

Who Can Get Verified?

Well, the main point of making verification a paid service, besides the obvious monetary gains, of course, is that anyone can get verified.

Well, almost anyone.

For Meta, you will need to meet their requirements:

1. You need to be at least 18 years old.
2. You need to live in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and India.
3. You need to comply with Instagram's Terms of Use and Community Guidelines, as well as Facebook's Terms of Service and Community Standards.
4. Enable two-factor authentication for added security.

Some other requirements may differ depending on whether you are applying as a creator or a business.

To subscribe to X Premium, make sure to meet the following conditions:

1. You must have a display name and a profile photo.
2. Active use within the last 30 days is necessary for eligibility.
3. Your account must be linked to a confirmed phone number as a security measure.
4. Avoid recent changes to your profile photo, display name, or username, and ensure your account shows no signs of deceptive practices, platform manipulation, or spam.

Other than these requirements, you are good to go.

4. How Can You Get Verified?

To initiate the verification process on Meta and Twitter, follow these steps:

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

1. Navigate to Settings on your account.

2. Click Accounts Center then select Meta Verified. If you don’t see this option, your country is probably not yet eligible.

3. Click on the account you want to register with. Remember that the verification process for Instagram and Facebook must be completed separately.

4. Choose a payment method for monthly payments to subscribe to the Meta Verified service.

5. Provide ID verification by submitting a government-issued ID and a selfie video.

Twitter/X

1. Log in to your Twitter account and access the Profile menu.

2. Look for the X Premium button and select it to initiate the verification process.

3. Follow the in-app purchase and verification instructions presented to you.

4. Specify the payment frequency, choosing between annual or monthly payments.

5. Ensure your profile is fully completed, including a photo and display name and confirm a phone number.

5. The pros and cons of paid verification.

Paid verification comes with its pros and cons. This opportunity allows small creators and businesses to establish crucial credibility and authenticity, which is vital for personal branding and business growth.

This streamlined approach also provides a faster route compared to the potentially lengthy nature of free verification procedures.

And most importantly, verified accounts tend to enjoy improved visibility in various aspects of the platform, including search results, recommendations, and explore pages.

This increased prominence will help you reach a broader audience, potentially accelerating your follower growth. The verification badge also serves as a mark of authenticity, making users more likely to trust and engage with the content from verified accounts.

On the flip side, the primary challenge is the financial investment required, as the cost of verification services varies across platforms and service levels.

Critics also argue that it may compromise the integrity of the verification process. Prioritizing financial resources over genuine credibility can lead to skepticism about the legitimacy of verified accounts, potentially undermining the trust users place in the verification system. And we are already witnessing this.

It's crucial to recognize that while verification provides credibility and visibility, it does not guarantee automatic success or growth on social media platforms.

Success still depends on factors such as the quality of content, active engagement with the audience, and the implementation of a well-thought-out social media strategy such as having a reliable social media management tool like Nuelink.

And, to build a successful online brand, you may want to go beyond verification, and into the realm of authenticity.