Nearly three-quarters (73.4 percent) of Instagram accounts with over one million followers also have a blue “verified” badge. The same is true for less than one percent of accounts with 1 - 5,000 followers.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to nab that coveted blue badge and join the ranks of high-profile celebrities and influencers, you’re in the right place. This guide will teach you how to get verified on all social media platforms.
What Does It Mean to Get Verified?
People who are “verified” on social media will have a blue checkmark next to their account name.
On social media platforms like Instagram, a blue checkmark tells app users that a public figure owns the account. In other words, it’s not a fan account or an imposter account.
Why Should You Get Verified?
Getting verified on social media offers many benefits - it’s not just about clout. Here are some specific reasons to strive to get verified status:
Prevent Impersonations
The presence of a blue checkmark or another verified badge helps to prevent online impersonations.
The checkmark or badge lets social media followers know the person whose photos they’re looking at or posts they’re reading is who they say they are. They know they’re actually looking at a picture from Taylor Swift, not someone pretending to be her.
Even if you’re not as high-profile a celebrity as Swift, you can still benefit from being verified. It’ll reduce your chances of having your online identity stolen.
Gain Credibility
Having a checkmark or verified badge can also add credibility to your profile.
Because verification is associated with celebrities and public figures, being verified will encourage people to see you as a legitimate source of information or a trustworthy person.
These perceptions can encourage people to follow you on social media, visit your website, and check you out on other platforms.
Access Special Features
On some social media platforms, you can access special features when you’re verified. For example, if you’re verified on Instagram, the app lets you share links using the “swipe up” feature, even if you don’t have 10,000-plus followers.
Improve Search Rankings
Verified users are more likely to appear at the top of social media searches.
When you search for Taylor Swift on Facebook, for example, the first page that comes up is her official page, complete with a blue check to verify that the content on the page either comes from her or someone who represents her.
How to Get Verified on All Social Media Platforms?
The process of getting verified changes based on the specific platform you’re using. Below, you’ll find the exact steps you’ll need to take to be verified on all the major social media sites:
Instagram:
To get a blue checkmark on Instagram, you must send a request to the powers that be behind the platform. Here are the steps involved in that request:
- Start the request: Open Instagram, navigate to your profile, and tap on the three lines in the top-right corner. Select the “Settings” button and click on the “Request Verification” option.
- Add business details: Fill in essential business details, including your full name or trading name (as well as a photo ID or business documents), industry category and target audience, and support links that confirm your notability.
- Hit the “Submit” button: You’ll typically hear back from Instagram within 30 days to find out if you’ve been verified or not.
Facebook:
The process of getting verified on Facebook is similar to the one for Instagram (after all, they’re both owned by Meta). Facebook verification requires the following steps:
- Visit Facebook’s “Verify Your Page or Profile” page
- Fill out the form
- Include essential documents, such as a copy of your driver’s license, to verify your identity
- Include links to web pages or social media accounts that verify your notability
- Hit the “Send” button to submit the form
Twitter:
Currently, Twitter is the easiest social media platform to get verified.
Since it was purchased by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk in 2022, the app introduced a subscription service - called Twitter Blue - that provided a blue checkmark to users who subscribed to the platform.
Those who subscribe via the website pay $8 for this service, and those who subscribe via the iOS app pay $11 (to make up for Apple’s transaction fees).
Individuals can purchase this blue checkmark even if they’re not celebrities or public figures. However, there are still ways to distinguish yourself on Twitter.
For example, businesses can apply for a gold checkmark, and government entities and other organizations can apply for a grey checkmark.
Twitter’s approach to profile verification has changed dramatically over the last few months, and it’s likely to continue evolving as the company gains its bearings under new leadership. Currently, to get verified, your account must meet the following criteria:
- Be complete (Have a display name and profile photo)
- Be active (in the past 30 days)
- Be older than 90 days and have a confirmed phone number
- Be non-deceptive (no recent profile photo, display name, or username changes)
Twitter will also verify that your account has no signs of misleading or deceptive behavior or signs that you’ve engaged in spam or platform manipulation.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn offers one of the most straightforward verification processes. To get the platform’s “verified” badge, you’ll need to take the following steps:
- Request verification through the LinkedIn Lookup app
- Wait for a four-digit code to arrive in your business email inbox
- Enter this code in the LinkedIn Lookup app
- After doing this, you’ll receive a blue tick next to your name
You can also legitimate yourself on LinkedIn using other strategies. For example, you can pay for a premium membership to add a gold Linkedin logo to your profile.
YouTube:
Your channel must have at least 100,000 subscribers to be eligible for verification on YouTube. You must also meet these criteria:
- Be authentic: Your channel should represent the creator, brand, or entity it claims to represent (you may have to provide documentation to back this up).
- Be public: Your channel should be available for public viewing.
- Be complete: Your channel must have a channel banner, description, and profile picture.
- Be active: Your channel should also have content and be active.
If you can check (no pun intended) all these boxes, you can apply to get verified on YouTube.
Visit the application page, complete the form, and wait a few weeks to hear back from YouTube. After you’ve been verified, you must also continue to abide by community guidelines. Otherwise, you may lose your verification.
TikTok:
Verified accounts on TikTok, like many of the other platforms on this list, receive a blue checkmark. To be verified, you must meet these criteria:
- Be active: You must have logged into your account in the past six months.
- Be authentic: Your account should represent a real person, business, or entity.
- Be complete: Your account must be public with a bio, name, photo, and at least one video.
- Be Notable: You should be featured in multiple news sources.
- Be secure: Have multi-factor authentication and a verified email.
If you check these boxes, you can take the following steps to apply for this check:
- Tap on your profile
- Tap on the “Menu” button
- Tap the “Settings and privacy” button
- Tap the “Manage account” then “Verification” option
- Apply for business or personal verification
- Submit your request and wait for a response
Like YouTube, TikTok may remove verification if you violate the app’s terms and conditions.
Snapchat:
Snapchat adds a yellow star next to your name after you become verified. To receive this star, your account should be authentic (meaning it represents a real person or business) and notable (meaning the general public is aware of it).
If you check these boxes, you can apply to have your account verified by doing the following:
- Log in to your account
- Tap the “Settings” gear in the top right corner of your profile
- Tap “Email”
- Tap the hyperlink that lets you re-request a verification email
- Go to your email inbox and complete the verification
If your profile is verified, your profile will automatically receive a yellow star. However, you won’t get a notification or email when this happens.
Pinterest:
Pinterest provides you with a red checkmark after you’ve verified your account. However, you must have a business account to qualify for this.
Once you’ve created a free business account, you can “claim” your website on your profile by adding and verifying your URL. After doing this, you can submit a request to have your Pinterest account reviewed.
Most people hear back from Pinterest within 24 hours, making it one of the most efficient platforms.
Get Verified on Social Media Today
Now that you know how to get a blue tick on social media, it’s time to make some changes to your profiles. Follow the steps discussed above so you can increase your credibility, gain more followers, and build your audience.
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