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Guide to social media verification
The ins and outs of social media verification for every key platform
What you’ll need
Practice in the app
Craving that little blue tick on your social media channels? You’re not alone. Join us as we explore the ever-coveted social media verification status that sets your profile apart from the rest.
What is verification and why do people want it?
Social media verification is when a page or profile has been deemed authentic and is awarded verification to signify that the owner of the page is who they claim to be. This often means that businesses, public figures, or well-known creators are the first to be verified to make it easier for other users to find them on social media and to easily tell the difference between the page they seek versus an impersonator or fan page.
As a result, verification has quickly become something of a status symbol, with businesses as well as individuals craving verification status; verification can be a quick way to appear more prestigious, trustworthy, popular, and desirable.
How to get verified
In some cases, verification is awarded to pages and profiles without the owner needing to do anything. Social media moderators are responsible for reviewing profiles or pages and awarding verification where they see fit. This often happens to accounts who have built up a large enough audience for users to want to actively seek them out on the platform (note: their large audience doesn’t even have to be on this specific platform, or on social media at all). Historically, this is how verification has taken place across all social channels, yet nowadays many key social media channels allow you to either apply for social media verification, or purchase verification as a part of a subscription package, often with additional benefits.
How to get verified on Facebook
Verification on Facebook can be achieved by subscribing to Meta Verified. To subscribe to Meta verified you must:
Be at least 18 years old.
Have a public or private profile that's associated with your full name, aligns with naming standards and has a profile picture that includes your face.
Meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history.
Have a valid photo ID that matches your profile name and profile picture.
Have Two-factor authentication enabled on your profile.
Adhere to the Terms of Service and Community Standards.
You can subscribe to Meta Verified by heading to your “Settings” on your Facebook account > “Accounts Center” > and then “Meta Verified”. Follow the onscreen instructions to confirm your identity and set up payment.
How to get verified on X (previously "Twitter")
In the past, the blue checkmark of verification status on X (formerly “Twitter”) has been used to indicate that a profile is active, notable, and an authentic account of public interest.
However, the presence of this blue checkmark on an X account can now mean one of two things:
This account has an active subscription to the X Premium subscription service and has met the eligibility criteria
This account was previously verified under the legacy verification criteria (although accounts still need to meet the eligibility criteria to retain the checkmark long-term)
X has stated that it will no longer be accepting applications for blue tick verification status under the legacy verification criteria.
Blue checkmark eligibility criteria, however, is as follows:
Account must be actively subscribed to X Premium
Account must have a display name and profile photo
Account must be active in the past 30 days to subscribe to X Premium
Account must be older than 90 days upon subscription and have a confirmed phone number
Account must have no recent changes to profile photo, display name, or username (@handle)
Account must have no signs of being misleading or deceptive
Account must have no signs of engaging in platforms of manipulation and spam
If an X profile meets all of the blue checkmark eligibility criteria then a checkmark will be rewarded after the team at X have reviewed your profile.
It’s worth noting that the blue checkmark can be removed without notice if you:
Make any changes to your profile photo, display name, or username (@handle). The tick may be returned after a short period while the X team re-reviews if you are still meeting the eligibility criteria.
Violate the X Terms of Service, X Rules, manipulate any X processes, or circumvent any enforcement actions.
It’s worth noting that X Premium comes with many other benefits aside from a blue verification badge including but not limited to the ability to edit your posts, see approximately 50% fewer ads on the platform, write posts longer than 280 characters, and prioritized rankings in comments and search.
How to get verified on Instagram
As with Facebook, verification for your Instagram profile can be achieved by subscribing toMeta Verified . To subscribe to Meta verified you must:
Be at least 18 years old.
Have a public or private profile that's associated with your full name, aligns with naming standards and has a profile picture that includes your face.
Meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history.
Have a valid photo ID that matches your profile name and profile picture.
Have Two-factor authentication enabled on your profile.
Adhere to the Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.
You can subscribe to Meta Verified by heading to your profile and tapping the hamburger menu from the top right of your screen. Select “Settings and Privacy” > “Accounts Center” > “Meta Verified”. Follow the onscreen instructions to verify your identity and pay for your subscription.
How to get verified on LinkedIn
While verification on most social channels serves to highlight that you are a notable figure and recognize the authenticity of your account, LinkedIn verification is about confirming that you work where you claim to work. As a result, getting verified on LinkedIn is simply a matter of verifying your work email address.
The following steps cover how to verify your work email address within LinkedIn:
Head to your organization’s Page. Use the search bar to find your place of work and click “View Page.”
Click the “My Company” tab on the left-side navigation.
Click “Verify email address” and enter your work email here.
Select “Send code.”
You’ll find your verification code within your work email account – enter this code and then click “Confirm.” The code will expire after 15 minutes of receipt.
After you’ve verified your work email address in LinkedIn, you’ll be able to access content provided by your company’s Page Admin under the “My Company” tab (if applicable). You also may see a verification on your “About this profile” card if your company is on LinkedIn’s work email verification support list.
How to get verified on Pinterest
Pinterest verification can be achieved through the Verified Merchant Program (VMP) designed to help consumers on Pinterest to discover and buy from vetted merchants. This form of verification is available for Business profiles only. Joining the Verified Merchant Program will earn you a blue checkmark on your profile and Pins, but also grant you eligibility for distribution of your products within Pinterest shopping experiences, eligibility for exclusive features like merchant details, and price and availability information on all of your product Pins.
To be eligible for the Verified Merchant Program you must ensure that:
Your Pinterest account is at least three months old.
Your business’s website was created at least 13 months ago.
Your Pinterest profile has a profile picture, and a completed “About” section.
Your products and website must meet Pinterest’s Merchant guidelines.
For entry to the Verified Merchant Program you must:
Connect your Catalog to get all of your products on Pinterest. You can do this yourself, or using a third-party catalog manager.
Set up a conversion source to measure the impact that Pinterest has on your business. You can do this by installing the Pinterest tag, using the Pinterest API for conversions, or uploading conversions files. To be eligible for the VMP, your conversion data must have sent the following within the last 30 days: At least one page visit event, at least one add to cart event, at least one checkout event, and checkout events have currency.
Once complete, you can apply to the Verified Merchant Program.
How to get verified on TikTok
Like other social channels, TikTok uses verification to confirm the legitimacy of the identity of the accounts you find on TikTok, making it easier to distinguish between real identities versus parody or fan accounts.
Account requirements for you to be considered by TikTok for verification include:
Active: You must have logged in within the past 6 months.
Authentic: Your account must represent a real person, business, or entity (your email domain must also represent your business).
Complete: Your account must be public and have a completed profile with a bio, name, profile photo, and at least one video.
Notable: Accounts that are features in multiple news sources will be reviewed. Press releases and sponsored/paid media won’t be considered.
Secure: Your account must have multi-factor authentication with a verified email to ensure the authentic owner remains the authentic owner.
Users must also adhere to TikTok’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. Follower counts and engagement levels will not influence verification. Check out TikTok’s guidelines on verification for more information.
To apply for verification:
In the TikTok app, head to your profile.
Select the hamburger menu button at the top.
Select “Settings and privacy”
Select “Manage account” and then “Verification”
Follow the steps to submit a verification request.
Business Accounts can only apply for Business Verification while Personal Accounts can apply for Personal and Institutional Verifications. The option to verify your account is not yet available for everyone – if this option is not available to you, check back in a few weeks.
If you are lucky enough to receive verification from TikTok, it’s worth noting that TikTok may remove verification if:
The account is found to be in severe or repeated violation of the Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
The account was found to be transferred to another owner.
The username changed.
The account type changed (between business, personal, or institution).
How to get verified on YouTube
It is possible to apply for verification status on YouTube after your account has reached 100,000 subscribers. You will be unable to apply before this milestone has been reached.
YouTube’s verification process is designed to confirm the authenticity of creators, artists, companies, or public figures and won’t award any additional features to verified accounts.
YouTube’s verification eligibility criteria is as follows:
Authentic: Your channel must represent the real creator, brand, or entity that it claims to be. YouTube will check different factors to help verify your identity, such as the age of your channel. YouTube may also ask for more info or documentation.
Complete: Your channel must be public and have a channel banner, description, and profile picture. The channel also needs to have content and be active on YouTube.
YouTube also states that it may verify accounts independently that have less than 100,000 views if they are well-known outside of YouTube.
You risk having your verification status removed if you change your channel name or if YouTube’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service are violated.
If, for whatever reason you are unable to achieve verification status on your platform of choice – do not despair. Focus on what’s really important by creating high quality content, nurturing your online community, and allowing your social channels to grow. If verification is meant to be – the illustrious blue tick will come to you in time.
