What is a Verified account on Twitter? We’ve all gone for a real ride with Twitter verification over the last few years. Getting verified on Twitter — when someone has the blue check mark next to their profile — used to be how Twitter identified notable accounts, but it has since evolved and changed. It used to be that you needed to request verification on the social network; now, anybody with a Twitter Blue subscription ($11/month) and a verified phone number can be verified on Twitter.
In this post, we’ll give you a quick overview of the history of getting verified on Twitter, walk you through the steps to get verified on Twitter in 2023 and dig into whether or not it’s still worth pursuing verification at all.
What is a Verified account on Twitter?
Initially, the blue badge next to someone’s profile was described by Twitter as a way to authenticate identity and voice. Twitter’s verification process was open to anybody, and if they could prove their identity and noteworthiness, they might get that elusive blue check mark.
Over time, people assumed the verification meant that Twitter was endorsing a certain profile, which wasn’t the case.
In 2017, Twitter paused its verification program altogether while it sorted out how to improve it. This project got deprioritized until late 2020, when Twitter reopened the conversation about account verification. In 2021, they opened up applications for anyone to request Twitter verification regardless of follower count.
A year later, in late 2022, after Elon Musk acquired the social network, the company changed how they do verification entirely. Now, anyone can be verified on Twitter if they use the company’s subscription service, Twitter Blue, and verify their phone number. This new program hit some snags in the early days, with some users using the tool to impersonate public figures and other influential individuals on social media. Still, Twitter has seemingly ironed out some of the troubles with impersonation and fake accounts, and the public is now aware that the verification badge can be associated with any account (not only notable ones), so the check mark’s perception has changed.
In 2023, Twitter decided to remove verification from for those who were verified through Twitter’s legacy verification program. Meaning that only Twitter Blue accounts are verified going forward.
Next up, how do you actually get verified on Twitter?
Is it still worth it to get verified on Twitter?
Whether or not it is worth being verified or paying for Twitter Blue is up for much debate, and other social media platforms are getting in the mix with Meta announcing Meta Verified, their own subscription service for a verified badge on Instagram.
Ultimately, choosing to pay for that check mark is completely up to you.
On the one hand, being verified on Twitter has lost its special touch because anyone can have it, so it’s no longer as much of a big deal as it used to be (I called my sister when I was verified!). On the other hand, being verified on Twitter is still a way to make your profile distinct, verify yourself as a real person, and make it clear that you’re serious about engaging and creating content on Twitter.
For some, Twitter Blue might be worthwhile on its own for the features it provides. Twitter is constantly iterating on their subscription, but Twitter Blue subscribers can currently organize their bookmarks into categories and post longer videos, among other things.
Twitter has already announced that Twitter Blue subscribers will soon see 50 percent fewer ads and — this is the big one — have their tweets prioritized in Twitter’s algorithm. If Twitter is a key platform for your business or audience, then it could be worthwhile to subscribe to Twitter Blue to bolster your Twitter marketing efforts.
What a journey it has been to get verified on Twitter. What do you think will be Twitter’s next feature? Send us a tweet!
Who is Now Eligible for Twitter Verification?
Now that the legacy verification process mentioned above stopped accepting applications after November 9, 2022, the only way to become officially verified on Twitter with the blue checkmark displayed on your profile is to be an active subscriber to Twitter’s paid subscription service, Twitter Blue, AND meet Twitter’s eligibility criteria.
Let’s break this down.
Twitter Blue Post-Elon Musk
Elon Musk saw opportunity to further expand upon the Twitter Blue service, and when it re-launched on December 12, 2022, it became the first social network to accept money from anyone who wanted the blue checkmark.
But Twitter Blue is more than just that: Twitter calls it a premium subscription service that “elevates quality conversations on Twitter.” With that in mind, in addition to being able to obtain the blue checkmark as well as the previous legacy features mentioned above, Twitter Blue offers these new features, all for a current price of $8 to $11 per month in the United States, depending on the device that you own:
- Post up to 4,000 characters via tweet
- Upload videos up to 60 minutes long
- Edit a tweet within 30 minutes of publishing it
- Prioritized rankings in conversations, putting your replies on tweets at the top
- Custom navigation bar
- New Spaces Tab making it easier to access audio content
- Top Articles, a convenient shortcut to finding the most shared articles in your network
- NFT profile picture identifying you as the NFT owner (after crypto wallet connection)
- Two-factor authentication via SMS
These are the features that have already been added, so suffice to say you should check back on the official Twitter Blue page for the latest updated list if you were considering subscribing.
Twitter’s Gold and Gray Checkmarks for Verified Organizations
With legacy Twitter verification, there were 6 types of accounts that were considered notable, one of them being the category of companies, brands and non-profit organizations while another was governments. None of these are considered the types of private individuals that would sign up for Twitter Blue.
Corporate entities have an interest in preserving their image. For brands that are subsidiaries, both the brand voice itself and the corporation above them need to be protected. Likewise, non-profits need to ensure that unauthorized people don’t speak for them. For that reason, Twitter’s verifying corporate accounts is an important way to protect everyone’s interest.
Government actors can be national, regional, or local. This means that your mayor can get verified, and not just the governor or head of state. In addition, government accounts might be representatives of a particular agency, such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or Department of Defense (DOD).
With Twitter Blue, Twitter is trying to bring back an application process for these organizations to receive a verified checkmark in either gold (for business) or gray (for governments), as opposed to the Twitter Blue blue checkmark. This process seems similar to the legacy verification process that used to exist. Basically these two notable categories will be covered by these new colored checkmarks but they will need to re-apply to receive them.
Above is information about What is a Verified account on Twitter? What is this Twitter? that we have compiled. Hopefully, through the above content, you have a more detailed understanding of Verified account on Twitter. Thank you for reading our post.
