Should You Invest in Paid Social Media Verification? It Depends...

In February 2023, Meta tested out “Meta Verified,” a paid subscription service allowing users to have their accounts verified on both Instagram and Facebook. Meta Verified follows in the footsteps of Twitter’s “Twitter Blue,” the first paid social media verification subscription. In November 2022, when Twitter launched “Twitter Blue,” the announcement received criticism from the once ad-supported social media platform. However, now that three of the most popular social media platforms are offering paid verification, it’s becoming clear that paid verifications are here — and here to stay. This, of course, prompts the question: should I invest in these verification subscriptions?

Well, that depends on who you are. If you are someone who has an existing personal brand, or wants to build one, then the answer is 100% yes, for reasons that we’ll get into later in this article. 

Before we do that, though, it’s worth establishing whether you have a personal brand in the first place. A personal brand is your collective and intentional efforts that help shape how you want others to see you and increase your visibility to others. If you aren’t sure if you have one, try asking yourself:

• Am I an important “face” at my company (founder, C-suite executive, etc.)?

• Do I use social media to network with industry professionals?

• Does the majority of my audience not know me in real life?

• Am I, or do I want to become, an industry thought leader?

• Do  I talk about my work or business on social media?

• Do I use social media to earn or share PR?

If you answered “no” to all of these questions, you probably use social media for fun, or to stay connected with friends and family, so feel free to put your wallet away—odds are, paid verification isn’t worth investing in for you. 

However, if you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, then yes, you have a personal brand.

For those who have a personal brand, or those who want to build a personal brand, there are several reasons why investing in social media verification is a good idea. Here are the biggest reasons:

Makes It Easy for Your Audience

For many personal brands, a large part of how you connect with your audience daily is your social media presence. Social media is critical for connecting with and building relationships with your network. That’s why you want to ensure that your social media is as straightforward and easy to navigate as possible for your audience. You don’t want your readers second-guessing whether this is your actual account, having to sift through several profiles before finding yours, or being afraid to reply to a message you send them. That little blue checkmark can make your profile float to the top of searches and confirm to your audience that you are actually the one behind your accounts.

When it comes to building a presence online, you want to make it a no-brainer for your audience to know your profile belongs to you. If your audience has trouble finding you, or questions whether it’s really you behind your posts, there’s a risk that fewer people will connect with you and reply to your messages. You may also find yourself getting fewer followers, collaborations, DM responses, and PR opportunities.

When it comes to enhancing your brand, questions about your identity can be the enemy of engagement. Make it easy for your audience to find, follow, and reply to you. Get the blue checkmark.

Protects Your Account

Paid verification does more than just help you find an audience; it also helps you keep your account safe. Across social media platforms, there has been a rise in account hacking. In fact, nine out of 10 people know someone who has had their social media hacked. Without a verified account, a hacked user’s only option is to get support from the social media platforms’ help centers. However, after a hacker has already changed your email, phone number, and password, it can be hard to verify if your account is, in fact, yours. This leaves you and your account vulnerable to spam DMs sent to your followers, scam posts published on your profile, or, in some cases, blackmail.

With a verified account, your account is verified using a government-issued ID. In the event that your account is hacked, with paid verification, you can easily prove you are its rightful owner.

Protect your account. Protect your followers. Protect yourself. Get the blue checkmark.

Expands Your Reach

An undeniable benefit of paid social media verification is that it expands your reach. In April 2023, Twitter opened its algorithm to the public, explaining that the platform will give Twitter Blue users’ posts a reach: a 4x boost for in-network followers and a 2x boost for out-of-network users. A 2-4x boost for organic content on Twitter is significant, allowing you the chance to gain more engagement and followers.

While Meta, on the other hand, hasn’t made its algorithm public, it has stated, “Increased visibility may vary depending on a [Meta Verified] subscriber’s existing audience size and the topic of their posts. Subscribers with a smaller following may see a more noticeable impact on their reach since their audiences are smaller.” This statement hints that individuals with smaller personal brands on Instagram and Facebook could benefit from a larger reach, meaning the possibility for greater engagement rates and followers if they are subscribed to Meta’s verification plan.

The extended reach that comes with paid verification can be worth it for those who want to increase their social media presence. If you’re putting the time and energy into creating and posting content, do yourself a favor and make sure it’s seen by more people. Get the blue checkmark.

Helps You Stand Out

One of the initial criticisms of Twitter Blue was that, by being made more widely available, paid verification lost an element of exclusivity. However, while it’s true that verification subscriptions are open to a large demographic of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter users, most users are still not paying for these subscriptions. There are an estimated 400 thousand users signed up for Twitter Blue out of 450 million monthly active users. This means that less than .09% of users are paying for the service. It is speculated that Instagram and Facebook will also see the majority of their users opt out of paid verification. In Twitter's case, because there are so few users subscribed to this service, there is still an opportunity to stand out with a blue checkmark because the majority of users on the feed are still unverified, leading users to stop scrolling and read your content.

Stand out. Get the blue checkmark.

The Bottom Line

For most casual social media users, paying for a subscription verification likely isn’t a worthwhile investment. However, there’s no denying that this new feature is here to stay in the social media space — one that you can leverage to network, gain viewers, and boost engagement. Going forward, those who are building their personal brands can use paid verification to make it easy for their audience to find and engage with them, boost their content, and stand out on social media feeds.