How to Get Verified on Twitter- Getting verified on Twitter has become a coveted status symbol reserved only for the platform’s most prominent and influential users. The blue checkmark badge next to your username signals that Twitter has confirmed you are who you say you are and that your account has public relevance.
With misinformation and fake accounts running rampant, Twitter has cracked down on its verification process. However, the requirements continue to evolve in order to verify genuinely impactful and interesting personalities.
As Twitter aims to combat credibility issues in 2024, qualifying for verification may become even more stringent. This comprehensive guide will equip you to position your profile to meet Twitter’s high standards and get that coveted blue check of authenticity.
Why Get Verified on Twitter?
Before diving into the verification process, let’s look at some of the key benefits:
Increased Visibility and Reach: The verification badge grabs people’s attention and lends you instant credibility. This translates into more profile views, followers, retweets, and overall visibility of your content.
Higher Profile Authority: The blue check mark signals you are the legitimate brand, business, or entity you claim to be. This prevents impersonation and builds trust.
Brand Partnerships Opportunities: Verified status makes you look far more attractive for sponsorships from brands seeking influencer partnerships.
Greater Account Security: Verified accounts get priority when recovering hacked or compromised accounts through Twitter support.
Ready to unlock these rewards? Let’s break down how to set your profile up for verification success below:
Verification Requirements for 2024
Twitter has not officially confirmed what the verification requirements for 2024 will be. However, based on their current guidelines, we can expect that verified accounts should demonstrate the following by the start of 2024:
1. Large, Engaged Follower Base
Gaining a sizable following signals strong public interest in your work. Most verified users today have at least 5,000 followers, although many have followings in the millions. Remember—higher is generally better when it comes to the numbers game for verification.
However, it’s not just about raw follower count. Your audience should actively engage with your content via likes, retweets, clicks, and replies. Strive for an engagement rate of at least 2-5% on your tweets.
2. Regular Posting Activity
Twitter wants to verify accounts that actively contribute valuable perspectives and commentary to the community.
Aim to tweet multiple times per day about relevant happenings in your field, share insights, or provide unique angles on trending topics. Posting both original commentary and retweeting relevant voices shows you are immersed in the conversation.
3. Multimedia Content
Tweets with images, GIFs and professional-looking videos tend to perform best in terms of driving clicks, reactions, and virality.
Prioritize regularly publishing multimedia content. Ensure photos and videos are high-quality and help bring your expertise to life visually for the Twitter audience. Consider leveraging data visualizations, simple infographics, or live streaming video.
4. Complete, Professional Profile
A polished profile establishes credibility at a glance so complete yours with:
- A profile photo clearly showing your face/expression (no graphics, logos)
- Your real name and birthday listed
- Your website URL and location information
- An SEO optimized header photo banner
- An informative bio clearly summarizing who you are and what you do
5. Notoriety and Public Recognition
Verified accounts tend to be publicly notable people and organizations. Twitter is looking for pre-established reputations and evidence you hold expertise or authority in your field.
Some symbolic milestones that help demonstrate your public influence:
- Features in major news/media publications
- Hundreds of thousands of website visitors per month
- Speaking engagements at high-profile industry conferences
- Previous guest appearances on popular podcasts, radio shows etc.
The more evidence of real-world fame and impact, the better your verification chances. Consider compiling press clippings and appearance references to include in your application.
How to Submit Your Verification Request
Once your account meets the above public interest and authenticity criteria, navigate to your Twitter settings.
- Click on the “Account Information” tab and scroll down to find the option to “Request Verification”.
- Twitter will ask you to summarize details about what makes both your account and your work broadly noteworthy. Be as specific as possible about relevant accomplishments and provide context around your occupation, brand, or organization.
- Additionally, you may need to furnish supplementary materials like official websites, press links, government IDs or other evidence to corroborate who you claim to be.
And then comes the waiting game! Twitter admins will thoroughly review profiles in the order received and issue verification decisions generally within a month.
Don’t get discouraged if your request gets initially rejected. Use any feedback to continue strengthening your Twitter presence. Then in early 2024, apply again highlighting your newest achievements.
By sticking to these best practices and persistence, your chances of unlocking that coveted blue verification badge will be strong. Good luck!
The History of the Twitter Blue Checkmark
Here is a detailed outline on the history of the Twitter blue checkmark verification process:
The Birth of the Blue Checkmark
The iconic blue verification badge was first introduced in June 2009 by then Twitter CEO Biz Stone. It was created to prevent impersonations of high-profile accounts like celebrities and public figures. Initially only used for very influential personalities, blue checkmarks quickly became seen as a status symbol on the platform.
Refining the Verification Criteria
As more users applied for verification, Twitter had to outline specific criteria beyond just renown for receiving the blue check. Over the years, criteria expanded to include attributes like account activity, completeness of profile information, and indication of public interest/relevance to a large user base. Twitter also started denying some previously verified accounts if they stopped meeting improved standards.
Bot Purges Impact Verification Process
By 2018, growing problems with bots and troll farms meant Twitter had to seriously crack down on fake, coordinated activity. This led to “verification purges” stripping checkmarks even from long-verified accounts engaging heavily in spam or abusive behavior. Many celebrities lost their blue check temporarily before being re-reviewed. The bar became higher for displaying consistent authenticity worthy of that blue badge.
Elon Musk Takeover Results in Chaotic 2022
When billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter in late 2022, he brought tumultuous changes including making verification open to anyone willing to pay $7.99 a month for Twitter Blue. This resulted in a flood of newly “verified” but unvetted accounts, some of which then impersonated brands and celebrities. After backlash, Musk soon reversed the program to restore human review before assigning checkmarks. He continues overhauling the company’s verification policies into 2023.
Looking Ahead to Stricter Guidelines
While Musk’s mercurial leadership adds uncertainty, Twitter knows credible elite users are central to the platform. We can likely expect stricter verification requirements in 2024 oriented around qualities like active community contribution, strong reputational signals, and multimedia authority. The iconic blue check may hold less sway than in previous years, but should again represent Twitter’s seal of approval. For prominent users serious about the platform, obtaining a checkmark through more selective channels remains the goal in this next era of Twitter’s continual evolution.
Understanding the Different Twitter Checkmark Colors
Getting that coveted blue checkmark is only step one. Here are some pro tips to ensure continued success after verification:
Share your achievement – Once you’ve been verified, don’t be shy about posting and letting your audience know. The initial announcement can help drive engagement. Consider posting an Instagram story or Facebook post highlighting your accomplishment as well.
Remain active in the conversation – Keep producing high quality, original updates regularly. Don’t sacrifice activity just because you’ve been verified. Continue driving reactions, clicks and discussion to stay top of mind.
Add value for followers – Reward your audience for their support by crafting content specifically to assist or entertain them. Share useful industry insights, behind-the-scenes tidbits only insiders would know, or respond to burning questions.
Collaborate with those in your field – Who else with a blue checkmark is prominent in your niche? Reach out for an @ mention, Retweet, guest post exchange or other ways to tap existing audiences for cross-promotion.
Don’t purchase followers – Stick to legitimate growth tactics. Buying bots or fake accounts to inflate numbers will only jeopardize your verification status if found out. Focus instead on winning authentic engagement.
Stay out of controversies – With enhanced visibility comes greater public scrutiny. Be cognizant of hot button issues that could be reputation damaging if associated with you. Don’t give Twitter a reason to strip your verification.
Keep this guidance in mind as best practices once you enter the verified elite on Twitter. The same factors that won your blue badge can help ensure you get to keep it! Consistent effort is key.
pros and cons: How to Get Verified on Twitter
Getting verified on Twitter has both advantages and potential downsides to evaluate:
Pros
- Increased credibility and authority surrounding your personal brand or business
- Greater visibility and reach for your content and messages
- Priority customer support from Twitter to resolve account issues
- New partnerships, sponsorships and endorsement opportunities
- Defenses against impersonations or fake accounts trying to utilize your identity
- Sense of achievement and recognition for efforts on the platform
Cons
- Added pressure to consistently post engaging, high-quality content
- Risk of losing verification status if you violate Twitter policies
- More prone to online criticism or increased expectations from followers
- Could be targeted by trolls hoping to stir up controversy
- Followers may disengage if your content becomes too promotional
- Continual effort required to maintain elite verification status
As long as you go into the verification process aware of both the advantages and commitments required, the pros generally outweigh the cons for most serious users. The blue checkmark opens doors but does require diligence to manage properly once attained. Weigh both sides, develop a sound content strategy that plays to your strengths, and you can maximize the upside.
summary
Getting verified on Twitter is no easy feat, but the blue checkmark pays dividends for those able to earn it. The badge signals an account’s authenticity and demonstrates the user behind it is influential in their industry.
As Twitter continues working to combat misinformation in 2024, verification requirements are likely to become even more selective. Expect factors like minimum follower count, activity rate, multimedia content, and real-world fame to grow as benchmarks.
However, if you build your presence methodically – expanding your audience, crafting shareworthy updates, completing your brand profile, and leveraging press and data milestones – your account can meet Twitter’s high bar. Patience and playing the long game instead of chasing quick wins is key.
Once verified, continuing to nurture your content and community should become priorities to avoid losing that coveted checkmark. Overall though, verification unlocks more reach, credibility and monetization opportunities. Put in the effort to position your profile properly in 2024, and the blue badge can be yours as an amplifier.
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