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How to get verified on all major social channels

Time to get serious about your brand.

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Key Takeaways
  • Getting the verification tick on social media platforms is an important sign of authenticity and signals genuine influencer or brand status.
  • Once you achieve a certain follower size, you can apply for 'verified' status on most platforms.
  • Here are the details for how to get verified for the 7 major social media platforms.

We live in the age of fake news and conspiracy theories. No one really knows who or what to trust anymore. When you find a social media channel that supposedly belongs to a celebrity or influencer, how do you know it is them? It could easily be another person pretending to be the celebrity to gain attention and make money from their social media channel.

All the major social media platforms have created a solution to this problem. They have a social media verification system, where celebrities and influencers can verify their identities. Once they have the verification mark on their profiles, it will prove they are who they claim to be. That makes it easier for entrepreneurs, companies, and customers to trust influencers and purchase their products and services.

Want to get verified on the most popular social media platforms? Let’s discuss how to get verified on all the major social channels.

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When you want to establish your reputation on Instagram, you need to do two things. First, you need to have a decent number of followers and views on your Instagram channel. Second, you need to request verification for your channel by verifying your identity with Instagram.

Newbies can save time if they buy Instagram followers or buy Instagram views to make their profile stronger. It is crucial to verify they are “real” followers and not fake followers. Otherwise, Instagram might assume you are a scammer and deny your channel verification request. It’s a smart idea to research the merchant to ensure they sell authentic followers.

Instagram has only offered a verification program since the end of 2018. People who become verified will see a small blue checkmark next to their name on the profile page. Viewers will see the same checkmark whether they use a smartphone app or the Instagram website to look at your profile.

After you’ve accumulated a few thousand followers, the next step is to submit the verification request to Instagram. There is no guarantee whether you will get verified, but it should be smooth if you follow the procedures. All you need is your photo ID ready to go, such as your driver’s license.

Log into your Instagram account. Visit your profile page and choose the hamburger icon, which should be located on the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Now tap the word “Settings” and select “Request Verification” from the drop-down menu. The format of the page might look a little different, depending on which platform you use.

Next, you will be brought to a page where you enter your identity information. Enter your first name and last name in the appropriate boxes. Now you must enter the ID number on your driver’s license or photo ID. Instagram will verify your ID information with the records from your state. If they match the information you entered, it proves you are the person you claim in your profile.

As a result, the verification icon will appear on your profile page. Then you can attract more attention as an Instagram influencer or brand because people will trust and believe in your authenticity.

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TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing platform that has gained momentum in the west over the last year. It lets you create and share short-form videos of various genres, such as comedy, education, and dance. Teenagers and young adults use the platform the most, but older celebrities and influencers use it too. There is no reason why you cannot use it either, regardless of your age.

TikTok offers you two ways to verify your identity, both of which require an established and reputable TikTok account. You cannot merely make a new account and expect to receive verification status immediately. TikTok requires verified users to be celebrities or notable people. It takes time for a new user to achieve this kind of status.

If you are not a celebrity or a notable person, you still have a chance to pass the verification process if you post great content on your channel consistently. In this case, you would be deemed as a “popular user” rather than a “verified user.”

The TikTok support team awards these titles to members who continue to post great content or achieve celebrity status. There are no verification forms to fill out and submit like there are on Instagram.

Just stay consistent with your content creation endeavors and promote your channel on other social media networks. If you gain a large enough following, the TikTok support team will notice it on their own.

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Twitter is a microblogging platform and one of the most popular social networking services. It is also one of the first social networks to create a verification program for its users. Once a Twitter account becomes verified, a small blue checkmark is placed alongside the name on the account page.

The Twitter verification process is not as complicated as you might think. You simply need to fill out all the account details and produce examples of web properties. Unfortunately, Twitter has stopped verifying new accounts since the beginning of 2018. They have been working on a new verification program for the last two years. The good news is the verification program should be available again in 2021.

Most people don’t need to worry about Twitter verification unless they are a celebrity. An easier way to prove your identity to people is to post video blogs of yourself talking into the camera. Make sure you say the username of your Twitter account in the video, so people will know that the video wasn’t stolen from elsewhere.

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Facebook needs no introduction. It is the number one social media network in the world, with over one billion registered users. A big reason why Facebook is so popular is that it caters to businesses as well as individuals. But when you have so many people on one social media platform, it requires a top-notch verification process to guarantee the identities of its most prominent users.

Facebook offers two verification badges for its users. Individuals can earn blue badges, and businesses can earn gray badges. A badge means the identity of the respective individual or company has been verified. When people see the badge on your profile page, they will know you’re the real person or business rather than a scammer.

Blue badges are for celebrities, brands, government officials, popular companies, journalists, media figures, athletes and entertainers. The average individual cannot receive a blue badge if they don’t have much popularity. Facebook expects you to have a good reason to get verified; the service is not available to just anybody.

If you want to receive a blue badge, you need to create high-quality content and gain a lot of press recognition. Once you or your brand gain enough popularity, you can try applying for verification at Facebook. If the support team approves your application, you will have the small blue checkmark placed by your name.

Gray badges, on the other hand, are reserved exclusively for business pages. Your business doesn’t necessarily need to be popular to receive a gray badge. You only need to verify the authenticity of your business. Facebook puts a gray checkmark next to your business name if the verification is successful.

It is much easier to receive a gray badge than a blue badge because you don’t need popularity. The verification process for a gray badge usually takes about 48 hours, so it is not long at all. But you must operate a real registered business in your state to qualify for the badge. Otherwise, you’ll have to work harder to earn a blue badge.

When you’re ready to apply for verification, you need to check your profile page to ensure it is complete. All of the information must be filled out, such as your name, interests, location, etc. Upload a high-resolution cover photo and company logo as well. Once this is complete, fill out the Facebook verification form and submit it. Wait for a response from the Facebook support team.

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YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform in the world. However, most of its content creators don’t realize that YouTube has a verification program. It is reserved for public figures, companies, and professional artists and creators to verify their identities to the viewers on the platform.

For example, if a professional singer wants to upload their music videos on YouTube and monetize them without worrying about a copyright strike, they need to verify their identity with YouTube customer support. It also gives audiences a greater incentive to subscribe to your YouTube channel because they’ll know you’re the real person or company and not a scammer.

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The minimum requirement for verification is to have 100,000 subscribers or more on your YouTube account. If you can achieve 100,000 subscribers, you can apply for verification on YouTube. It will also earn you a Silver Button YouTube Award; a physical award sent to you in the mail to showcase your achievement.

Verification is not essential on YouTube unless you’ve built up your notoriety or celebrity status. When you have over 100,000 subscribers, you have built a big enough reputation to where someone might want to steal your views and mimic your account. If you notice such things taking place on YouTube, you’ll know it’s time to verify your account.

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Pinterest is another popular image sharing social media service. Users pin various photographs and videos onto their virtual pinboards for other people to view and discover. Companies tend to personalize their pinboards with images that reflect their products, services, and brand.

Pinterest offers a fast and easy verification program. All you do is go to the Settings page of your Pinterest account and upload a company logo for the profile picture. You must also claim the company website too. If you’ve finished taking these simple steps, you should see a red checkmark next to your profile picture. The checkmark indicates that your Pinterest profile has been verified.

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Snapchat is like a combination of a social media network and a messaging app. It is the most popular among teenagers and young adults. The platform currently does not have a verification program for the average person to use. However, there is a unique verification program reserved for superstars and celebrities, such as DJ Khaled and Ryan Seacrest. Anyone without celebrity status will not get verified.

There is no verification page either. Snapchat sends out private emails to members who qualify for verification and offers them instructions on how to sign up for it. Snapchat is better for chatting with friends and family rather than as a platform for businesses—unless you can profit from your celebrity status.

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