Introducing the newest way to get verified: Meta Verified. The significance of the blue badge that appears next to a verified user’s name on social media has created a lot of buzz these past few months. Historically, users would need to go through a vetting and authentication process in order to be granted the verification badge on their profile on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and even LinkedIn. This badge signifies that the user is of a certain level of importance in media, news, hollywood, or social media in general. Twitter was the first to offer the verification badge on a subsription model in December, 2022. Now, Meta’s suite of platforms are following suit.

Meta Verified

On Sunday, Meta’s CEO and infamous founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg formally announced that Meta (Instagram + Facebook) will begin offering users the ability to purchase the verification badge starting at $11.99 per month. In a post shared to Facebook, Zuckerberg said:

Unlike Twitter’s fast and shaky rollout of the Twitter Blue service, Meta will require users to verify their identity with a government ID when signing up for the service.

How Much Meta Verified Will Cost

The cost to purchase the Meta Verified badge will be $11.99 if users are paying through web and $14.99 if users are paying through iOS. The reason for the difference in price is due to Apple’s in-app purchase fee of 30%.

If you remember, Twitter’s original rollout of Twitter Blue cost only $7.99 per month, yet they needed to pause the service and reevaluate the offering to bring it up to $11.99 per month due to Apple’s in-app fees.

When Meta Verified Will Release

As per Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook post, the Meta Verified program will begin releasing in Australia and New Zealand this week, and more countries will follow.

We are expecting a USA rollout to begin in late March / early April of 2023.

First Twitter, Now Meta

This has come with no surprise to us. With Elon Musk looking to increase revenue at Twitter, he sold a feature of the platform that has been sought after by millions around the world, yet was obtained by only a few. With hundreds of thousands of people flocking to subscribe to Twitter Blue’s services at the end of 2022, it is a move in the right direction for Instagram and Facebook.

Elon added to the conversation on Twitter by describing this move as “inevitable”

Inevitable

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2023

Verifying the Creator Economy

We are expecting the Meta Verified program to be a big hit with creators worldwide. Creators that have always wanted the blue check are now able to get it without needing the countless press articles, agents, labels, and other partners involved. As creators continue to work towards growing their following and expressing their identity on social media, this is going to be a way to show that they want to prove their level of legitimacy.

We have come across countless amazing creators that are not verified. These creators are individuals who have done extraordinary things and have grown large-scale followings on Instagram, creating inspiration to hundreds of thousands across the globe. The idea of “being verified” was a status symbol for creators since the beginning of Instagram’s “blue checkmark” era. Now, that symbol is going to be a lot easier to obtain and incorporate into the personal brand of creators!

For $144 a year, creators will now be able to be verified alongside industry leaders in the space!

Verifying Your Brand

Many brands look to get verified on Instagram and Facebook. Once they’ve obtained the “blue check” status, brands often think they’ve achieved a certain status of social media prominence. But, it is unclear if brands will be able to participate in this program just yet. Seeing that a government ID will be necessary to join the Meta Verified program, there may be something in the works for pages that are not directly associated with a single individual.

If you are looking to enhance your brand’s visibility, share your products and services with new consumers on social media, or to work with industry leading social media creators, Glewee is the go-to platform in the industry for you.