How to get verified on Instagram and Facebook, TikTok and Twitter
Verification is a way for people to know that the high-profile accounts they are following are exactly who they say they are. The little blue checkmark indicates that the platform has confirmed an account is trustworthy. These verification badges make the real accounts stand out and they’re easy to spot in search results and on profiles.
If you’re a musician, a verified badge on social media platforms can take your career to new heights. Requesting the verification is usually pretty straightforward, however proving that you’re qualified for verification is a bit more tricky. Read all about it below!
Anyone can request a verified badge on Instagram. However, Instagram is quite mysterious about who actually gets verified. You first need to make sure you follow their requirements:
- You need to follow the platform’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
- Your account needs to represent a real person.
- You need to have a public profile. Private accounts can't qualify for verification.
- You need to have a complete bio, profile picture and at least one post.
- You need to be a "notable" figure, someone who is "well-known" and "highly searched for".
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap on the three lines icon in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings and go to Account.
- Tap Request Verification.
- Fill in the application form: your legal name, select your category or industry and submit a photo of your official government ID (passport / driver's licence).
- Tap Send.
You should receive a notification in your notifications tab within a few days or a week, sometimes it can take up to 30 days. They will give you a direct yes or no. If your request is denied, you can submit a new request again in 30 days.
Even though they are part of the same company, Meta, there is a separate process currently for Facebook Pages and profiles to get verified. Similar requirements need to be met:
- Facebook Pages and profiles must adhere to the Terms of Service and Community Standards. They also need to have a profile photo, cover photo and a Page name that follows the guidelines.
- Accounts must be authentic and represent a real person.
- Your account must be public and have a bio, profile picture and at least one post. Your profile can’t contain “add me” links to other social media services.
- Your account must be the unique presence of whoever it represents.
- Your account must represent a well-known, highly searched individual or entity. Facebook reviews accounts that are featured in multiple news sources. They don’t consider paid or promotional content as sources for review.
- You can apply for verification by filling out this form.
- If your account represents a person, you’ll need a copy of your official government-issued photo identification to validate your request (e.g. passport, driver's licence, ID card).
- You also need to include a few sentences why the account should receive the verified badge, and relevant URLs that help illustrate the account’s notability.
TikTok considers a number of factors before granting a verified badge, such as whether the notable account is authentic, unique, and active. TikTok doesn't consider the number of followers or likes on your account as a requirement when granting a verified badge. Their requirements include:
- Your account must have logged in within the past 6 months.
- Your account represents a real person.
- Your account must currently be public and have a completed profile with a bio, name, profile photo, and at least one video.
- TikTok reviews accounts that are featured in multiple news sources, and they don’t consider press releases and sponsored or paid media.
- Your account must have multi-factor authentication with a verified email.
- In the TikTok app, go to your Profile and then tap the Menu button at the top right (the three lines).
- Go to Settings and privacy.
- Tap Manage account, then tap Verification.
- Follow the steps in the app to submit a verification request.
Please note: This feature is currently not available everywhere.
Currently, the blue checkmark on Twitter is only given to users that have an active subscription to Twitter Blue and meet their eligibility requirements. The legacy Verification program will come to an end from April 1, meaning that accounts who were verified under the previous criteria (active, notable, and authentic) will not retain a blue checkmark unless they are subscribed to Twitter Blue. Your account must meet the following criteria to receive or retain the blue checkmark:
- Your account must have a display name and profile photo.
- Your account must be active in the past 30 days to subscribe to Twitter Blue.
- Your account must be older than 30 days upon subscription and have a confirmed phone number.
- Your account must have no recent changes to your profile photo, display name, or username.
- Your account must have no signs of being misleading or deceptive.
- Your account must have no signs of engaging in platform manipulation or spam.
You can find more information here.