Facebook and Instagram users can now pay for their blue verified tick with the new Meta Verification subscription bundle that’s aimed at creators who want to build their communities and increase their security and reach on these popular social media platforms.
Meta Verified will kick off in a testing phase this week for Australian individual users.
It will not be available to purchase at this time for accounts representing businesses and websites.
For example, I can get Meta Verified for my Stephen Fenech account on Instagram and Facebook but not for my Tech Guide accounts.
Users can purchase Meta Verified for Instagram and Facebook either through the web for $19.99 a month or $24.95 a month via the iOS and Android app.
The price difference with iOS and Android is to account for the cut taken by Apple and Google when ordering this subscription through the app instead of a website.
It doesn’t mean you have to pay to be verified on the web and on the apps.
The verification will apply to Facebook and Instagram in the same way on the web and on the apps no matter how you pay.
The idea behind Meta verified is to offer creators another way to increase their reach and visibility on Facebook and Instagram while improving their account’s security.
While Meta Verified will get you the blue tick to confirm you are who you say you are, it also comes with a few other benefits including protection from impersonators who target those users as their following grows.
The subscription will also offer access to talk to a human being 24/7 if you have issues with your account.
Your only option now is to report issues through the respective platform which often either provide no reply or a generic response indicating no action will be taken.
We’ve had experience in this area when our Tech Guide Facebook page and Instagram accounts were both imitated.
When we reported the Facebook imitators – who used not only our trademarked Tech Guide logo but my actual photo in the banner image – the response we received was that they had not gone against community guidelines with the suggestion that we just block the account.
It took several emails and phone calls to people I knew at Meta to get rid of these imitators – but that course of action is not open to everyone.
If you pay your monthly fee for Meta Verified, you can talk to someone about it.
Now we know there are more than two billion users on Facebook alone, but it seems that Meta Verified has been offered to provide the human touch if you’re willing to pay for it.
Ironically, Meta Verified is not yet available for our Tech Guide accounts which have been impersonated in the past.
Yet we can buy the blue tick for our personal accounts which have never been imitated.
Another benefit of Meta Verified is increased visibility and reach within the platforms where you will figure more prominently in searches, recommendations and your comments on other posts will sit higher in the chain for more people to see.
To be eligible for Meta Verified, an account must meet minimum activity requirements which looks at the number and frequency of posts and the account holder must be at least 18 years old.
To ensure complete security, the applicant must submit a Government ID like a license or passport that matches their profile name and photo on their Facebook or Instagram account.
Now what about if you already have a blue tick on your Facebook and/or Instagram account? Will you now be charged for the privilege?
The answer is no because these users were awarded the blue tick as notable users on the platforms and will retain this free of charge.
But if they require enhanced protection from impersonators and more reach, that will become available more readily through Meta Verified.
And Facebook and Instagram will continue to award blue ticks based on that notability for free despite the launch of the Meta Verified subscription service.
