With so many users out there in the Twitterverse, it’s difficult to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Is that definitely Katy Perry Tweeting about what she had for breakfast today. Look closer: when searching for users on Twitter, have you ever spotted a little blue tick next to their names? What’s the meaning of all this? Why do only some people have these little badges? How can you get one? Well, the little blue tick is a Verified Twitter badge, indicating that it is a verified account, and it’s sole purpose is to let you know that the account you’re thinking of Tweeting or following is the real deal.
What are verified accounts used for?
The whole point of verified accounts is to prove that the account is legitimately held by the person who it claims to be. Not all brands or celebrities, particularly if they joined Twitter later on, were able to get the Twitter handle they wanted and sometimes it can be difficult to find the person you are searching for when so many parody accounts sprout up.
One of the best known parody accounts belongs to the Queen of England, though to the unsuspecting users’ eye, there are no clues on the Twitter profile which say the account is a parody. Other than Twitter not verifying it. As you can see, the verified badge is extremely useful, if only to prevent you from not showing up to work on Thursday because ‘didn’t you see the Queen’s Tweet about Thursday being canceled?!’
Who gets a verified account?
Verified accounts are reviewed on an on-going basis to make it easier for users to find who they’re looking for. Twitter likes to concentrate on high profile people in music, film and TV, fashion, government,
politics, religion, journalism, media, sport, business, and other key interest areas. Basically, if you’re a person of public interest or high profile enough for people to be seeking you out, you’ve got a good chance at becoming a verified Twitter user. Though it’s worth remembering that your number of Tweets and followers are not taken into account when Twitter consider who to verify. So posting 10,000 inane Tweets isn’t the way to go.
How can I get a verified account?
If you’ve got a Twitter account for personal use and aren’t a celebrity, the chances of you being able to verify your account are slim. Twitter doesn’t accept requests for verification from the general public. Verified accounts on Twitter are a bit like a VIP club - ‘all access’ passes aren’t available to just anyone. Twitter have published a full breakdown of eligibility requirements here.
Once upon a time, humble brands would simply wait for the Twitter Gods to favor them. Now, you can submit a request! On a computer, navigate to Settings and privacy > Your account > Account information. Once you enter your password, go to Request Verification. On Android and iOS apps, tap on Settings and Privacy > Account > Verification request
If you’re interested in proving that your account is authentic to build brand credibility and trust, there are a couple of things you can do:
- Include a website URL and location in your bio information, and include a Twitter follow button and/or your Twitter handle on your webpage.
- Include your Twitter handle on business cards, eBooks, and generally any content you produce so that your customers know which account they can find you on.
- Make sure that your Twitter profile is properly branded and use high resolution images. Nothing looks more suspect than grainy images and an egg profile avatar.
It’s also worth remembering that it’s against Twitter’s terms and conditions to use the badge anywhere on your Twitter profile without their consent. So sneakily placing a verified badge in your profile picture, background image, or anywhere else that might falsely imply you’ve been verified can lead to permanent suspension.
What happens if I have a verified account?
You develop super-powers that allow you to turn people into little blue birds. No, just kidding. Bar highlighting how totally legit your profile is, verified accounts don’t come with many super-powers. Verified accounts do get access to some special features, such as filtering your Notifications page to see All, Filtered, Verified Accounts You Follow and People You Follow. Verified accounts can choose to receive direct messages from all followers if they like, and they also have access to account analytics.
That’s all you need to know about verified accounts on Twitter. Wondering about how to protect your Tweets or how to create a list on Twitter? Check out some of our other useful blogs and let us know what you think in the comments.
