Paid verification on the way for Facebook and Instagram

Luke Meredith

Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has started to roll out paid verification services in the UK.

Instagram and Facebook users can now pay £9.99 a month for a blue verification tick, similar to the service introduced by Twitter as part of its Twitter Blue subscription service. Although already introduced in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, Meta has now begun rolling it out in the UK too.

In order to take advantage of the feature and become ‘verified’, users must be over the age of 18 and be willing to submit photo ID to Meta. Once users have their verified badge from Meta, the company says it will offer them improved protection on its social media platforms, which will including monitoring accounts for impersonation. When verified users have any issues with their account, they’ll also be able to speak to a real person to solve their problem.

Previously, verification was only possible for celebrities, public figures or notable brands. While this form of verification is still available and free for those who qualify to receive it, the new feature offers regular users a way of achieving what has been seen as a ‘status symbol’ on social media for a number of years.

Facebook and Instagram, like Twitter before them, were once entirely free to use, with almost all revenue for the platforms being generated through advertising. Paid-for verification signals a change in direction, with varied revenue streams being the focus for the social media giants.

A new wave of aspiring influencers and social media content creators is likely to take advantage of paid verification for Facebook and Instagram, but a blue tick is unlikely to be a cheat code for success and engagement on social media. For social media marketing advice that turns heads, talk to our team at Engage Web today.