The Complete Guide to Social Media Account Verification by @harrisarshad76

Getting a little blue check mark beside your name on social media may not seem like a big deal, but it is a little ego boost. It tells potential followers that you’re recognized as being influential in your field, it helps you stick out from the crowd, and, of course, it will make people jealous. Beyond that, though, getting verified gives you special features you probably didn’t even know existed. Here’s how to get yourself verified on social media platforms so you can find out!

Facebook

There are three types of Facebook verification: a profile, a personal page, and a business page. Here’s is a step-by-step guide to verifying your Facebook page.

Facebook Page Verification

This is a really simple process, but there are some other unofficial steps you should take to help ensure your request is approved. One thing you must do is ensure your Page is properly filled out, including most of the section under the “About” tab. You must have a profile and cover photo, and you should choose ones that make your page look as official as possible. Your page should have proof of usage, including regular posts and engagement from your audience. It’s also not a bad idea to spend a little money on an advertising campaign for your page. Facebook is more likely to take your need for verification seriously if you’ve invested cash into your page.

It’s also really important to note that not all types of pages are approved. Facebook states that, “Select people, sports, media, entertainment, and government Pages may be eligible for verification if they can prove their authenticity and meet Facebook’s requirements for having a Verified Badge.” This means your page category must be set to one of these options. If you don’t fit within these options, set the page category to “Public Figure,” as that’s your best bet for verification.

Once all of this is done, follow the steps below.

1. Go to Facebook’s “Request a Verified Badge” form.
2. Select the Page you wish to verify.
3. Have an official government ID ready, as you’ll need to upload a scanned copy so Facebook can verify your identity.
4. Enter a link to your official website in the form.
5. Hit ‘send’, and wait patiently for a reply. Facebook can take several weeks to process these requests.
6. If your request is successful, you will receive a blue checkmark.

Facebook Profile Verification

This process is very similar to applying for page verification. You should fill out all of the information mentioned above. You can’t select a category for your profile, of course, but the same rules apply as to who is eligible.

The only other difference from the Page process for verification is that you must use this form instead.

Business Page

Getting a verified check mark for a business is almost guaranteed if you follow the proper steps.

Before doing anything, though, make sure your page has a profile and cover photo. And, of course, you must be an admin for the page to request the badge. Once this is done, follow the steps Facebook has given, found below:

1. Click Settings at the top of your Page
2. From General, click Page Verification
3. Click Verify this Page, then click Get Started
4. Enter a publicly listed phone number for your business, your country, and language
5. Click Call Me Now to allow Facebook to call you with a verification code
6. Enter the 4-digit verification code and click Continue

You can also verify your business page by uploading an official business document. If this is the case, you should follow the steps above, but then click “Verify this Page with documents instead” at the bottom left of the window that will appear.

The document you upload must have the name of your business, as well as the address. Documents should include, “Your organization’s phone or utility bill, a certificate of formation, articles of incorporation, tax or tax exemption documents belonging to your organization.”

Facebook also notes that “the document must have an official seal or watermark for us to verify the authenticity of your organization.”

Facebook will then review your request, and they say that they’ll get back to you within a few days.

Twitter Account Verification

Twitter’s verification process has long been a source of confusion, with blue checkmarks seemingly popping up out of nowhere. Recently, however, Twitter introduced a form to have your profile verified, meaning anyone can apply. Twitter states that “We approve account types maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas.”

If you believe your account fits these criteria, here are the next steps:

1. Make sure you have a verified phone number and email address associated with your account.
2. Ensure your profile has a bio, a profile and header photo, a birthday, and an associated website.
3. Set your tweets to public, if they aren’t already.
4. Read Twitter’s “Request to verify an account” article for more specific tips on how to tailor your profile to help increase your chances of verification.
5. Once you’ve done this, navigate to this form, where you’ll actually make the request.
6. Follow the steps outlined in the form, giving extra consideration to which links you choose to include, as well as how to use the 500 characters allotted to you where you can make your case for a blue checkmark.
7. Wait patiently for Twitter to get back to you. This should happen within a week.

Instagram Account Verification

Instagram has been giving out blue checkmarks since December 2014, but it’s currently not possible to request verification. Instagram states at this time they only give out verification to public figures, celebrities, and brands. The reason given is that “Accounts representing well-known figures and brands are verified because they have a high likelihood of being impersonated. We want to make sure that people in the Instagram community can easily find the authentic people and brands they want to follow.”

If you don’t fit into any of these categories you probably won’t get verified. Even if you do, there’s not much you can do to make it happen. Still, you should ensure your profile is set to public, have a clear profile photo that indicates your brand, have an informative bio, and link to your official website. At this point, all you can do is wait, and work on building your following.

Soundcloud Verification

This is the easiest, though most expensive, way to get verified on social media. All you need to do is have an account, and then upgrade it to Pro or Pro Unlimited.

This will cost you between $55-145 a year, but it means you’ll instantly get a star beside your name. It also gives several other benefits, including unlimited uploads, more information on who listens to your files, and the ability to pin tracks and playlists to the top of your profile.

Pinterest Profile Verification

Pinterest awards checkmarks to “certain notable names like celebrities, brands or media.” The Pinterest “Verified Accounts” page states, “Right now we’re not opening verified accounts up to everyone on Pinterest. If you want to help people know you’re a trustworthy source, add your logo as your profile picture and make sure you’ve confirmed your website.”

So, at this point, it’s impossible to manually request a checkmark. In the meantime, you can confirm your website, so your profile photo is added to any pin coming from your site, and add a logo to make it look more official. Here’s how to do that.

Meta Tag

1. Click your name at the top of the Pinterest page
2. Click the gear menu
3. Go to Account Settings
4. Click on the Website field
5. Then click Confirm Website
6. You’ll be given a meta tag, which you need to copy
7. Go to your website, and add the meta tag code into the <head> section of the index.html file of your website before the <body> section
8. Navigate back to Pinterest, and click Finish

HTML

1. Click your name at the top of the Pinterest page
2. Click the gear menu
3. Go to Account Settings
4. Click on the Website field
5. Then click Confirm Website
6. Click on Download to acquire the file, and make sure you don’t rename it or alter it in any way
7. Go to the root folder of your web server, and upload the HTML file. A subfolder won’t work
8. Navigate back to Pinterest, and click Finish

Google+

There are two types of Google+ you can currently get verified on: personal pages and brand pages.

Google+ Personal Page Verification

There is no way to manually request a verified account on Google +, but it’s possible, and having other Google related accounts helps.

To increase your chances of getting verified, you should make sure you post quality content without any spam, try to be a part of over 20,000 or so circles, ensure your display name is the same as your other display names across social media, and link your official website and other social media accounts to your Google Plus account. Do this, and you increase your chances for verification. But, ultimately, it rests on Google to contact you. Be patient!

Verifying Google+ Brand Page

Much like Facebook, you can directly request Google Plus to verify your brand page. This is a pretty easy process and is guaranteed to get you a gray checkmark. Here’s how to do it:

1. First, you need to verify your website, which Google provides a handy explanation for
2. Then you need to sign into Google My Business, and make sure you’re using the classic Google+
3. Click Brand Pages at the top of the screen
4. Ensure you’re using card view, not list view. Do this by clicking the 3 x 2 square icon. If you can’t see it, you’re already in square view
5. Click View Page on the Brand Page you’re trying to verify
6. Click the About tab just below your cover photo
7. Navigate down to Links box and click Link Website
8. If your page is already linked with the webmaster, as indicated in step one, Google will let you send a request to them to link the brand page with the website
9. The webmaster will then use the Search Console function to confirm the link

Well, there you go! Use these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to making your friends jealous and your account more lucrative to potential followers. Best of luck.

Image Credits

Featured Image: cienpies/DepositPhotos.com
All screenshots by Harris Arshad. Taken September 2016.