Verified twitter account: Steps to get the blue check-mark
The blue verified badge on a Twitter account is surely not new and has helped differentiate official accounts from regular ones for quite some time now. Every social media platform does this in one way or the other to try to let their audience know which accounts are authentic and potentially of higher value.
One of the highest forms of authority on social media is getting a verification logo next to your user id. Sounds much like being a celebrity, right?
People are crazy to see the badge placed near their names; especially on Instagram and Twitter. Usually, on Twitter, the accounts that get verified belong to the fields of entertainment, music, fashion, politics, religion, government, sports, media, product business, and other interest areas that are popular among people.
Now, obviously, not every single person can get this blue badge of authenticity because that would defeat the whole purpose of it.
The verified Twitter account badge is given to the accounts that already have a strong social presence on Twitter, are of public interest, and have a relatively high following and engagement.
So, do you want your own verified Twitter account? Want to know about the process and the pre-requisites? Then let’s learn about the steps that you need to follow and the requirements for getting that white checkmark floating in the blue cloud on your Twitter handle.
Getting a Verified Twitter Account
Before getting verified on Twitter, your account needs to have certain elements in order to be considered for verification. Build a super strong profile before applying, so that your application gets approved quickly.
1. A profile picture
A profile picture is one of the first indicators of identity that people notice when they visit your profile. Make sure that you have set a profile picture of yourself (in which your face clearly shows) if you are a Twitter influencer or a public-figure.
If you’re a business, you can set your brand logo as your profile picture instead, to instantly let people know the purpose of your Twitter account. Also, do not upload a picture that is low in quality or blurry. It will reduce the chances of your account being verified. Nobody would like to do the hard work of trying to recognize you by a blurry profile picture, including Twitter officials.
2. A well-written bio
A bio helps give people info about you or your business. A well-written bio is short, informative, sometimes funny, and accurate in representing your public identity.
A profile with a well-written bio is more likely to be considered for verification than a profile that has no bio.
3. Tweets set to ‘Public’
Obviously, it wouldn’t make sense to apply for a public verification badge if your tweets aren’t public for people to see!
To make sure that your Tweets are set to Public, go to your account > Click ‘More‘ > Click ‘Settings & Privacy‘ > Click ‘Privacy & Safety‘ > Uncheck ‘Protect your Tweets‘.
If you have turned on ‘Protect your Tweets‘, your Tweets will only be visible to your followers and not to the people who visit your profile who are not following you.
If they can’t see your Tweets, they obviously wouldn’t be able to see if your content is relevant and useful to them and you will consequently lose a lot of potential followers. So make sure to have that option turned off.
4. Add your birthdate
This one is simply to help Twitter in identity confirmation of your account. It applies to individuals and not companies, but increases your chances of getting verified.
An account with a valid birth date is easily distinguishable from a bot account and helps confirm the authenticity of your account.
5. A valid email address
An authentic, functioning email address is one of the most important factors in getting a verified badge on Twitter. If you are a business, it is recommended that you use your business email address and not your personal Gmail address.
6. A valid phone number
Adding a valid phone number further helps Twitter in the verification process and also to undertake some offline activities. It is one of the strongest indicators of credibility.
7. Your website
As a business, it is essential that you add your business website to your Twitter account so that you can have an additional source from where people can visit your homepage.
Not to mention how this also helps in speeding up the verification process as a website is a piece of solid evidence for a valid business identity.
8. Your header photo
Your header or background photo is the place to get creative. What you should choose to put up as a header photo, however, depends highly on your nature of work, industry, your public relations, and a lot of other things. You can put up a banner that shows a newly launched product, ongoing discounts, giveaways, or you can simply keep a list of services that you provide.
But most importantly, your header photo should be relevant above all else. It’s what will help separate your account from the crowd, and also be accepted by one.
Maximizing Probability of Getting Verified Twitter account
1. Relevant Tweets
Now comes the part that sounds obvious, but isn’t. If you as a business are constantly tweeting about things that are not relevant to your industry, the probability of getting a verified Twitter badge drops dramatically.
Your Tweets should represent what you as a business believe in and the products/services that you are offering.
2. Stay active and tweet regularly
Post more, post often. It not only increases the odds of getting your Twitter account verified, but also builds engagement and helps you in increasing your followers.
If your account is not active enough, you’ll have almost nill engagement rates, and it is a direct signal that people don’t bother if your account exists or not.
Also, before applying for the verification, you have to stay active for a minimum of two weeks to give Twitter an indication that you are active on the platform.
3. Be precise
Include specifics in your bio. You can mention Twitter handles of other people in the bio section – your current employer, past employer, partners, your parent companies, or the venture capitals that funded you.
4. Show your accomplishments
Boast a bit and praise yourself. Showcase all your accomplishments and be self-promotional. You can write about the number of years that you have completed in the industry, or about how many clients you have served. Talk about any awards that you have received or any noteworthy articles that you have published.
You can also include your highest job title and mention the company next to it. Let people know about your unique achievements.
Steps to apply for a Verified Twitter account
Once you have updated all the information and made your account ready, the final step is to apply for verification.
To fill out the verification form, you need to go to ‘verification.twitter.com/request’. While on the page, you will have to fill in the following information:
1. Twitter username
Enter the Twitter handle of the account that you want to get verified. It would be great if there are less or no numbers in your username.
2. Checkbox for Businesses
If you have a business account, then mark the checkbox that says “Check here if this is a company or a brand or organization account”.
3. Website links
Next, you’ll have to add links to at least 2 websites that will help Twitter identify you. You can add a maximum of 5 links.
Try to fill in all of them in order to increase your chances of getting a verified Twitter account. Do not enter your business website as it is already there on the profile. It would be great if you give links to websites that show your public influence.
4. Reason for why your Twitter account should be verified
After that, Twitter will ask you to write a paragraph explaining why you should be verified. You will have only 500 characters to explain that, so be crisp and clear.
If you are an individual, show your public impact. If you are a brand, write about your vision and missions and how your are achieving them.
Show how it can help the Twitter community when your account gets verified. In short, focus on how you will add value to Twitter overall.
5. Submit the application
Double-check all the details that you have filled and hit on the submit button.
Once you have submitted the application, a summary will appear on the screen and you will receive a confirmation message saying that your application is under review.
Now, all you can do is wait for their reply. Twitter will send you an email as soon as they make a decision. You’ll also know that your account is verified if @verified Twitter account follows you. If your application is rejected, don’t worry, you can apply again after 30 days.
The acceptance or rejection of applications is exclusively in the hands of Twitter’s authorities. If you have any doubts or disagree with their decision, you can contact them through the help centre by visiting “https://help.twitter.com/forms”.
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