Is Meta Verified Worth It?: A Review of the Pros and Cons in 2024

The Meta Verified subscription gives Facebook and Instagram users a blue badge next to their username, similar to the blue checkmark on Twitter. The idea is to increase the legitimacy of accounts with large followings and reduce impersonation. This program is open to individual content creators in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. To avoid flooding the platforms with verified users, Meta asks users who want to be verified to join a waitlist.

Social media verification shows that an account is authentic for a celebrity, politician, or influencer. Since an estimated 4.48 billion people use social media, the sheer volume of users makes it easy for ill-intended individuals to impersonate public figures. This damages the person being imitated because the false account could post something that harms the victim’s reputation. It also hurts followers because they could be exposed to false information about a public figure. Just ask Eli Lilly, who saw a 4.37% fall in their stock after a fake account announced that they would give away free insulin. There are many pros and cons to a Meta Verified subscription. Continue reading to decide whether Meta Verified is worth it or not.

Key Points

Meta Verified is a subscription service offering a blue badge on Facebook and Instagram to increase account legitimacy and reduce impersonation.
Meta Verified offers a way to increase account legitimacy and reach, but it comes with costs and a stringent subscription process.
Meta Verified increases visibility and reach for verified accounts, which is especially beneficial for those with smaller followings.
The notable disadvantages of meta-verification include cost, subscription process, and decreased credibility.

What Is Meta Verified?

Meta Verified is a new feature that allows users to verify their identity and reputation on the Meta platform (Instagram and Facebook). It offers different exclusive features to subscribers, such as:

Expand reach
Account impersonation protection
Account verification with blue check badge
Exclusive access to human support agents

Currently, Meta Verified is only available to individuals, not brands. However, the landscape of social media verification is gradually changing. Meta Verified may be expanded to brands in the future.

Previously, Instagram and Facebook offered original verified badges tailored primarily for public figures, celebrities, and notable brands. The Meta Verified and original verified badges have the same blue checkmark but differ. The original verified badge is free and does not have extra benefits compared to the paid one.

If you have a notable profile and the original verified badge, you can apply for Meta Verified for more features, like proactive account protection and direct support.

Who Can Get Meta Verified

To get Meta Verified, you must meet specific requirements. Here are the most important ones.

For a meta-verified badge, one must represent an individual identity, not a company or a brand.
The eligibility criteria for a Meta verified badge is 18 years or older.
To earn the blue coveted meta badge, you must be a United States, New Zealand, and Australian resident.
Following the community guidelines and terms of service is essential. You must avoid violating the Terms of Use and Community Standards on Instagram and Facebook.
Your profile name must align with your legal identity as indicated on your government-issued identification.
Your profile picture must match your government-issued ID photo for verification.
You can boost your account security by enabling two-factor authentication.
The Meta Verified journey is unavailable for brand-new accounts; it requires an established posting history.

How to Apply for Meta-Verified

To apply for Meta verification, you may need to be in certain cities, such as New Zealand, Australia, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada. If you are not from these regions, you can join the Meta waitlist to get notified about the latest updates about your area.

If you reside where the services of this program are available, follow the below steps to apply.

Using Facebook App

Open your Instagram or Facebook profile and go to ‘Setting & Privacy’

Go to ‘Settings’

Find “Accounts Center” and tap on it.

Tap on the “Meta Verified” option.

Select the account you want to verify and click “Get Meta Verified.”
After this, tap “Pay now” and start the payment process.

Once you complete the payment, you may have to ensure the following requirements:

Activate the two-factor authentication set up on your account
Match the account details to your ID.
Match the profile picture to your ID picture.

After this verification, upload a picture of your government-issued ID to confirm your identity.

Once you enter your payment details, you may need to confirm your identity, which may take about 48 hours. If Meta rejects your verification, then don’t worry. The platform will refund your payments within 60 days.

The last step to verify your identity is to provide a picture of your ID. You can record and submit a selfie video if you cannot fulfill the ID confirmation requirement.

If you’re considering subscribing to Meta Verified, check out our comprehensive checklist guide below to ensure you meet all the requirements.

Lamphills Meta Verified Subscription Checklist

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What Does Meta Verified Get You?: A Few Notable Pros and Cons of Meta Verified

Remember, Meta promotes Meta Verified as a subscription bundle, not just a verification plan. What are the components of the bundle you get for that monthly subscription fee?

Pros

#1. Verified Badge

As the name suggests, Meta Verified includes a verification process. After checking your government ID to confirm your identity, Meta will provide you with a verified badge.

This badge looks precisely like the verification badge given to “notable” accounts.

#2. Legitimacy

A Meta Verified subscription allows users to prove their legitimacy to their followers. With a blue badge next to their name, followers know that they have gone through the verification process to confirm their identity. Thus, Meta Verified helps prevent impersonation and ensures that only the content posted by the verified account is taken seriously. Impersonation is the most common social media scam, taking up a 40.7% share of all threats. It’s important for steps to be taken to reduce this crime, as it also reduces the legitimacy of social media platforms.

If Instagram were suddenly overrun with fake accounts, no one would want to use it anymore. Meta Verified could be worth it to prevent something like that from happening.

#3. Increased Reach

The Meta Verified subscription provides increased reach for the user. Verified accounts will be prioritized in search results, comment sections, and recommended posts. This is especially beneficial to content creators trying to reach larger audiences. For those starting with a smaller following, the boost in reach could be just what they need to kick off their career. Before this system, reach was based on the number of followers, hashtags used, or amount of engagement with the content. Meta Verified users will change the game and allow fresh, new content to be circulated more easily.

#4. Exclusive Stickers and Stars

Meta-verified users have exclusive access to story stickers on Instagram and Facebook and exclusive reel stickers. Furthermore, you get 100 stars for supporting other creators.

Moreover, all meta-verified accounts get 100 monthly stars to reward other creators. For each star you share, the Meta group rewards them with $0.01!

#5. Access to Support Agents

You’ll get access to fundamental human support agents who offer live chat support. Meta says this account support will address “most common issues.”

Requests for access to customer support are a constant theme in comments left on anything Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posts to his profiles. For creators, this could be a game-changer.

Cons

#1. Expensive

The subscription costs increase; users must pay for Instagram and Facebook separately. The price also varies depending on your device, costing $11.99 on the web and $14.99 with Android or iOS. The two subscriptions are virtually the same, with the mobile version being priced higher due to payouts owed to app stores. Nevertheless, a Meta Verified subscription on a mobile device could cost up to $30 monthly for both Instagram and Facebook verification.

This cost may not be worth it to some compared to free access without verification. Charging users for a Meta Verified subscription also raises questions about accessibility. Should individuals who cannot afford verification be barred from a blue checkmark?

#2. Subscription Process

The process of subscribing to Meta can be inconvenient and rigid. Users must be 18 years old and show a government-issued ID that matches the name they use on Instagram and Facebook. If they want to change their name, they will lose their verification. This process is especially discriminatory toward individuals who no longer use their government name, such as transgender and nonbinary people.

Additionally, content creators and celebrities who are underage will not be able to gain verification, making them more susceptible to impersonation. This could be harmful since their followers are likely of a similar age. Young people are often already more at risk for scams on social media. In 2021, 14,919 scam incidents were reported by people 19 and younger to the FBI.

#3. Decreased Credibility

As verification becomes accessible to more people, verifying accounts’ credibility was lost before the Meta subscription was introduced. Those who worked hard to gain followers and influence will now be on the same playing field as smaller users paying for those benefits. It also becomes an “if everyone can have it, I don’t want it” situation. Influencers working hard for recognition may no longer be motivated if anyone can get a blue badge by their name.

Does Meta Verified Increase Visibility?

Yes, Meta Verified can increase visibility and reach on Facebook and Instagram. Meta Verified subscribers receive a blue badge verification that can help them stand out and build credibility with their audience. Verified accounts may also appear higher in search results, recommendations, and suggested accounts and are more likely to appear in the “suggested for you” section. Meta says this increased reach may be most noticeable for subscribers with smaller followings.

Is It Worth Paying for Meta Verification?

The jury’s still out on whether Meta Verified is worth it. It seems to be more of an individual decision since there are specific features that could greatly benefit some. For content creators especially, a Meta Verified subscription could be the key to reaching a larger audience and becoming the next big thing. Public figures would enjoy the increased security and account support to keep impersonators at bay; however, they may not care about exclusive features or increased reach. Additionally, the cost and strict subscription process brings up questions of inclusivity and accessibility.

It’s important to note that there’s no guarantee that a Meta Verified subscription will up your social media game. Instagram said, “A verified badge is not a symbol of importance, authority or subject matter expertise.” This shows that though verified badges prove legitimacy, the content that each user posts is still up to their discretion. Nevertheless, Meta’s efforts to reduce social media scams are noteworthy. Trusting the system keeps social media going, and verification helps build that.

Establishing a digital marketing strategy for your business or yourself can be overwhelming. Advice from experts can help you achieve significant results.

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