Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on his Instagram channel that Meta Verified, the company’s paid verification program, is now available in the United States.
How to use. The program is designed to provide users with a blue verified badge on both Facebook and Instagram, as well as “proactive impersonation protection” and direct access to customer support. Meta Verified costs $12/month when accessed via the web and $15/month when accessed via iOS or Android, allowing for reduced in-app payments for these platforms. Additionally, subscribers will receive stars that can be used to tip Facebook creators, as well as additional stickers for stories and reels.
Initial test. Meta first launched the program in Australia and New Zealand last month. Verified differs from Twitter Blue, a similar program that allows users to pay for blue checkmarks and other perks.
Once a user is verified, they must go through the verification process again in order to change their profile name, photo, username, or date of birth. Accounts previously verified on Instagram or Facebook will still have a blue check mark.
What Meta says. The launch of Meta Verified is part of Meta’s efforts to strengthen the security and transparency of its platform. By providing users with blue verified badges and proactive impersonation protection, Meta aims to reduce the number of fake accounts and impersonations that occur on Facebook and Instagram.
Indeed, Meta may be deploying this program to enhance security. Another reason is to add or diversify your revenue streams. After all, they were blaming weak advertising demand for the recent decline in revenue, an area that accounts for his 97% of overall revenue.
just for reference. Not sure if $12-$15/month is worth it? Here are other monthly subscription services available for under $15/month.
- YouTube: Free (with ads) or $11.99/month with YouTube Premium (no ads, includes YouTube Music Premium)
- Spotify: Free (with ads) or $9.99/month with Spotify Premium (no ads, unlimited skips, offline listening)
- Pandora: Free (with ads) or $4.99/month with Pandora Plus (no ads, unlimited skips, offline playback)
- Apple Music: $9.99/month for individual subscriptions (no ads, unlimited skips, offline playback)
- Amazon Music: $7.99/month for Prime members (no ads, unlimited skips, offline playback), $9.99/month for non-Prime members
- Hulu: $5.99/month for basic plan (with ads), $11.99/month for ad-free plan
- Disney+: $7.99/month or $79.99/year
- Netflix: $8.99/month for Basic plan (SD, 1 screen at a time), $13.99/month for Standard plan (HD, 2 screens at a time), $17.99/month for Premium plan (Ultra HD, 4 screens at a time)
- HBO Max: $14.99/month
why you care. The new verification could help improve the quality and trustworthiness of the platform’s user base. accounts and bot occurrences can be reduced. This creates a more engaged and genuine user base, which can lead to more effective advertising.