Instagram's Pay-for-Verification Service: What to Know and Whether You Should Use It

Instagram has offered verification for a while through a specific process that lets you apply for verification. But now, it is also offering a pay-for-verification service in the form of Meta Verified.

What Is Meta Verified?

Meta Verified is a paid verification service that gives you account verification on both meta-owned platforms, Instagram and Facebook. It also includes protection against impersonation as well as additional support and increased visibility.

In more detail, it includes the following.

• Verification Badge

  In addition to getting a verification badge on Instagram, you get one on Facebook. This badge will indicate that you are the real version of yourself. It will also let others know that your account was verified using a government ID.

• Impersonation Protection

  The paid verification service also comes with an increase in protection from impersonation. This comes in the form of proactive monitoring for impersonators who are likely to target those with growing online audiences.

• Human Support

  This service also gives you access to a real person to provide help when you run into common account issues.

• Improved Reach and Visibility

  The increased reach and visibility include being more prominent in recommendations, comments, and searches.

• Other Exclusive Features

  There will also be other exclusive features that let you “express yourself in unique ways.” However, there are not many details on those exclusive features yet.

The Rollout

Meta Verified will first be available in New Zealand and Australia. Meta says that it will use this as a gradual test to see what aspects of the feature are the most valuable to creators. From there, Meta hopes to bring the pay-for-verification service to the global audience.

The Price

Buying Meta Verified comes in the form of a monthly subscription. It costs $11.99 on the web or $14.99 on mobile.

Requirements for Verification

Part of the reason Instagram wants to expand verification is to give people more confidence in the various accounts they interact with. As such, they have set requirements for those who want to be Meta Verified. These include requirements before, during, and after application.

• Minimum Activity Requirements

  To start, there will be minimum activity requirements for Meta Verified accounts. This will include prior posting history, possibly along with other requirements.

• Age

  You must be at least 18 years old to pay to verify your Instagram account.

• Government ID

  During the application, you have to submit a government-issued ID. This must match the profile name of the Instagram account as well as the photo on the account.

• Proactive Monitoring

  We mentioned proactive monitoring for impersonation as a feature of Meta Verified. This is also a safety measure that Instagram is taking to protect users and ensure that verified accounts are legitimate.

• Monitoring and Reviewing Violations

  Instagram also says it will continuously monitor the accounts. It will review reported violations and take action against people who “evade” its systems.

• Not Available for Businesses – Yet

  Currently, Meta Verified is not available for business accounts. That being said, Instagram hopes to expand it to include businesses in the near future.

The Reason for the Service

The reasons behind the new Meta Verified service for Instagram and Facebook are simple. Meta says that its most common request from creators is account support, verification access, and features to help them improve reach and visibility.

In response to those requests, Meta has been working on creating a paid offering that would give access to those features.

The announcement also mentioned that Meta Verified lets Instagram expand its access to verification. It should also give people more trust that they are interacting with authentic accounts.

• Profits

  While Meta doesn’t directly say it, introducing a pay-for-verification model is also likely an attempt to recoup recent losses. For reference, Meta’s market value dropped more than $600 billion last year. The last three quarters have seen year-over-year declines.

  Of course, it also follows on the heels of Twitter introducing a paid verification service. Instagram likely recognizes the opportunity based on Twitter’s similar service.

What Does This Mean for Verified Instagram Accounts?

In the announcement of Meta Verified, the company acknowledged that this can be a somewhat confusing feature since there are existing methods of verifying accounts.

Meta confirmed that if your Instagram or Facebook account is already verified, it will stay that way. You don’t have to worry about this.

That being said, Instagram is “evolving” what it means to be a verified account. They are doing so to create a subscription offering that provides value to the community, businesses, and creators. So, there will likely be more changes to come.

Should You Get Verified?

Hopefully, you have already verified your Instagram account, as this is an important step in managing your brand’s online reputation.

If you haven’t done so, then it may be smart to opt for Meta Verified when you are eligible. (Remember that businesses aren’t eligible for this feature just yet; currently, only individual users are.)

It can improve your online security and help with reputation management. Given that some security features will be exclusive to Meta Verified accounts, Instagram is almost forcing users’ hands when it comes to paying for the service.

That being said, it is an additional cost that you may not be able to fit into your marketing budget. Even if you can fit it into your budget, you could likely find a better use for the cost of Meta Verified.

If you are unsure about whether to pay for verification, you can always wait and see what competitors are doing. If your competitors all pay for it and you don’t, you may find yourself at a disadvantage.

Conclusion

Instagram just introduced a test run of a paid verification service that comes with additional features, such as proactive monitoring to check for account impersonation. A single fee gives you verification, protection, and features on Instagram and Facebook, both of which are owned by Meta.

If you aren’t sure whether to buy Meta Verified, consider seeing what your competitors do and checking your budget.