Should You Pay for Twitter Blue?
Beginning last year, Elon Musk’s controversial takeover of Twitter engrossed the world for weeks. Aside from making workplace changes inside the social media giant, including a massive layoff of Twitter employees, one of those radical changes the SpaceX CEO implemented was Twitter Blue.
Essentially, businesses, brands, and celebrities who want that little blue check need to pay extra for it to appear beside their names. Is it a worthwhile investment? SEO Premier Blog goes through the benefits and drawbacks of having that verified checkmark next to your name.
BENEFITS OF TWITTER BLUE
Last month, Twitter sunsetted its legacy verified program. In its place, for you to continue having the verified status, you must subscribe to Twitter Blue. However, prior to being eligible, you must satisfy the following requirements:
- The account must have a confirmed phone number
- The account must be at least 30 days old
- The account must not have changed its name, username and profile picture in the last 30 days
- The account must not impersonate someone else or use fake identities
Once verified, Twitter Blue offers premium users some exclusive benefits and features:
- A verified blue check mark, which can be seen by clicking or tapping on it (It shows if it’s Twitter blue or a legacy verified account).
- Ability to send longer Tweets (up to 25,000 characters) and videos
- Ability to format text (italicised or bold)
- Ability to undo Tweets before sending
- Ability to edit Tweets within 30 minutes of publication
- Custom navigation
- A feed curated exclusively for you, with Tweets and top articles by people you follow
- Account security via two-factor authentication (SMS or third-party app).
- Higher impressions of Tweets
- Prioritised rankings
For business accounts, Twitter piloted a new service called Twitter Verified Organizations. Instead of the blue check mark, verified business accounts will get a gold check mark.
THE COST OF TWITTER BLUE
When you pay for the opt-in, paid subscription, the blue checkmark doesn’t automatically appear. It will only do so after a careful review of subscribed accounts if they match the eligibility criteria.
It’s interesting to note that Twitter Blue pricing is set differently across countries and devices. For example, in the US, Twitter Blue costs $11 for iOS and Android and $8 for web every month. In the UK, it costs £11 for iOS and Android and £9.60 for web. In Australia, subscription is at $11 for iOS and Android and $10 for web. There is also an option to pay for an annual subscription, price points still vary per device and country.
For a more complete matrix of costs, see Twitter’s pricing information page.
IS PAID VERIFICATION WORTH IT?
In the past, it’s only celebrities, notable figures, and big brands who were granted the blue check mark. Of course, it was still free at the time. Now that distinction no longer exists. There is fear that this paid subscription will allow bad actors to spread misinformation and deceive people just because they paid a few dollars in exchange for a verified status.
Even if Twitter strictly enforces its terms of use and community guidelines, it doesn’t stop malicious users from using their verified Twitter accounts to mislead people. And the practice will continue until somebody lodges a report against the user.
Furthermore, early Twitter Blue users complain of lower than advertised increase in engagement. They feel that the extra cost didn’t do much in terms of impressions and engagements from their followers. Add to that is the avalanche of actions from users strongly opposed to paid verification, encouraging others to block premium users to stifle their reach.
If you own a brand, it’s important to weigh the benefits of earning the blue checkmark on Twitter. Through the help of SEO Premier, we can assist you in crafting your social media strategy and make the most out of your marketing budget - benefit, cost, and risks considered! Book a call with us today!
