Twitter has discontinued its legacy verified blue ticks on accounts since April 1, resulting in the popular news organization New York Times losing its verification badge following Elon Musk’s policy changes. The White House has also announced that it will not pay to verify its staff’s accounts. Businesses, on the other hand, are required to pay $1,000 a month to verify their accounts.
According to a report by the New York Times, some organizations may not have to pay the monthly fees for Twitter’s verification service. The social media company plans to give away free blue ticks to its 500 largest advertisers who spend the most on its platforms. Additionally, the top 10,000 accounts with the highest number of followers may also be eligible for free verification.
In an effort to mend its strained relationship with advertisers, Twitter is reportedly offering a part of its package to advertisers, which has been dubbed as an olive branch by The Verge. Since Elon Musk took over as CEO, the social media platform’s ad revenue has declined. This has prompted several major advertising firms to caution their clients about advertising on Twitter. By offering free verification badges, Twitter hopes to alleviate some of the concerns of advertisers and prevent them from making difficult decisions.
The subscription fee for verification means that new businesses may struggle to gain a following on Twitter, as they will be competing with verified brands or will need to pay $1,000 per month to obtain verification.
Many brands on Twitter have been concerned about impersonated accounts. Twitter has acknowledged this issue and has implemented a policy where accounts that change their profile picture, display name, or @handle will temporarily lose their verification badge until their profile is reviewed again by the platform.