If you've seen that white checkmark in a blue
cloud on somebody's Twitter profile, that
means they hold a "verified account." Twitter
uses verification to establish the authenticity of
tweeters, and does so proactively—they
concentrate on "highly sought users in music,
acting, fashion, government, politics, religion,
journalism, media, advertising, business, and
other key interest areas." If you (or your boss/
client) fit the bill, here is how to go about
getting your Twitter account verified.
Steps
Tips and Warnings
1
Determine if you qualify for a verified
Twitter account . Twitter verifies as few
accounts as possible and only for legitimate
reasons. Reasons for asking Twitter include
being a highly recognizable public figure
(athletes, artists, public officials, public or
government agencies, etc.), or if your name
and likeness is parodied or impersonated on
multiple Twitter accounts, leading to identity
confusion.[1]
Though Twitter does not have an official
stance on this, several Twitter-verified
companies have indicated that spending
$5000/month on Twitter advertising will
also get (and keep) your account verified.
[2][3]
Twitter will not consider you for
verification based on your number of
followers. Twitter urges Tweeters to
"Please note that follower count is not a
factor in determining whether an account
meets our criteria for verification."[1]
Twitter recommends embedding a
Twitter "Follow" button on your official
website as the best alternative to
verification. You can learn how to do this
here. This allows you to obtain followers
directly from your official site, which is
very helpful if there are multiple Twitter
accounts that use your name.
Twitter also recommends including a link
to an official website as an alternative to
verification.
2
Read the Verified Account terms. These
terms explain what a verified account is,
what it means to be verified, who has the
verified badge, identifying a verified
account, etc. They can be found here.
3
Find out how to apply for a verified
account . Send a direct message to this
address and be sure to have the following
information ready.
Account name
Full name
Location
Official website (you will be given a
suggestion to put the Twitter logo or
badge on your official website to speed
up verification)
Bio information (information about
yourself in fewer than 160 characters)
Primary contact name (referring to the
individual who manages the account)
Additional Contact Information
4
Wait for Twitter to respond. If you don't
get a reply shortly, you can contact Twitter
by snail mail or through Twitter. Keep in
mind that Twitter deals with a high volume
of verification requests, and that it focuses
first on the most "highly sought users."[1]
5
Follow Twitter's instructions for verifying
your account . If Twitter decides that you
qualify for a verified account, they will reach
out to you via direct message. Click the link
in the direct message to be taken to finish
the process.
The final part of the process has 3 parts,
Learn how to Tweet effectively, Connect
with other Interesting Twitter Users, and
Protect your Account.[4]
Learn how to Tweet effectively gives
you a choice between 2 tweets and asks
you to choose which one is better. It
has the form of a quiz, but there will be
no negative effects if you do not answer
correctly.[5]
Connect with other Interesting Twitter
Users gives you the option to follow
other verified accounts. Twitter
believes that this gives you more
legitimacy as a verified user.[6]
Protect your Account asks you to enter
a phone number that Twitter can call if
there are any problems with your
account. Once you have completed this
step, your account will be verified.[7]
6
Do not change your account information.
Once you have received a verification badge,
it is important to keep your account
information the same. Changing information,
such as your profile image, can cause Twitter
to remove the badge, forcing you to contact
them again. FOLLOW @Sirkeni to get more followers