How to Get Verified on Twitter: Everything You Need to Know

After several months of locking the feature off, Twitter has recently restored the verification option. But how do you get verified? Is it worth the trouble? In this guide on how to get verified on Twitter, I’ll answer these questions and more.

To do this, we’ll explore:

• The benefits of Twitter verification
• What you need to get verified on Twitter
• How to become notable enough to get verified on Twitter

By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll have all of the knowledge you need to get that shiny blue check-mark.

The benefits of Twitter verification

The first thing you’re probably wondering about is whether or not getting verified on Twitter is actually worth the trouble. You get a blue check-mark, sure, but what does it do?

The main benefit of Twitter verification is that it irrevocably ties you or your brand to a specific Twitter handle. When people see the blue check-mark next to your username, they know it’s you tweeting, not a bot or an impersonator. You’ll also have more ability to deal with Twitter identity theft. This can help you protect your audience from malicious impersonators as well as protect your online reputation.

Since you have to establish yourself as “notable” to earn verification, Twitter verification also lends you a certain air of authority. This can help you attract more notice from regular users, journalists, and even influencers.

Last but certainly not least, Twitter verification can help you get verified on other platforms, like Instagram. This serves to further reinforce the authority of your brand and protect you from impersonators on social media.

What do you need to get verified on Twitter?

To get verified on Twitter, your account must be considered authentic, notable, and active. Here’s what that means:

“Authentic”

You must provide one of the three pieces of information to verify your Twitter account:

• Official website. A link to an official website that references you or your brand in direct connection to the Twitter account you’re trying to verify. Twitter doesn’t specify what makes a website “official.”
• ID verification. A photo of your government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
• Official email. Proof that you have access to an email address at a domain relevant to the category of notability you choose (more on that in the next section).

This variety of options makes it possible for most people and brands to get verified.

“Notable”

This criterion for how to get verified on Twitter is a bit more complicated. Twitter divides notability into categories based on industry:

Government

This category is for the accounts of key government officials, offices, and spokespeople as well as public utilities and services. To be considered notable in this category, your account must be publicly referenced on “an official government or party site or publication” OR have multiple public references in news media.

Companies, brands, and organizations

These are accounts that represent prominent organizations as well as secondary affiliated accounts (such as separate customer service accounts). To qualify as prominent, a company account must meet two of the following criteria:

• Be listed in public indices, such as Google Trends, public stock exchanges, stable Wikipedia articles that meet the encyclopedia’s notability standards and databases, like GlobalGiving.
• Be referenced three or more times in news media within the six months before the application is submitted.
• Have a follower count in the top .05% of active accounts located in the same geographic region.

News organizations and journalists

This category is for official accounts of qualified news organizations and journalists employed by qualified news organizations. This includes newspapers, magazines, broadcast cable, satellite, streaming TV and radio news networks, and news podcasts. For the full list, check out Twitter’s verification info page.

Freelance journalists can apply for verification if they have at least three bylines/credits in qualifying publications in the six months leading up to their application.

Entertainment

There are three types of accounts in this category. First, there are the accounts of major entertainment companies, including TV networks, film studios, and music entities. Official accounts of productions created by these companies, such as an account for a TV show or a festival, may also be verified if:

• The connection to the qualifying organization is clear on the account’s profile
• The website of the qualifying organization includes a link to the account seeking verification

Individual artists, performers, and others involved with this type of production can also seek verification if they meet any of the following criteria:

• The website for a verified entity within the industry, or a similar public source, includes a link to the profile
• They have at least 50 production credits on their IMDB profile
• There are three or more references to the account in news media published within the six months leading up to the application

Digital content creators can be verified if they have consistently published original content over the past six months, on any platform, as well as met the follower or mention criteria listed in the “other influential individuals” category.

Sports and games

This category is for the accounts of professional sports leagues, teams, rostered athletes, and coaches listed on the official website for the relevant league or team. The official accounts of club and collegiate teams can also be verified. Individual athletes competing at the college level or below cannot be verified at this time.

Esports leagues and competitors can also be verified if they are listed on the official site of a relevant team(s) or if they have been referenced in at least three pieces of news media released in the six months before their application.

Activists, organizers, and other influential individuals

People who don’t exist in any of the industries above but are still using Twitter to bring awareness, share information, or gather people around a cause can be verified. This category also includes notable figures using Twitter to encourage social change or foster community.

Accounts in this category may be verified if they meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrate consistent use of Twitter over the six months before submitting the application
• Generally abide by the Twitter rules
• Do not primarily post content that harasses, shames, or insults any individual or group
• Meet at least two criteria from column A and one from column B in the table pictured below:

Twitter does not disclose the algorithms used to determine the authenticity of an account’s followers or engagement rates.

Twitter may also make some exceptions to the above criteria for users in certain situations:

• Medical professionals during epidemics or other public health crises
• Activists and local political leaders during periods of significant protest or in connection with a major cultural event
• Public safety and/or journalist accounts reporting on natural disasters
• Organizers, proponents, or founders of campaigns in support of human rights

“Active”

The final thing you’ll need to get verified on Twitter is proof that you are both active on the platform and compliant with the rules. There are four criteria you need to meet here:

• Completed profile name, including an image
• At least one recorded login within the six months leading up to the application
• A confirmed email address or phone number connected to the account
• You must not have had a 12-hour or 7-day lockout for violating Twitter rules within the 12 months leading up to your application

Some exceptions to the lockout rule may be made for new accounts belonging to people in the categories defined above. The login requirement may also be waived for accounts with an unusually high risk of impersonation.

Ineligible accounts

It’s also important to note that some accounts can’t be verified, regardless of their follower count or engagement rate. This includes things like parody accounts, pet accounts, and accounts associated with coordinated harmful activity or hateful content. You can see the full list on the Twitter account verification info page.

How to become notable

By now, you’ve probably realized that the tricky part of how to get verified on Twitter is making sure your account is noteworthy. Knowing when you hit the right levels of engagement/followers can be tricky if you’re applying as a content creator or influencer, but there are several strategies you can use to boost your odds of successful verification.

Fill out your Twitter profile

This includes adding a unique profile picture and header to your account. This doesn’t have to be your face, though; a logo works just fine.

Add your Twitter link to your off-site bios

Include a link to your Twitter profile in the bio on your company page, the pages for any teams or organizations you’re part of, and the bios attached to any guest posts you write. This can help you meet the requirement of having a link to your profile on an official page.

Use hashtags wisely

Hashtags are an essential part of Twitter. You can participate in popular generic tags, like hashtags for specific holidays, but for best effect, you’ll want to find the best hashtags for your niche.

You can also create a hashtag. There are two types of hashtag you should consider creating:

• Brand hashtag. This is a hashtag that your audience can use when they want to talk about their experience with your brand or share images of your products. This kind of hashtag can be a great source of user generated content, but it tends to only gain popularity if you already have a sizable audience.
• Chat hashtag. These hashtags are used to facilitate a discussion around a specific topic on a weekly or monthly basis. This encourages like-minded people to come together and to spend more time engaging with your account. If you want to get a feel for how Twitter chats work, you can take a look at the page for my #WeeknightWriters chat.

Join the #WeeknightWriters chat tonight at 7PM EST for a candid discussion about the struggles of the #AmWriting life pic.twitter.com/QaC7BJveiA

— Dianna Gunn (@DiannaLGunn) June 17, 2021

Create a Twitter content schedule

There are two aspects to a successful content schedule:

• Posting regular content. Things move fast on Twitter. If you’re not posting every day, even multiple times a day, your content will get lost in the flood, reducing your chances of meeting follower or engagement requirements for verification. You can simplify this by using a social media scheduling tool to set up posts in advance.
• Making time to interact. The “social” in social media is incredibly important. Set aside a few minutes of every workday to check your feed and interact with a few relevant posts. You can streamline this time by using Twitter’s Lists function to separate the accounts you’re most interested in seeing content from.

You can use our guide to creating a social media calendar to devise your ideal Twitter schedule.

Focus on consistency

The real key to getting verified on Twitter is to focus on consistency in every aspect of your presence: your schedule, the quality of your content, and your brand voice. This will help you become a trusted authority in your niche.

How to request verification

When you feel like your account is notable enough to qualify for verification, go to the “Settings” area of your Twitter profile and click “Account Information.” You’ll be asked to enter your password. After entering the password, you’ll see a list of personal details, including an area for verification status. You’ll find a link to request verification there.

Twitter will then ask you to choose the type of notability you want to claim and how you wish to verify your identity. You’ll also be asked to provide a link to an official site that references your position and/or prominence.

Final thoughts on how to get verified on Twitter

Verification can be a great way to establish your trustworthiness and prevent Twitter identity theft. To get verified, you’ll need to do a few things:

• Fill out your Twitter profile
• Make sure your Twitter profile is linked in all of your bios on company and organization websites
• Create your own hashtag and use it to leverage your community
• Build a content schedule, with time set aside for engaging with your audience
• Request verification in the Account Information area of your Twitter settings

👉 You may also want to check out our in-depth guide to gaining more Twitter followers.

Do you have any questions about Twitter verification? Ask away in the comments section!