As Twitter’s legacy blue check mark system finally comes to an end, the social network’s new paid-for verification system is causing more than a little chaos, with CEO Elon Musk himself stepping in to pay for some celebrities’ verification when they refuse to do so.
However, another little nugget to emerge from the carnage today is that anyone looking to advertise on Twitter will now seemingly have to have a verified account.
Several Twitter users, including social media guru Matt Navarra, have posted screenshots of an email reportedly sent by Twitter, which states that starting from April 21 (today), verified checkmarks are required to continue running ads on the platform.
The email reads:
Building a better Twitter through verification
Hello!
Starting April 21, your @account must have a verified checkmark or subscribe to either Twitter Blue or Verified Organizations to continue running ads on Twitter. Business accounts spending in excess of $1000 per month already have gold checks or will soon, and they’ll continue to enjoy access to advertising without interruption at this time.
This change aligns with Twitter’s broader verification strategy: to elevate the quality of content on Twitter and enhance your experience as a user and advertiser. This approach also supports our ongoing efforts to reduce fraudulent accounts and bots.
Subscribing to either of these services means you have been verified by Twitter as a real person and/or business.
Amongst other features, you’ll have a more visible organic presence and a broader range of creation tools. We’re excited for you to get started and to benefit from a superior Twitter experience.
For Twitter Blue, sign up here.
For Verified Organizations, apply here.
While Musk has been pushing subscriptions as a core money-driver as advertisers fled the platform, it’s clear that Twitter still wants (and needs) advertising dollars. The platform’s top advertisers, those spending $1,000 each month, already receive an official gold check-mark gratis, indicating that they are an official business account.
There is nothing official yet on Twitter’s ads account pages to indicate that only verified accounts will be able to advertise, but there is some sense in requiring verification for advertisers if it reduces spam or deters other bad actors from the platform. However, for this to be properly effective, it would surely need rigorous vetting beyond requiring a credit card and phone number, while the $8 monthly fee is not a major deterrent in itself.
Moving forward, it seems that anyone wanting to post an ad or promote a tweet will have to cough up $8/month for Twitter Blue, or $1,000 per month to be recognized as a verified organization. One exception here will likely be accounts with a grey checkmark, which are reserved for official government and related accounts, such as agencies, embassies, parliaments and so on.
At any rate, it’s difficult to see how this move will do anything other than dissuade advertising spend on Twitter.
TechCrunch reached out to Twitter for comment, but at the time of writing we have yet to receive a response (aside from the customary poop emoji, of course).