How to get a Twitter account verified?

I woke up last week and noticed a blue verified Twitter badge on my account. It was exciting to see it there! It only took about a week to be verified after I filled out their application.

Since the process I went through is fresh on my mind, I can give you some insight on what worked for me.

Do You Qualify?

Before you take the time to go through this process, take a moment to assess whether you qualify for the Twitter verified badge.

Twitter issues the blue verified badges to let people know that an account of public interest is authentic. You’ve probably seen the check mark next to musicians or actors, but they verify other public figures too.

Here’s a quote from their site on who they verify,

We approve account types maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas. If you believe your account is of public interest and should be verified, this article outlines information about submitting a request.

Request to verify an account

Get Your Twitter Account Ready

Twitter wants to see certain things from your account before they will verify you.

1. Do you have a verified phone number?
2. Do you have a confirmed email address?
3. Is your bio filled out and does it accurately describe you?
4. Do you have a profile photo, and is it of you?
5. Do you have a banner photo?
6. Have you filled out your birthday information?
7. Does your account link to a website? (And it would help if that website further verified who you are by linking back to Twitter.)
8. Are your Tweets set to “public,” and honestly, if they are not, why are you even on Twitter?’
9. Is your name correct on your account?

Log In to Your Twitter Account

The next step is to make sure that you’re logged into your Twitter account and go to this page:

Login on Twitter

If you’re missing any of the basic elements to get verified (didn’t I just tell you to take care of that) they will automatically ask you to fix that before you can proceed. Once you’ve taken care of the basics then you’ll go to a new screen where you’ll have to fill out your application.

Websites

Twitter will ask for five websites that will help them verify who you are and determine whether you are a person of public interest.

They require you to list as least two websites, but if you don’t have at least five to share then you should reconsider whether you should be going through this process in the first place. Are you a person of public interest or not? Well, prove it.

They tell you that you don’t have to list the site that is linked on your profile, but make sure that that site has a link back to Twitter and that it has all your accomplishments listed clearly.

Others sites should (according to Twitter) “provide instances of your appearances in the news, high-traffic content producers, or other evidence of your public influence.”

I just won an industry award for Best Fetish Photographer in 2017, so I included a direct link to that. I included one of my personal websites that detailed my background (and had links to Twitter). I included a social networking site that had a bunch of information on me. The other two sites were an article about me and a press release that further backed-up my credentials.

The Essay

Okay, this is not really an essay, because it’s only 500 characters long, but you’re going to have to cram a lot of information into a very small space to make the case for why they should verify you.

Hopefully you don’t have a hard time talking about yourself, because this is the time to let it all hang out. In a very small space, you have to convince them that you have created an impact in your field.

I’ve increasingly had incidents of people pretending to be me (I know, that’s crazy, but it’s happening several times a week at this point), so I made sure they knew that as well. In my case, a verified badge would put that issue to rest.

Remember you’re talking to a human being. Have some sympathy for them and be courteous. Make your best case and be genuine.

A Few More Things

• They ask for a copy of a photo ID, so have that ready to send.
• Be an active and respectful Twitter user.
• If you work for a company that has a Twitter verified profile, linking to them in your bio is a great idea.
• Make sure you bio doesn’t have a bunch of silly fluff. Tell people in your bio who you are and what you’ve accomplished. Use big titles and company names. Sell yourself!
• Have a decent profile photo. This is a case where actually paying a professional to take your photo could seriously be worth the cost. Hey, you can use it on dating profiles too.
• If you don’t get verified, keep working, achieve some more things and try again. You can submit another application in 30 days.

After being verified I got contacted by a bunch of friends, sending me congratulations, a few strangers wanted to know how it happened (I’ll send them here to find out), and I got a surge of new followers.

You also get a few new “powers” on Twitter, including some ways to find and talk to other verified users, which is pretty cool. If it just cuts down on the imitators then I’ll be happy. And I’m hoping that it will help with some new connections.

Don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t happen on your first try. I tried contacting them several times a few years ago with no joy. Just keep doing your thing and try again later.