That illustrious blue tick may just be a little mark next to a username for some, but for most, the signifier of legitimacy is the most sought after prize in all of social media.
Not only does it establish you as a notable profile (and occasionally give you early access to new features), but it separates you from the fake accounts giving your fans an immediate sense of trust. And this authenticity is gold dust.
The only problem is, how do you get one?
Here’s our helpful guide on how to get artist verified across all the major social media platforms.
Getting verified on Instagram is no longer the hassle it used to be.
You can do this in-app on the page you’re requesting it for by filling out a simple form with proof of ID attached.
However, success isn’t guaranteed. Instagram explains that it will only grant a verified badge to “notable” accounts “in the public interest” and “have a high likelihood of being impersonated”.
These will all be things they’ll take into consideration during the application process and shouldn’t be a problem if you’re an artist with a sizeable and engaged following.
TikTok
The new kid on the block has a similar verification process to Instagram. “There are a number of factors considered in granting a verified badge,” their newsroom guidelines explain, “including whether the notable account is authentic, unique, active, and – of course – adheres to our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.”
Many popular YouTube videos suggest verifying through third-party apps that login to your account for you, please do not do this as you’ll risk being hacked and your followers spammed.
TikTok tends to only verify figures, celebrities, brands, and publishers with a decent following who move fast with the viral trends.
YouTube
Nowadays to get a YouTube verification, you need to gain 100,000 or more subscribers before you can submit a request. As with the other platforms, the key areas they look for are completely filled out profiles that are authentic to the artist.
To be considered for Twitter verification first you’ll need a filled out account including your birthday, a confirmed email address and phone number and your tweets set to public. Next, you’ll need to visit the form page along with a copy of your ID.
Their help centre says that “an account may be verified if it is determined to be an account of public interest. Typically this includes accounts maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas”, meaning that it should be no problem for your artist.
Snapchat
Being Snapchat verified means being an “official stories” creator, and is usually awarded to those who regularly obtain high numbers of views (we’re talking over 50,000 a pop) on their stories. The most successful way to achieve this official status is a little bit sneaky. You have to report a safety concern on your Snapchat account and claim that another profile is pretending to be you. Which if you are a super successful artist, is likely anyway so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Spotify
Both artist and managers can submit for an artist to be verified on Spotify and luckily a few years ago they simplified the application process. You no longer need to fill out a form after gaining 250 followers but simply access your profile via Spotify for Artists, which is open to everyone. Spotify has uploaded their explainer here.
