To get a blue tick verification badge on Facebook and Instagram, your account needs to meet the requirements for this, and then you need to apply.
The company that owns Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 and has continued to have success on both platforms.
The blue tick verification system helps to show users on these platforms which accounts are legitimate once they have met the requirements and you have applied for the verification.
The history of Facebook and Instagram
Instagram was originally launched in 2010 as a video and photo sharing platform where users could share content on their own feeds and keep up with other users’ feeds along the way.
Then, in 2012, Meta, the company which owns Facebook acquired Instagram for about $1 billion.
Experts agree that this acquisition was most likely a move by Facebook to absorb one of its biggest competitors at the time. Since then, Instagram has continued to be a successful social media platform, with over one billion users.
The platform contributes billions of dollars to Meta’s overall earning every year.
How to get a blue tick on Instagram and Facebook
Since both Instagram and Facebook have remained popular in the digital, social media realm, there is additional pressure on these platforms to ensure that users have a seamless and enjoyable experience using the applications.
Although social media sites, by nature, have a lot of user-generated content and unmediated conversations on public forums, if a social media platform like Facebook or Instagram wants to keep their platforms enjoyable and relevant for the average user, they need to implement some guidelines and systems to protect their users.
Verification badges, or blue ticks on Instagram and Facebook are a way that these platforms protect users by verifying that these accounts do indeed belong to the individuals, groups, or businesses which they claim to belong to.
This way, users will know that they are interacting with a legitimate account and are protected from scammers that want to exploit them by pretending to be someone who is well-known or famous.
This blue tick is also beneficial for your account, as it will help legitimise you if you are a business or if you have a more popular account on a different platform.
In order to get a verification badge or blue tick next to your account name, you need to ensure that your account meets specific requirements on each platform and then you need to apply for verification on both Instagram and Facebook.
Requirements to be verified by Facebook and Instagram
In order for your account to even be considered for verification on Facebook, the account needs to adhere to the Facebook Terms of Service and the Community Standards, and have a profile photo, cover photo, and a page name.
On Instagram, it is also important to ensure that your account and content adheres to the platform’s Terms of Service and Community guidelines.
Your account also needs to meet the following requirements:
| Requirement | Description |
| Authentic | This means that your account needs to represent or belong to a real person, registered business, or entity. |
| Complete | Your account cannot have “add me” links to other social media services, but must have a biography, profile photo, and at least one post. |
| Unique | This means that only one account per entity or person is usually verified, with some exceptions. |
| Notable | This indicates that your account must represent a well-known entity or person that is searched for by many users on the platform. |
How to apply for verification on Facebook
In the past, businesses could apply for a grey tick verification that proved the business was real, but now there is only one kind of verification and that is the blue tick.
You can apply for this blue tick by filling out the “Request a Blue Verification Badge” form, to which you also need to attach documents to prove that you meet some of the above-mentioned requirements and then submit this form as your request.
How to apply for verification on Instagram
To apply for the blue tick verification badge on Instagram, you need to log in to the account you would like verified on the Instagram mobile application on an Android or iOS device. Then, you must follow these steps:
- Step 1: Go to your profile
- Step 2: Select the menu at the top of your screen
- Step 3: Select the settings option from the menu
- Step 4: Click on “Account” and then “Request verification”
- Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete your request
These requests do not guarantee that your account will be verified, and verification can also be withdrawn over time.