Is Meta Verified Still Worth It?

? 1-SECOND SUMMARY

• It’s the one year anniversary of Meta Verified: Is paying for the blue check worth it?
• A potential TikTok ban is winding its way through the court system; will America miss it if the app is banned?
• Instagram is testing up to 20 photos and videos per Carousel post
• Twitter has declared itself a video-first platform — just like Instagram’s leaning into video; TikTok’s exploring a photo app; and Snapchat’s rejecting its “social media” label
• LinkedIn is expanding its Thought Leader ads
• What happens to kid influencers who spend their childhoods working online? It’s not pretty.
• Report: The Gen Z consumer funnel is an infinite loop of inspiration, exploration, community and loyalty

?? ROADMAP

?? Meta Updates

• Instagram is testing the option to add up to 15 — and in some cases 20 — photos or videos per carousel post.?Can there be too much of a good thing? I’m going to say no. For brands and creators, this shifts the carousel from the photo dump category into a potential vehicle for really cool storytelling — think photo journalism or graphic novels.

*Note: I originally had this as an official update but according to a Meta spokesperson: “We’re testing the ability to add more than ten photos to a carousel Feed post with a small group of people. We’ll share more as we get feedback and learnings from our community.”

• Instagram is testing the option to add files to DMs

• Instagram is internally prototyping a new collaborative option for Reels called “Spins,” which would allow other users to remix your Reels with alternate text or audio. “This is an internal prototype and is currently not testing externally," said a Meta spokesperson.
• Meta plans to shut down CrowdTangle in 5 months, the tool was used by academic researchers, journalists and others to monitor the spread of content on Facebook and Instagram.

?? YouTube Updates

• The YouTube app on TV is rolling out a new design to let users more easily access YouTube features such as comments, video descriptions, and shopping while watching videos. As someone who watches a lot of YouTube on my TV, I’m highly in favor of making it a more interactive experience — and it stands to benefit brands and creators with products in video and affiliate links.

?? TikTok Updates

• TikTok announced Creator Search Insights. The new tool (available in select regions) gives creators insight into the topics people are searching for on TikTok or topics that are being searched for often but have few relevant videos available on TikTok. You can access the tool by typing “Creator Search Insights” into the search bar.?

• TikTok may be testing a new app for photos. A description spotted in a string of code reads: “TikTok Photos is our all-new photo-sharing platform where we’ve made it easier to enjoy and discover photo posts.”?

• TikTok announced updates to Effect House, which include expanding the Effect Creator Rewards program to 33 new regions and lowering eligibility requirements. Now, each effect needs to be used in just 100K qualified videos.

• CapCut announced they’re taking applications from e-commerce entrepreneurs and professionals to kick the tires on CapCut Pro. Beta users would get exclusive access to test-drive their latest e-commerce content production platform, plus exclusive perks and benefits.?

?? LinkedIn Updates

• LinkedIn is expanding its Thought Leader ads so that advertisers can sponsor content from anyone — not just employees — for any Page that they manage.

?? Reddit Updates

• Late last week Reddit announced Reddit Pro — a free suite of tools for businesses to establish and grow a meaningful organic presence on Reddit. The new offerings include:AI-powered insightsPerformance analyticsPublishing toolsA Pro dashboard

?? Pinterest Updates

• Pinterest is launching a new tool, “Body Type,” which gives users the choice to self-select what body types are featured in their search results for women’s fashion and wedding ideas.

?? Twitter Updates

• Twitter has declared itself a video-first platform, according to CEO Linda Yaccarino — joining the list of platforms looking to switch up public perception with Instagram leaning into video; TikTok exploring photos; and Snapchat rejecting its “social media” label.

??? PULSE CHECK: META VERIFIED

This time last year, Meta introduced Meta Verified , offering Instagram and Facebook users the chance to gain the coveted blue check mark for a monthly fee .

Fast forward to 2024, and I recently quit the service because it made my account a beacon for spam bots. While the blue check seemed to convey more authority when I commented on posts, it felt like the quality of my community was being sacrificed for quantity. But I wondered, was it just me? Did others who signed up for Meta Verified think it was still worth the investment?

To gauge community sentiment, I conducted a poll on my Instagram Stories, which revealed a divided audience: 63% kept their subscription, whereas 37% discontinued their use of the service.

To help guide your decision on whether the subscription is worth it, I reached out to creators and marketers who had signed up for Meta Verified to understand their personal experiences — the good, the bad and the meh:

PROS

"I was able to use Meta Verified support to help get creator issues resolved, even outside my own account. Felt like an agency hack since most of our creators do not pay for it and are verified on their own merit but with no support!"? -Kayley Reed

“I've been using it for two months. Still testing. The thing I like is that now when I DM somebody I know for sure that person will get my message. I DM’d some bloggers that didn’t see my message before and they started to see and react.” -Tanya Leonteva

“I successfully used the faster customer service feature once which helped. I also told a client to do the same and he was able to solve a problem. It was some minor profile glitch but our logic was $15 was a good enough investment to get an answer. I forget I have that otherwise I'd use it more.” -Mandy Maddela Hoskinson

“Being a Facebook creator, I am going to keep it for now. For faster customer service, I reach out at least once a month for false copyright claims, bugs that don’t let you go live or upload and falsely being demonetized.” -Angad Singh

CONS

“I think Meta Verified was just an illusion for users who want to have that blue tick. I wanted to test it out to get more new features on the platform. And the bonus part they have stated was reach and customer service support which was worse. I was better off with no Meta Verified prior. Anyway for other users maybe it's good but for me it was a bad experience!” -Jonah Manzano

“Out of curiosity, I had it for a month when it launched. I hated how cheap and wannabe it made me feel — like I was trying to buy affirmation and influencer status and even got made fun of by friends for it. The low key shade I got from my friends for buying my check was enough for me to dump it.” - Nathan Jun Poekert

“I was salty paying $14.99 every month just to be verified. I have my name trademarked and every time I went through the process organically, I was denied. Plus, I saw a super high influx of just anyone being verified (not to discredit any individual person) but I felt it started to take away from what being verified meant.”? -Jess Iacullo

“They list many benefits but my main one was support. Having the ability to reach a real human was important. The wait and hold times are short but support agents can't resolve issues, give you misinformation, don't call you back as promised and don't respond back in any way in regards to your issues.? It’s ridiculous to charge people for so-called premium services and nothing!” -Mika Love-Rogers

UNDECIDED

“Honestly, I don’t see much difference than I did without it. I have other accounts not verified I’ve been testing it against and all I can say it’s grown my following by maybe a dozen people. It has a few more months to dazzle me or else I’ll cancel it.” -AJ Feuerman

There’s clearly there's no universal thumbs-up or thumbs-down. It really points to this being a personal decision. There’s no harm in paying for verification if it’s useful for what you're hoping to achieve on social media and the perks align with your goals.

Related: Meta Considers New Perks for Its Verified Subscription Package

???? CLICK THRU

???? It’s Just an App: America won’t miss TikTok

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok unless Byte Dance is sold to an American company. The bill now goes to the Senate for another vote before it can become law. But will Americans miss TikTok if it goes away??

Kate Lindsay had an interesting take: “Those who are loyal to TikTok will tell you that the good old days are long gone. It went from a plaything for regular people—the dancing tweens, the animal antics—to a stage for brands and creators, and continues to make moves that push itself further from its original premise… Perhaps the biggest change is TikTok Shop, the app’s foray into e-commerce . Users have lamented that the feature is turning the algorithmic “For You” feed into a de facto QVC livestream .”

There’s something to this. Yes, losing the app would impact smaller brands and creators who haven’t diversified their online presence to other platforms — and the Stateside TikTok employees who could find themselves out of a job. But this quote from Remi Bader , for me, captures the attitude of most professional creators: “Build your brand out, think about every platform. Once I got bigger on TikTok, I right away was like, okay, it’s time to start on Instagram. What can I do next?”

???? ???? What’s the Price of a Childhood Turned Into Content?

What happens to kid influencers who spend their childhoods working online? It’s not pretty. This Cosmopolitan piece captures the experience of vlogging families and as writer Fortesa Latifi notes: There is only one state in the entire country—Illinois —where child influencers are legally entitled to a percentage of the money they help earn by being featured in monetized content.

??? Gen Z Broke the Marketing Funnel?

The old consumer funnel was linear; the new consumer funnel is an infinite loop of inspiration, exploration, community and loyalty, according to a study from youth culture agency Archrival that holds all kinds of interesting data.

“Per Archrival’s data, 77% of Gen Zs and 79% of millennials in the US are actively seeking style inspiration at least monthly, with almost half of those looking for style inspiration on social media. When asked where they learn about new brands, products and experiences, video reigns supreme: YouTube is the most popular platform with Gen Zs, followed by TikTok, then Instagram … The challenge for brands is delivering that inspiration to them in the right ways at the right moments.”

?? IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Why Is Pinterest So Popular With Gen Z? Here's How They're Using the App -Best Products
• Instagram overtakes TikTok as world’s most downloaded app -The Guardian
• Google Adds Social Media Posts to Business Listings -Social Media Today
• YouTube gets the scoop from MrBeast’s thumbnail creator -Creator Insider
• Influencers on TikTok and Reddit are getting paid to promote designer knockoffs from China -Wired
• The Biggest Ai Marketing Mistakes And How Brands Can Avoid Them -Ad Age
• Influencer Companies Linqia And LTK are turning creator content into CTV spots through new ad offerings -Ad Age ?
• What do we lose when influencers replace journalists on the red carpet? -Mashable
• The Kate Middleton photo drama temporarily made Twitter fun again -Business Insider

There’s a new Art of Sway podcast with me and Danielle Wiley — and it's our most heated conversation yet on the controversy surrounding the Tarte brand trip: LISTEN ?

Thanks for reading this week! A special shout-out to Rebecca Gann for helping with additional research and to everyone who shared their POV on Meta Verified: Kayley R. Tatiana Leonteva Mandy Maddela Hoskinson Angad Singh Jonah Manzano Nathan Jun Poekert Jess Iacullo Mika Love-Rogers and AJ Feuerman