Twitter's New Verification Plan: Lower Prices for Small Businesses

Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, has acknowledged the complaints of Twitter users regarding the steep $1,000 monthly subscription fee for businesses. In response, Musk has stated that Twitter will soon introduce a new plan with lower prices aimed at small businesses who are interested in getting verified. According to Musk, the $1,000 fee will only apply to larger organizations, and Twitter will offer a lower cost tier for small businesses. However, Musk emphasized the importance of carefully managing the onboarding process to prevent fraud.

Elon Musk revealed this plan after a Twitter user had suggested that the $1,000 per month verification plan for small business owners was expensive.

The user @JoelDeTeves wrote, “$1,000 a month is pretty steep for small business owners. Musk, have you considered a sliding scale based on the # of associated users”

Musk responded,

“We will have a lower cost tier for small businesses but need to manage the onboarding of organizations carefully to prevent fraud”.

The billionaire further added that the $1,000 per month is meant for larger organizations, which suggests that there will be a subsequent rollout of a lower-priced verification plan for small businesses.

Elon Musk is urging businesses, which lost their verification badges in April, to pay the high fee to get them back. However, the cost has deterred many from doing so. It remains unclear when the reduced subscription cost for small businesses will be introduced, as well as the criteria that Twitter will use to define a small business.

WHAT DOES BEING A VERIFIED ORGANIZATION ENTAIL

Describing the updated verification system for businesses, Twitter said:

“Verified Organization is a new way for organizations and their affiliates to distinguish themselves on Twitter. Rather than relying on Twitter to be the sole arbiter of truth for which accounts should be verified, vetted organizations that sign up for Verified Organizations are in full control of vetting and verifying accounts they’re affiliated with.”

“Accounts affiliated with the organization will receive an affiliate badge on their profile with the organization’s logo, and will be featured on the organization’s Twitter profile, indicating their affiliation. All organizations are vetted before they can join Verified Organizations.”

“We’ve already seen organizations, including sports teams, news organizations, financial firms, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profits join Verified Organizations and list their affiliated accounts publicly on their profiles. And starting today, Verified Organizations are available globally. We are now sending email invitations to approved organizations from the waitlist.”

IMPLICATION ON NIGERIAN BUSINESSES 

In an earlier announcement, Twitter stated that Nigerian businesses interested in obtaining a verified badge on the platform would need to pay a monthly fee of N460,500. Additionally, these organizations would have to pay an extra N23,030 per month for each affiliated business or individual seeking verification. Although the fees vary by country, Twitter noted that they may be subject to change.

ON THAT NOTE

At present, large businesses on Twitter are required to pay $1,000 per month, with an additional $50 monthly charge for each linked sub-account, to retain their gold check-mark verification badges, introduced by the company in December to replace blue checkmarks.

This pricing is part of the new Twitter Blue for Business service, which provides "a new way for businesses and their affiliates to verify and distinguish themselves on Twitter."

It is worth noting that during the launch of this verification plan for businesses, Twitter granted free access to the top 500 advertisers who spend the most on its platform, as well as the top 10,000 organizations by follower count.