Meta has announced that it is to trial a monthly subscription cost to its Facebook and Instagram platforms, charging users a fee for additional services.
Dubbed ‘Meta Verified’, the accreditation is aimed at protecting accounts and ensuring that the account holder is who they claim to be. It also comes with advanced customer support, and, according to Meta, better reach to your audience.
The move follows recent news from Twitter that it was removing its two factor authentication service from free accounts, calling into question how much longer social media accounts will remain truly free.
Meta Trials Monthly Subscription Service
Announced on the Meta blog, Meta Verified is a monthly subscription service that offers exclusive benefits for content creators using Facebook and Instagram. The company claims that signing up for the service will give more protection to the account holder, as well as more promotional opportunities to reach a wider audience.
Those who sign up will received a verified badge on their account, though they will need to jump through more hoops that the average user, needing to prove their identity first with a government-issued ID.
As well as a badge, verified users will also benefit from better account protection, thanks to monitoring from Meta to detect impersonation, in addition to being able to speak to a real person with any queries.
Meta also promises to increase visibility of accounts on the platforms for verified users, although it’s worth noting that Meta’s terms note that those with smaller following may see the bigger increase in engagement compared to those with larger followings.
The service is currently being trialled in Australia and New Zealand, with Meta stating that it plans to bring Meta Verified to the rest of the world soon.
How Much Will Meta Verified Cost?
Currently only available in New Zealand, the subscription is available for (USD) $11.99.
However, that price is only for those who pay via the web. Those that subscribe via Android or iOS will need to pay a slightly higher (USD) $14.99 each month, presumably to counter the platforms’ fees.
At this time there is no pricing plan for business accounts, as Meta is only applying the verified scheme to personal accounts.
Costs Coming to Social Media
The announcement of the new subscriptions costs for Instagram and Facebook users were made shortly after Twitter announced that it was to remove two factor authentication for free users, with the service becoming an exclusive benefit for Twitter Blue users.
Shortly after Elon Musk took over Twitter, he relaunched Twitter Blue, a paid for subscription service that grants users a badge alongside their name. Previously, its badge had been free, although only available to high profile account holders.
The introduction of paid for features for social media accounts could be seen as the platforms attempting to nickel and dime their services in response to declining advertising, an issue that both Twitter and Facebook have experienced recently.
