How to Get Verified on Instagram and Facebook

Everyone wants to earn that highly desirable 'verified' designation on Facebook and on Instagram, so that everyone knows you're legitimate. There is now an updated process for applying for this kind of verification, but you should be aware that even if you follow the application process to the letter, there's no guarantee that either Instagram or Facebook will approve your request.The guidelines below will show you how to go about applying for verification, but keep in mind that it in no way means that you will be guaranteed by either platform to become verified. The verification badges on both Instagram and Facebook appear in search, as well as directly next to the Page or account name. This will show that the account has been confirmed as the actual presence of the creator, celebrity, or brand that it supposedly represents.One of the purposes of verification is to help users find the accounts they want to follow much more easily, and to have confidence in those accounts being the actual person or group they are portraying. All verification requests are vetted by either Facebook or Instagram team members, and the review will always be based on several different sources, so as to determine whether or not a request is eligible to be verified.

General requirements

First of all, all Facebook pages must follow Facebook's Community Standards, as well as its Terms of Service, while Instagram accounts must also follow its Terms of Service as well as its Community Guidelines. All accounts must be authentic in that they represent an actual person, or a registered company or business entity. Each account must be complete and available to the public with a biography, profile photo, and a minimum of one post.Keep in mind that your profile must not contain any 'add me' links to external social media platforms. Your account must also be a unique occurrence of the entity it is meant to represent, which means one account per entity can be verified. The only exception to this is when language-specific accounts are created. The last general requirement is that your account must be a representation of a well searched-for brand or individual, and should be featured in several news sources. Paid or promotional content are not considered eligible for review.

Facebook verification

In order to request a blue verification badge from Facebook, it will be necessary to have your profile or Page be in compliance with Facebook's Terms of Service, and to have a profile photo, a cover photo, and a name which complies with Facebook's guidelines.

Instagram in-app verification

In order to access the application for requesting Instagram verification, it will be necessary to take the following steps: first, you must go to your profile and tap on the three dots which appear in the upper right-hand part of the screen, then tap on the gear icon which provides access to Settings. Then you'll have to select Account, after which you would choose Request Verification. Then you'll have to enter your full name and username, upload an image of an ID which has been issued by a government agency, and then submit your request.

Staying safe on Facebook

There are a number of steps you can take to stay safe and secure on Facebook, thereby protecting yourself, your account, and all of your loyal following while on the platform. First of all, you can turn on two-factor authentication, thus adding an additional layer of security which your account can avail itself of. When you encounter spam or any kind of abusive content, it should be reported to Facebook.If you run into any unsolicited or unwanted comments while logged on, these should be either deleted completely or hidden. When you discover an impostor account, it should be immediately reported to Facebook so that appropriate measures can be taken. You also have the option of filtering out any unwanted phrases or words when moderating comments.At your option, you can receive alerts such as notifications when there are unrecognized logins. It's also a good idea to use Facebook tools so as to manage your time, thereby giving yourself more control over the time you spend on the platform, as well as having an additional way of limiting notifications.

Stay safe on Instagram

It's just as important that you follow similar steps to make yourself and your account safe while logged onto Instagram. In the same way that you enabled two-factor authentication on Facebook, you can invoke that extra layer of security on Instagram as well for your account. Take the time to learn how to report an undesirable post, or an account which seems to be abusive.

You will have the option of filtering out comments that you don't want appearing in any of your posts, by using comment moderation. You can also turn off comments entirely if you choose to. When you discover an impostor account during your platform usage, this should be reported immediately to Facebook so that appropriate measures can be followed up on. You should also take control over how much time you spend on the platform, and limit the number of notifications which you receive, so they don't become excessive and take on the nature of spam.

Applications for verification

Again, keep in mind that when you apply for verification to Facebook or Instagram, there's no guarantee that your request will be approved, and it will in fact, be reviewed by teams associated with each of those platforms. You should also be prepared for the possibility that your request will be declined, because unless you're a public figure, the likelihood of approval is not really all that high.Remember that one of the criteria for approval is that you must be one of the most searched-for entities on the platform, and that does not bode well for individuals who have a relatively quiet existence on the platform. In any case, you have your best chance of being approved for verification by following the guidelines listed above, and by remaining in compliance with the Terms of Service for each of these platforms.