How to get verified on social media platforms with fewer than 10
Social media is a powerful tool for businesses to reach their target audiences, but getting started can be tricky. Many popular sites require users to verify their identity before they can use their services, whether that’s with a government ID, a verifiable email address or something similar.
In some cases, social media sites only verify certain types of accounts — usually those that they can monetize with advertising more easily — and block others from using the site unless the user provides them with another form of verification. While these might seem like arbitrary rules meant to keep undesirable users away from their networks, there are good reasons for these restrictions.
Here are our top tips for getting verified on sites like Facebook and Instagram when you have less than 10 friends.
Facebook’s restrictions around account verification are pretty simple: you can only get verified if you have a government-issued ID. No other form of ID is accepted, and getting a new one specifically for Facebook is not only time consuming, but can also be expensive.
If you’re a business owner or influencer with a verified account, you can help your less fortunate friends get verified by adding them as an admin to your page. You should be able to get a verification code for them to input, and after they do, they can add you as an admin so you can make changes to their page if needed.
If you’re not verified yourself, you can contact the page owner to see if they can get you verified. Though you might have to wait for them to get a code for themselves first, it’s worth the wait — Facebook can be a powerful tool for spreading your message.
Like Facebook, Instagram only verifies government-issued IDs for account verification. However, you can only get verified if you have a government-issued ID that matches the name you use on the platform.
If you’re trying to get verified yourself, you’re better off getting a new ID than trying to log in with one that doesn’t match your account name. You can use a fake name on social media, but if you don’t have an ID to prove that it’s your real name, you’ll be limited in how you use the platform.
If you’re trying to help a less fortunate friend get verified, you can’t get a verification code for them. Instead, you’ll have to send them the link and let them try to get verified themselves. Keep in mind that they might not be able to log in with their name if it doesn’t match the ID they use to apply for verification.
Unlike Facebook and Instagram, Twitter doesn’t require government-issued IDs for verification. Instead, it uses email addresses to verify account identities. And since emails are fairly easy to fake, Twitter also has some additional restrictions in place.
Twitter’s verification system looks for email addresses from Google, Yahoo, Outlook and AOL, but it will also accept custom domains, as long as someone has verified that email with that domain.
Unfortunately, if you don’t have friends who fit these criteria, there’s not much you can do to get yourself verified. You can try sending emails to other verified Twitter users asking if they’d be willing to help you out, but you might have a harder time than you would on other platforms.
Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the trickiest social networks to get verified on, since it doesn’t accept government IDs for verification. Instead, it uses phone numbers to verify your identity, with a few extra restrictions.
First, Snapchat requires you to use a phone number that’s tied to a mobile plan with a valid address in the country you live in. It also requires you to add the last four digits of your phone number as a secret passcode in your account settings.
If you try to add a friend and they don’t have the last four digits of their phone number saved as a passcode, they won’t be able to add you. The only exception is if you’re verified yourself and you’re adding someone with a verified account.
YouTube
Getting verified on YouTube is a lot like getting verified on Twitter: you have to have an email address from Google and be willing to verify that email address.
Unfortunately, you can’t get a friend to help you out with this one. There is, however, one way you can get around this restriction: buy a domain name and use that as your email address.
You’ll probably have to pay a small fee to register the domain, but it’s a lot cheaper than paying for an email address from Google. Once you have the domain name, use the Google verification process to link it to your YouTube account. YouTube won’t know the difference.
Skype and Microsoft Accounts
If you’re trying to get verified on Skype or a Microsoft account, you won’t be able to use a fake email address. Instead, Skype and Microsoft require you to use an email address that’s tied to a verified Microsoft account.
This might not seem like a big deal, but it means you can only get verified with the help of someone who already has access to their Microsoft account. Most of us only have a few friends who fit that description, but if you try to get verified and they don’t want to give you access to their email address, you’re out of luck.
Getting verified on social media is a great way to grow your audience and make new connections. However, it can be tricky if you don’t have any friends who can help you out. It’s important to remember to stay positive and don’t give up if you don’t get verified right away.
People can change their email addresses, so you might be able to get someone’s email verification code even if they don’t have it saved in their account. And if you’ve given up on getting verified, you can still focus on growing your audience by sharing your posts with people who don’t need to see them.
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