In March 2023, Meta introduced Meta Verified, offering Instagram and Facebook users the chance to gain the coveted blue check mark for a monthly fee.

At the time, I listed the criteria for applying:

• It costs $14.99 per month. Once I clicked the “Subscribe” button, it processed the subscription through my App Store account.  

• You need your ID handy. Once you opt in, Meta asks to confirm your identity. I uploaded the front and back of my drivers license but could have used a passport, national ID card or state ID. The verification process can take up to 48 hours but mine took about 45 minutes.

• Your Instagram name has to match your ID. The first and last name associated with your account has to match the ID you submit. This one’s going to be tricky with nicknames, English translations or people who signed up before changing their birth names so I foresee Instagram having to be more flexible around identity verification.

• It’s for individuals. Since you have to verify your identity, your account has to be tied to your name, not a business name. However, Meta has since come out with an option for businesses.

• Your profile photo and username are locked in. Once you’re Meta Verified, you can’t make changes without going through another verification process — make sure that avatar is a good one!

• You need to enable two-factor authentication to go through the process. There’s no way to opt out.

Fast forward to 2024, and I just 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 OF META VERIFIED

"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 OF META VERIFIED

“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.