by According to a new report from The Information, Twitter is considering charging businesses and brands $1,000 to maintain gold verification checkmarks on the platform.(Opens in a new window) It was announced Friday afternoon. On internal documentation obtained by the point of sale, Twitter will also charge an additional $50 for each linked account. For companies that want to keep their verification, $12,000 a year is a costly replacement for a feature that was previously a free tool used to prevent bad actors from impersonating.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra the first to indicate this price change(Opens in a new window) and his tweets align with The Information’s report. There is no set date for this move, as pricing is still in the final stages and is subject to change. Musk originally planned a $19.99/month subscription for Twitter Blue before charging users $8 per month for Twitter Blue, before lowering the price after backlash, so there’s a price change precedent.
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The gold checkmark is a newly added feature to Twitter that rolled out as “Verified for Organizations” (formerly Blue for Business) in December. This was part of Twitter Blue’s sitewide relaunch after its disastrous debut in November alienated and removed many brands from the platform over impersonation concerns. The initial Twitter Blue launch allowed anyone willing to pay $8 to be verified, opening the door for many users to tweet on behalf of companies and government officials without requiring any identity checks.
Surprise? Elon Musk’s $8 Twitter Blue hasn’t made much money so far.
Twitter did not officially disclose the policy and did not immediately respond to Mashable’s request for comment. If the plan goes ahead, it would be an unsurprising move for the platform since Elon Musk took over last year. Musk stated that he would look for ways to monetize the application before purchasing Twitter. Taking a concept to ensure validity and charging a deck for it fits Musk’s model. Musk has sought to increase revenue through other means, including mass layoffs, banning third-party APIs for not generating ad revenue, and the possible introduction of a costly, ad-free Twitter Blue subscription tier.
Additionally, Musk stated that Twitter is looking to compensate creators through features like Coins and a creator fund. However, in his current form, Musk may not yet be in the financial position to deliver on his promises. Maybe $1000 a month from businesses will help.
