Should you pay for Twitter Blue?

“What should we do about Twitter Blue?”

That’s the most frequent question put to our Social & Insights team as Twitter moves forward with the next stage of its subscription revenue plan.

With legacy checkmarks now revoked, users and brands alike are questioning whether it’s time to fork out for a shiny new tick on the platform. 

These legacy ticks – or verification badges – were awarded for free under Twitter’s previous management, and are now a pawn in owner and Chief Executive Elon Musk’s plan to drive some serious revenue to the company.

The clock is ticking 

To hit its target of bringing in 50% of Twitter’s total income, Twitter Blue needs 24 million users to sign up. However, the latest metrics show that so far only 0.2% of Twitter users are paying a subscription fee.

A tick was previously a symbol of prestige, status and celebrity. But if users can just buy one, it arguably loses the very thing that once made the checkmark so special: exclusivity.

Legacy checkmarks were removed from the platform on 20 April 2023, hoping to drive user sign-up for its pay-to-play feature. But what is Twitter doing to attract subscribers to this model? And, more importantly, should your business consider becoming one of them?

New ticks: what you need to know

Under the new system, there are three ticks to look out for.

• Twitter Blue gives individuals on the platform a blue tick.
• Verification for Organisations equips brands with a gold checkmark, a square profile image and a brand logo icon. 
• Verification for Government assigns a grey checkmark to government-affiliated accounts only.

What are the benefits of subscribing?

• For $8 a month, Twitter Blue subscribers have access to 10,000 character-long tweets and they can use text formatting options like bold and italics in their posts.
• Twitter has promised that subscribers will see approximately twice as many organic or non-promoted Tweets – placed between promoted Tweets or ads – on both their “for you” page and their “following” page. Find out more about Musk’s ad-related plans on the app.
• Twitter is gearing up to prioritise replies from its Blue Subscribers. This update will give users more reach and exposure within reply chains, which will also see non-paying users downranked if they have no connection to the posting account. [Image link]

For $1,000 a month, Verification for Organisations gives you the benefits of Twitter Blue, plus:

• A shiny gold checkmark
• Twitter Blue for your employees or other affiliated accounts (for an extra $50 per month)
• Priority support from Twitter staff 
• A new dashboard to manage your brand account

So, should you pay up?

While the tick could protect brand identities in the app, we expect the take-up to be minimal. As mentioned earlier, the value of the tick has likely been eroded by Musk’s pay-to-access premium on the app. 

Our Social & Insights team is keeping a close eye on the value that Twitter Blue can have for individuals and businesses. 

“The blue tick used to symbolise trust and prominence on the platform, something that is still hugely important to brands on social media. And for some accounts that verification checkmark will be worth any price tag”, says Richard Wellings, Head of Social & Insights at Formative.

“The subscription fee is something to consider in your social strategy, but its value will depend on your brand’s audiences, the content you publish and how much you use the Twitter platform.”

Our advice? For most B2B marketers, we’d say wait it out. If the uptake is low, Twitter may be forced to re-evaluate its offering for businesses and put together a service that works to justify the $1,000 monthly fee.

How can Twitter and other social platforms elevate your content marketing strategy? Get in touch with alex.gray@formativecontent.com to find out more.

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About the author: Megan Jones is a Social Coordinator at Formative Content. Connect with Meg on LinkedIn here.