Article summary
- Twitter is working out a new subscription plan that will allow small businesses to get verified on the platform at a lower cost.
- This is coming amidst complaints that the $1,000 per month subscription fee for businesses is too high.
- Musk, however, did not reveal when this small business subscription package will be rolled out.
Twitter owner, Elon Musk, has said that the company will soon come up with lower charges for small businesses that want to get verified on the platform. This is coming in response to complaints by Twitter users that the $ 1,000-a-month subscription fee for businesses is too high.
Reacting to the complaints, Musk said the $1,000 charge will be for ‘large’ businesses, adding that the company is working out lower charges for small businesses. He, however, did not disclose how much small businesses will be charged to get the gold tick on Twitter.
He said Twitter would also be very careful in verifying businesses to avoid verifying fraudulent businesses.
Lower cost
Clarifying that the $1,000 per month subscription is for big businesses, Musk in a tweet responding to complaints on the platform said:
“We will have a lower cost tier for small businesses but need to manage the onboarding of organizations carefully to prevent fraud. The $1000/month is meant for larger organizations.”
While several businesses have been stripped of their verification badge in April, Musk is encouraging them to pay in order to get verified again. The high cost has, however, kept many back. It is unclear yet when the subscription cost for small businesses will be rolled out and what criteria Twitter will use to determine a small business.
Nigerian businesses to pay N460,500 a month
Twitter had earlier announced that Nigerian businesses that want to get the verified badge on the platform will have to pay s sum of N460,500 every month. In addition, the organizations will also pay an extra N23,030 monthly for each business or individual affiliated with them to get verified.
While the prices vary from country to country, Twitter said they are subject to change.
The verification for business which gives a gold badge became available globally Friday, March 31, 2023. And this was followed with the removal of all legacy blue ticks in April.
What it means to be a Verified Organization
Explaining the new verification plan for businesses, Twitter said:
- “Verified Organization is a new way for organizations and their affiliates to distinguish themselves on Twitter. Rather than relying on Twitter to be the sole arbiter of truth for which accounts should be verified, vetted organizations that sign up for Verified Organizations are in full control of vetting and verifying accounts they’re affiliated with.
- “Accounts affiliated with the organization will receive an affiliate badge on their profile with the organization’s logo, and will be featured on the organization’s Twitter profile, indicating their affiliation. All organizations are vetted before they can join Verified Organizations.
- “We’ve already seen organizations, including sports teams, news organizations, financial firms, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profits join Verified Organizations and list their affiliated accounts publicly on their profiles. And starting today, Verified Organizations are available globally. We are now sending email invitations to approved organizations from the waitlist.”