Twitter’s $1,000 cap will be free for the 10,000 most followed companies

It seems that some companies may not need to pay Twitter $1,000 a month for the privilege of keeping their verified status and checkmarks. Twitter is giving a free pass to the 500 advertisers who spend the most on the platform, as well as the top 1[ads1]0,000 organizations by number of followers, according to a report from New York Times.

The decision comes as Twitter prepares to make major changes to the way verification works on Twitter. It is said to begin phasing out the older verified program in April and announced plans to Twitter verification for organizations. The latter is intended to allow companies willing to pay $1,000 a month to retain their verification, as well as designate specific accounts as “affiliated.”

For example, a newsroom that The Verge could verify the journalists who work for it and prove that the person reaching out for an interview actually works there. (Though to state this clearly, Vox Media currently has no plans to do this.) Brands can also use it to verify associated accounts; Twitter currently does this with its Twitter support and Twitter blue accounts.

That feature doesn’t come cheap, though. In addition to $1,000 per month for Organization Verification, you also have to pay $50 per month for each linked account. The price can increase quickly.

Twitter offering at least part of that package for free to advertisers and organizations with large followings could help prevent the sharp price increase in verification from affecting the Twitter community too much. People who use the service as a source of information want to know that it’s actually coming from a verified account, and it sounds like many of the big players won’t lose their chins, even if they don’t want to go over. $12,000 a year to Twitter.

It’s also obviously an olive branch for advertisers whose relationship with Twitter has been strained of late. Twitter’s ad revenue has reportedly fallen sharply since Elon Musk’s takeover, as major ad firms have warned clients to be wary of it. It’s very possible that a $1,000 monthly bill could be the last straw for many advertisers, but if Twitter offers it for free, they don’t have to make that decision.

However, it can make it harder for new companies to build an audience on the platform, as they either have to compete with brands that are verified when they’re not, or cough up $1,000 a month to get the brand as well.

Brands are some of the most vulnerable to impersonation, as we saw from the wave of fake accounts that appeared when Twitter Blue verification first launched, allowing people to buy a blue tick. Twitter has put some railings in place in an effort to prevent it from happening again – if you change your profile picture, display name or @ handle, you’ll temporarily lose your chin until Twitter reviews your profile to make sure you’re not breaking its anti-impersonation rules.

But as Twitter prepares to remove the “legacy” badges of both individuals and institutions unless they start paying for Blue or Verification for Organizations, impersonators and other bad actors will almost certainly test these security systems. There are many people we are used to seeing with blue or gold ticks next to their names, such as New York TimesThe White House or LeBron James.

If they choose not to pay for a tick mark, there is an opportunity for pranksters and scammers to create an account that at first glance looks more official than the real one. For the companies that Twitter is particularly interested in protecting, it sounds like there won’t be much of a concern.