Twitter apparently now requires all advertisers to have a verified tick

As Twitter’s old blue tick system finally comes to an end, the social network’s new paid verification system is causing more than a little chaos, with CEO Elon Musk himself stepping in to pay for some celebrities’ verification when they refuse to do so. .

However, another small nugget to emerge from today’s carnage is that anyone looking to advertise on Twitter will now apparently have to have a verified account.

Several Twitter usersincluding social media guru Matt Navarreposted screenshots of an email allegedly sent by Twitter stating that starting April 21 (today), verified checkmarks are required to continue serving ads on the platform.

The email reads:

Building a better Twitter through verification

Good morning!

Starting April 21, your @account must have a verified check mark or subscribe to Twitter Blue or Verified Organizations to continue serving ads on Twitter. Business accounts spending more than $1,000 per month already have gold checks or soon will, and they will continue to have uninterrupted access to advertising for the time being.

This change aligns with Twitter’s broader verification strategy: to improve the quality of content on Twitter and improve your experience as a user and advertiser. This approach also supports our ongoing efforts to reduce fraudulent accounts and bots.

Subscribing to one of these services means you have been verified by Twitter as a real person and/or business.

Among other features, you’ll have a more visible organic presence and a wider range of creative tools. We’re glad you’re getting started and enjoying a superior Twitter experience.

For Twitter Blue, sign up here.

For verified organizations, apply here.

While Musk has pushed subscriptions as the main driver of money as advertisers have fled the platform, it’s clear that Twitter still wants (and needs) ad dollars. The platform’s top advertisers, those who spend $1,000 a month, already get an official gold tick freeindicating that it is an official business account.

There’s nothing official on Twitter yet. ad account pages to indicate that only verified accounts will be able to advertise, but it makes sense to require verification for advertisers if it reduces spam or deters other malicious actors from the platform. However, for this to be properly effective, it would surely require tight control beyond the requirement of a credit card and phone number, while the $8 monthly fee is not a major hurdle. in itself.

Going forward, it looks like anyone who wants to post an ad or promote a tweet will have to pay $8/month for Twitter Blue, or $1,000 a month to be recognized as a verified organization. An exception here will likely be accounts with a gray tick, which are reserved for official government accounts and related accounts, such as agencies, embassies, parliaments, etc.

In any case, it’s hard to see how this move will do anything other than deter ad spending on Twitter.

TechCrunch has reached out to Twitter for comment, but as of this writing, we’ve yet to hear back (aside from the usual poop emoji, of course).