Meta to Test a Paid Subscription Service for Facebook and Instagram

On Feb. 19, 2023, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, announced plans to roll out a paid subscription service for Facebook and Instagram.

The move, which Zuckerberg said is aimed at “increasing authenticity and security across our services,” will give users a hallowed blue check for a monthly fee.

The paid subscription service, mostly geared toward helping content creators grow and build their community, also grants impersonation protection, direct access to customer support, increased visibility, and more.

The Meta subscription service will be tested in New Zealand and Australia first and then rolled out in other countries in the coming weeks.

The new Meta subscription service, Meta Verified, will charge users $11.99 a month for the web and $14.99 for usage on Apple’s iOS and Android, and the fee will cover both Facebook and Instagram accounts.

To subscribe to the blue badge, users must verify their account with a government-issued ID matching the profile name on their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Subscribers to Meta Verified can only use their legal names on their profile pages. Those who already have Meta verified accounts will be able to keep them for now without an additional charge, but they may be charged in the future.

Meta’s subscription service comes after Twitter announced its own Twitter Blue verification system for $11 a month.

With Meta verification, a user will get direct access to customer support whenever needed, extra protection from impersonators who may target people with large audiences, and increased reach to help influencers and creators establish themselves. Plus, additional features to help build their online community faster, with a focus on search fields, comments, and content recommendations.

If you’re wondering if Meta verification is worth it, Mark Zuckerberg said that direct access to live account support would “cost a significant amount of money,” which will be covered by the monthly subscription revenue.

Meta will also gift verified subscribers 100 free stars, a digital currency that can be used to tip other creators on Facebook.

The past year and a half have been tumultuous for Meta, with the company searching for ways to cut costs and find new income streams. In October 2022, Meta shares plummeted by 20 percent after investors were informed that the company forecasted another drop in revenue for the fourth quarter. Following the news and a recent trend of big tech layoffs, Meta laid off over 11,000 employees in November 2022.

Despite heavily investing in the metaverse, Meta shares of the company’s stock have significantly dropped since the record highs of September 2021.

Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion. To learn more about Meta Verified, follow Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Channel on Instagram.