If you’re using TikTok to build your personal brand or business, it’s worth figuring out how to get verified on TikTok. After all, the social media app has over 1.5 billion active users a month. That’s a huge potential audience to get in front of.
Verified TikTok accounts benefit from brand protection and extra street cred. A blue check verification badge is basically a stamp of approval from TikTok and helps you stand out in users’ feeds.
To find out the best ways to help you get verified, we interviewed Marissa Mast, Social Media Consultant. Keep reading for all of her expert tips below.
What is TikTok verification?
Like other social platforms, getting verified on TikTok means having a blue checkmark on your account. The checkmark signifies that TikTok has confirmed that the account belongs to the business or figure it represents.
Verification badges are displayed beside an account’s name on profile pages, feeds, comments, and search results.
Source: @tiktok
TikTok verification is usually reserved for celebrities, brands, non-profits, and public figures, as they’re often the biggest targets for impersonation. However, you don’t need to be extremely famous to get verified on TikTok — many accounts of all sizes have earned the verification badge.
Source: @take3
Read on to learn the essential tips for getting verified on TikTok, or watch this tutorial:
5 requirements to get verified on TikTok
According to TikTok, there are five criteria that you must fulfill before they consider your verification request.
- Be active: You must have logged into TikTok within the last six months. This period is just a minimum — you should be posting and engaging actively to give yourself the best chance of getting verified.
- Authentic: Your account must represent a real business, person, or organization. As such, your username should be the same as or similar to your business name and your email domain. Typically, TikTok only verifies one account per business unless in exceptional cases (such as having multiple regional or language-specific accounts).
- Complete profile: Your TikTok account must be filled out with a name, bio text, and profile photo. Your account must be public and have at least one post published.
- Notable: This is perhaps the most crucial criterion: Your business or brand has to have been featured in multiple pieces from established news sources. These news and media pieces help verify the notability of your business. Though, press releases and paid media placements don’t count.
- Secure: To prevent fraud and hacking attempts, your account must be secured with 2-factor authentication and a validated, verified email address.
How to get verified on TikTok [on mobile and desktop]
In the past, TikTok had its own secret verification system. Staff would manually choose which accounts to verify based on having high-quality and popular videos.
Now, TikTok users can request verification themselves. Note: this feature is still rolling out worldwide and may or may not appear for all users.
How to request TikTok verification on mobile
In the TikTok app, tap Profile in the bottom right corner, then tap the Menu button at the top right.
Tap Settings and privacy.
Tap Account.
From here, tap Verification.
Finally, follow the steps in the app to request verification.
Note:
- If you’re registered as a Business Account, you can only apply for business verification.
- If you’re registered as a Personal Account, you can apply for personal and institutional verifications.
- If you’re registered as a Government, Politician, or Political Party Account (GPPPA), you can only apply for institutional verification.
How to request TikTok verification on desktop
If you cannot request verification through the mobile app, you can submit your request through this online form.
Source: TikTok
In the attachments section, we recommend uploading at least four examples of media coverage and proof of verification on other platforms.
Source: TikTok
Once your application is submitted, TikTok may take up to 30 days to review your request. If TikTok denies your request, they will provide feedback to explain why. You can re-apply for verification 30 days after you receive the feedback.
Mast, who has helped multiple sports teams and athletes get verified, shares this advice: “If your initial verification request is denied, don’t get discouraged. Keep creating high-quality content, engage with your audience, and try again in 30 days.”
Why is TikTok verification important?
Mast summarizes the benefits: “Verification on TikTok enhances your credibility, protects your brand, and helps you stand out in the crowded social media management landscape.”
We’ll unpack all her points below.
Protection against impersonation
Unfortunately, large and popular accounts are often the targets of impersonation. Some impersonators will create copycat accounts to gain follower count, or more nefarious ones will try to lure your fans into scams by posing as you.
A blue check will help your audience discern your account from fake, fan-made, or parody accounts and give you better access to reporting fake accounts.
Access to new features
Sometimes, TikTok gives verified accounts early access to new features before they’re available to the public. Having beta access to these features can give you a head start on learning how to best use them for your content creation and an edge over your competitors.
Boosts your trustworthiness
Having a verified account gives you extra credibility.
If you’re selling products or services, looking to get partnerships, or otherwise trying to monetize your TikTok, users and potential collaborators know they can trust the real person behind the account as a legitimate business.
Build trust with your audience by showcasing your authority and authenticity. The blue tick signals that you are the real deal — someone users can rely on.
Exposure & engagement
Being verified boosts your visibility by making your profile stand out in comments, search results, and feeds.
Because verified accounts are often prioritized in TikTok’s algorithms, they can drive higher content engagement. You’ll also see more exposure through trending hashtags that help your posts get discovered, too.
Potential audience growth
While there’s no confirmed evidence that being verified increases your chances of landing on the FYP, the blue checkmark does give you a certain amount of street cred.
With more exposure and visibility in the comments, TikTok users are likelier to check out your profile and hit the follow button if your content aligns with their interests.
1. Focus on quality content
Creating high-quality content is essential to building and retaining a solid following on TikTok. When you become known for a specific niche or style, attracting and growing an engaged audience is more effortless.
Many content creators and influencers have achieved notability (and gotten verified) by building a brand on TikTok alone.
Source: @jesken12
Jessica Kent was a former prison inmate who grew her TikTok by transparently sharing her experiences behind bars and regaining custody of her first child.
If you’re looking for inspiration, here are 26 TikTok content ideas to get you started.
2. Get on the FYP
Getting on TikTok’s “For You” page can significantly boost your followers and viewers and put you on TikTok’s radar. High activity and engagement are two of the critical metrics that TikTok looks for when verifying accounts, so going viral checks those boxes nicely.
While there isn’t a set formula for going viral on TikTok, you can do some strategic things to give your content the best chance with the TikTok algorithm. Here’s a quick summary:
- Create share-worthy content. Shares are one of the strongest signals for the algorithm and will help boost your reach.
- Encourage comments. Share a controversial tag, sprinkle easter eggs in your TikTok videos, or add a CTA in the video or caption. Engagement is an essential factor for the TikTok algorithm.
- Use a strong hook and keep it short. Watch time is a serious factor for the TikTok algorithm. So, you need to stop a user from scrolling away from your video in the first three seconds and motivate them to watch the whole video.
- Lean into TikTok trends. Whether it’s a trending sound, song, challenge, dance, or hashtag, riding the hype of a trend will give you a natural boost in views.
Read our complete guide for how to go viral on TikTok.
3. Post consistently
If you want to grow a brand on any social media platform, it generally means posting engaging content daily. While there’s no minimum follower requirement to get verified, TikTok wants its creators to constantly post new content to fuel its content feeds and keep users returning to the platform.
TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times a day — enough to overwhelm even a full-time creator. If you like to batch-create content and schedule posts ahead of time, a tool like Hootsuite can help you do that.
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4. Get verified on other platforms
Social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter also allow you to apply for verification. And once you’ve been approved on one platform, you’re far more likely to be verified on another.
Each platform has their own sets of criteria for granting verification:
- Facebook: The account owner must be an authentic, official representative of a brand or business.
- X (formerly Twitter): Must subscribe to X premium and meet basic eligibility requirements (complete profile, active, verified phone number).
- Instagram: There are two verification process methods. Traditional verification is reserved for notable brands/creators likely to be impersonated. The second is Meta Verified, which involves signing up for a paid subscription and satisfying some basic criteria.
PSA: Given that you can now pay for blue checkmarks on Twitter and Facebook/Instagram (through Meta Verified), TikTok may not weigh them as heavily.
However, it can’t hurt to show you’ve jumped through the same hoops on other platforms when applying for TikTok verification!
5. Have a TikTok Creator Manager/advertising contact
While there’s no way to pay for TikTok verification, it may help if you’re already spending money on the platform. If you’ve run ad campaigns on TikTok, chances are you have an account manager. Before starting the TikTok verification process, ask your rep if they can help expedite your application.
According to this Redditor, they got verified after building a relationship with TikTok’s creator partnerships team.
6. Get media coverage
Submitting media coverage is a required part of the TikTok verification application to demonstrate the “notability” of your account.
“For all the accounts I’ve gotten verified, I’ve always included numerous written publications about the individuals or organizations,” says Mast.
When Mast helped American football athlete J.J. Watt get verified, Watts had been featured in media outlets like Forbes and ESPN.
Source: Forbes
7. Build a presence outside of social media
To prove an account’s notability, you must show that the business has built a reputation beyond TikTok or other social media platforms.
For example, many creators become public speakers at conferences, TEDx talks, universities, and other public events.
Some creators also found their own businesses or podcasts. It’s helpful to include references to all of these ventures in your verification application.
8. Respect the guidelines
Your account needs to be in good standing when submitting a request for verification.
Generally, avoid using words or topics that could violate TikTok’s community guidelines or lead to reports. A history of guideline violations or flagged posts may hurt your chances of approval.
FAQs about TikTok verification
How many followers do you need to get verified on TikTok?
There is no minimum number of followers required to be verified. TikTok says they do not consider an account’s total likes or followers when granting verifications.
How much does it cost to get verified on TikTok?
It doesn’t cost anything to get verified on TikTok. In other words, buying or paying for verification is not possible. Don’t use apps or websites that promise verification in exchange for money — it’s a scam!
Can TikTok remove your verification?
Yes, TikTok can remove verification at any time. Some reasons for removing verification include:
- Violating TikTok’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service
- Misrepresenting any of the criteria that were required to get verified
- Transferring the account to another owner
- Changing your username
- Changing the account type
Can you request to remove your TikTok verification?
No, it’s not possible to request TikTok to remove your verification.
How long does it take to get verified on TikTok?
It can take up to 30 days for your verification request to be reviewed and granted.
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