Meta Verified. The blue checkmark that people once longed for on social media is now simply a $45 purchase away. We have had multiple small business owners reach out to us asking if Meta Verified was worth the money, and if it could increase their reach. So we tested it. Here’s why we think Meta Verified is a scam and how other marketing initiatives are a better use of your money.
What is Meta Verified?
Meta Verified is a paid subscription where you will receive the “verified” badge (the blue checkmark), along with other features exclusive to this subscription. This is available on both Facebook and Instagram (as well as WhatsApp).
Levels of Meta Verified
There are 5 different levels of the subscription. We specifically chose the Business Plus plan because of the features we were supposed to receive (key words are supposed to).
With the Business Plus plan for Instagram and Facebook we were promised:
- Verified Badge (blue checkmark)
- Impersonation protection: When Vivian signed up she was sent an email that instructed her to set up 2 step authentication on the accounts. We believe this is all that we got for this feature.
- Meta Verified Support: Because of the level of plan we purchased, we were offered a higher level of support where we could “get issues resolved more quickly”. This was not our experience.
- Enhanced profile: We were supposed to be able to add images to our bio links. We were also supposed to be able to feature top business addresses and multiple Facebook Pages and/or Instagram accounts in our profile. While we cannot speak on the business addresses or multiple accounts because we only have one account, we were never able to add images to our bio links.
- Search Optimization: Appear near or at the top of search results. Interesting that the Meta page now has a (coming soon) next to this feature. It did not before.
- Links in Reels: We were supposed to be able to add 2 links to reels every month. We never got access to this feature.
- Featured Account: Your business will have the opportunity to be a featured account in feed. We have no way of knowing if this ever happened.
Our Experience with Meta Verified
We really wanted this to be a good investment. If we could have found a new way to help small business owners increase their visibility on social media, then we would have shared the good news with everyone. However, we didn’t even get access to the features we were promised and were most excited to try out.
Vivian and I quickly noticed that we didn’t have access to the links in reels feature and the adding images to bio links feature. Not only that, but we didn’t notice any change in our visibility across the two platforms. Yes, we are experiencing growth on our Facebook and Instagram – but that is due to the effort we are putting into showing up on social media. We have seen consistent growth over the past few months, in a trend that we can actually track.
We did notice about a 1,000 views increase in January. So like any good marketers, we tried to pinpoint where this visibility increase came from. By analyzing our analytics we were able to trace a significant amount of that increase to a specific story series we did highlighting small businesses in our local area. Accounting for our growth trend, there is a possibility that Meta Verified boosted our visibility by maybe 200 views. But we are not inclined to believe that based on the rest of our experience.
On January 8, I reached out to their support team. We did experience a “higher level” of support, because we did have people reach back out to us quickly. However, the issue was never resolved. After speaking with 8 different customer support representatives, sending multiple photos and videos, and sharing the same information over and over – we still never got access to these features.
At the end of January, we decided to cancel our subscription. While cancelling the subscription, Meta offered us a free month and asked for feedback as to why we were cancelling the plan. Vivian explained our lack of access to key features – and yet nothing changed. Sure, we got a free month of Meta Verified, but it still didn’t include the links in reels feature or the images for bio links feature we wanted access to.
Full disclosure: the last time I was contacted by Meta support about the issue was Feb 14 – halfway through our free month. During this time I had to explain over and over again what issues we were having. What was the point of asking for feedback if you’re not going to look into the problems we’re dealing with?
Is Meta Verified Worth It?
Who knows! It might be worth the money if you actually got access to the features promised, but we wouldn’t know.
When Vivian purchased the Business Plus plan in January she paid $71.99 for both Facebook and Instagram. As of Feb 20, 2025, the prices on the Meta website say $44.99 for each. We were given a discount of $7 for getting both platforms when we purchased the subscription in January. That means it would now cost (if they keep the $7 discount) $83 a month for both Facebook and Instagram. What’s with the price jump in a single month?
We did not experience anything that was promised to us, did not see any increased visibility, and had to spend countless hours trying to get someone to fix our issues. Small business owners would have a better experience simply purchasing a digital ad then trying to become Meta Verified.
What Should Small Businesses Do Instead?
There are 19 marketing channels for you to choose from. Instead of spending money on this (now) $83 rip off – find a marketing initiative that works for your business.
If you are looking for a way to grow on social media specifically, then you might want to consider Meta ads. At least that way you can easily track your metrics, change your target audience, and design your copy. It would probably come out cheaper as well.
Simply showing up on social media can make a huge difference. Staying consistent with your content and sharing quality content that your target audience actually wants to see are the key to social media marketing success.
We are big supporters of email marketing, especially if you are beginning to feel fed up with social media marketing. When you move people off of these other platforms and onto your email list, you are giving yourself control. Control over how often you communicate, what you share with each segment of your audience, and more.
There are so many different ways you can market your small business, but we do not believe Meta Verified is the tool to do it. Have you purchased a subscription? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
About The Author
Vivian & Chelsea
The Seasoned Marketer is a sister duo, Vivian and Chelsea, who both became marketing professionals. With a combined 15+ years of experience in the marketing field, they decided to share their knowledge specifically with small business owners who want to keep their marketing in-house but just need a little help.
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