Everyone wants the status, but are you willing to work for it?

Photo: Unsplash.

Why do you want to be verified? What would you get out of it? Is it because you believe verified accounts have lots of followers? Is it because verified accounts allegedly generate a ton of traffic to your business that translates into money? Is it because you want to be famous?

Well, it could be that you want some of these things. But they’re not the real reason you want social media to verify you. Here’s what I think:

You want to be verified on social media because you want to have your voice heard.

Verified people shape our way of thinking. They’re our celebrities, our government officials, our artists. They’re verified because we care about what they want to say.

Should we care about what you have to say? As it stands now, you probably only want to be verified, but you don’t have a solid reason to become verified.

Let’s explore your options.

Do Something Profound

Can you do something incredible? If you do, and people get excited, you would probably get verified on social media. You don’t even need lots of followers — they’ll come on their own once the internet makes sure every person on the planet knows about what you did.

I make it sound so easy, right? Just do something incredible. It’s not as easy as it sounds, unfortunately, or I’d already be verified myself.

The thing is, you need to gather attention. A verified account is only a service social media networks give the public to quickly find the people they admire. It’s not about you. It’s about them.

Do something profound and make them want to find you.

But what could you do?

Join a Company With Verified Employees

Getting hired by a company with public employees means you’re probably going to participate in events with the public. For example, most of the CollegeHumor cast members are verified on Twitter. CEOs on Twitter are also verified.

Could you be an actor? Could you be a CEO?

I’m neither, though working as a writer for CollegeHumor would have been something I would grab immediately if the opportunity presented itself.

And again, I make it sound easy. It’s not. Every CEO of a company known enough to be verified on social media is a busy, busy person. And trust me, their verified status is probably on their lowest priority on the daily agenda, if at all.

In general, actors are also super busy with filming days and preparation and basically having tons on their plate.

Are you prepared for such a life?

Create Something and Stick With It

So you need to do something profound, and you can’t become part of something existing, like being the CEO of a company or joining somewhere where the employees have a strong social media presence.

Create something — anything.

But don’t just say, “OK, here’s this meme I made, now make me verified.” No, that’s not how this works.

You need to keep creating and attracting people who are so into what you make to bring other people into what you make. Suddenly, one day, you have a thirsty crowd waiting for your creations.

Is it music? Is it writing? Is it paper ducks with distinctive Chinese markings? Make them something new that they can’t find anywhere else.

You’re probably telling yourself, Well, this sounds easier said than done, too.

This time, I’m not teasing you. Here, I’ll give you a super-easy way to create something unique that people can’t get anywhere else — your voice.

Yeah, we circle back to the reason we started this whole article. You want to be verified because you want to be heard. So talk. Make yourself heard.

Your creator’s voice is born of whatever you choose to bring into the world. Will you sing? Will you write essays like this one? Will you make podcasts? Will you write books? Will you film videos?

It’s up to you. Choose whatever it is that you feel comfortable with, and keep at it. If you write, keep writing. If you sing, keep singing. If you podcast, keep talking.

Consistency is the only way to succeed. Keep putting these creations on social media, and your audience will grow.

Earn Your Badge

One day, when your audience has grown considerably, you’ll find yourself requesting to become verified — and succeeding. By then, many creations will be under your belt. Many fans will have sent you messages, and many times, you didn’t believe it was real.

You finally became verified, and your voice is now a precious possession. You finally understand it — and now you also deserve it. Congratulations!