Did you know that as of 2022, YouTube has over 51 million active channels? It’s no surprise then that content creators and brands are battling to differentiate themselves on this platform. If you’re one of them, YouTube verification can help you distinguish yourself and lay the foundation for epic growth!
A YouTube verification badge increases your channel’s credibility. This helps viewers differentiate between original and imposter content. But getting verified on YouTube is an overwhelming process that requires significant time and effort.
Nonetheless, this comprehensive guide on earning a YouTube verification badge is here to help you understand the procedure to ensure you retain the grey verified badge eternally!
YouTube Verification vs. YouTube Verification Badge
First, there’s a basic distinction that must be made clear. A YouTube verified channel and a channel with a YouTube verification badge are not the same. People commonly use them interchangeably, but you must not mix the two.
What Is YouTube Verification?
When you create a YouTube account, the platform will ask for personal details, such as your email ID, phone number, etc. These details help YouTube verify that it is an actual human behind the channel.
Upon clearing the YouTube verification process, you can start uploading content. You can also live stream and use custom thumbnails.
What Is a YouTube Verification Badge?
Are you a public figure, brand, or a well-known organization? If yes, then the YouTube verification badge is for you. It’s a small icon displayed next to the name of your channel. The icon is usually a grey checkmark for most users. However, for musicians, YouTube uses a grey music symbol to denote a verified badge.
The verification badge implies that your channel is authentic and credible. It separates your channel from other channels with a similar name or content. It shows that your channel is serious about producing quality content.
Your channel must meet certain criteria to be eligible to receive a YouTube verification badge. Hence, this is a considerably more extensive process than a simple YouTube verification.
To summarize, YouTube verification ensures that you are not a spammy bot, while the YouTube verification badge assures your audience that you are genuine and trustworthy.
Who Can Get the YouTube Verification Badge?
It’s essential to point out that every account can get verified on YouTube. However, only a few channels can get the YouTube verification badge, the social evidence of trust.
Both celebrities and independent creators can get the YouTube verification badge. It’s a little easier for famous personalities as they don’t need to meet any specific set of criteria. They only need to prove that they are who they claim to be.
For example, The Office star Angela Kinsey runs a YouTube channel with her husband. The channel Baking with Ange and Josh is YouTube verified with only 91,800+ subscribers. Similarly, Canadian actor Dan Levy’s YouTube channel has only 4,600 subscribers and is still verified. Other celebrities, such as Selena Gomez and Will Smith, however, have millions of subscribers.
In addition to the famous celebs, channels from independent creators such as Pewdiepie, Smosh, and Roman Bernard also earned this badge purely based on their content quality rather than popularity.
However, as an independent creator, you need to fulfill certain criteria to get YouTube verified. These requirements include:
- Your channel must have a minimum of 100,000 subscribers. Or else, it must be popular outside of YouTube.
- Your channel must be legitimate. This implies that it should be what it claims to be. YouTube will consider numerous factors, including the age of the channel and the documents you submit, to verify this.
- Your channel must be complete, public, and active. It must have a banner, profile photo, description, and high-quality content.
Why Should You Get the YouTube Verification Badge?
If you want to take your YouTube game to the next level, your channel must feature a YouTube verification badge. Why? Well, for the following reasons:
· To Show Your Brand’s Authenticity
As noted previously, YouTube does not just grant the verification badge to anyone. It does an extensive inspection to assure the channel’s integrity and credibility first.
Thus, a YouTube verification badge bears witness to your brand’s legitimacy and validity. It convinces your viewers that your content is original, making them reliant on your channel.
· To Build a Loyal Fan Following
When you get verified on YouTube and get the badge, you give your audience a reason to trust you. Your channel starts to pull fans or clients, depending on the goal.
It improves your reputation among your fans/customers and your rivals. Ultimately, it creates a loyal fan base that will promote your brand further based on your high-quality content.
· To Monetize Your Channel
Is it your goal to generate money through YouTube? Then you’ll need a YouTube-verified channel with a gray badge next to its name. This will increase your chances of being approved for the Partner Program.
A partner program is a YouTube advertising strategy. It allows you to earn money through adverts. You can make millions of dollars using this partner program with time and patience.
This is made possible by YouTube’s tremendous potential reach of over 2 billion people — 32% of the entire population and 51% of all internet users worldwide.
· To Protect Your Content
There are many people lurking to take advantage of your success. They will download your videos and rebroadcast them on a channel having a similar name and logo. This may confuse your audience, and they may end up following the impostor instead of you.
Ultimately, the channel will gain more viewers and profit at your cost. It will be raking up the views that should belong to your content. To prevent this, you must obtain a YouTube verification badge. It will assist your viewers in identifying and supporting your genuine channel.
How to Get the YouTube Verification Badge?
If you wish to apply for the YouTube verified badge, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Meet the requirements to qualify to get verified on YouTube
- Step 2: Log in to the YouTube account
- Step 3: Head to Google’s support page for YouTube verification
- Step 4: Locate the “Apply for Channel Verification” button
- Step 5: Find and click on the “Apply Now” button
- Step 6: Fill out and submit the “Application Form”
- Step 7: Wait for a few days for the response from YouTube
The process may appear simple, but it can be rather challenging and time-consuming. Moreover, this process doesn’t guarantee verification either after all the effort. If you want a smoother, more secure approach, you can always get help from a professional social media verification agency like Digital Nod.
With our services, you can earn the YouTube verification badge even if you don’t have a certain number of subscribers. Get in touch with us today to learn more. Let us help your brand flourish and show its dominance on YouTube!
Final Words
Therefore, we can conclude that the YouTube verification badge next to your channel name is a big deal, after all. Without this badge, your audience might not take you seriously as a creator.
However, once you get the YouTube verification badge, you must also know how to retain it. Violate copyright regulations or YouTube’s community guidelines, and the platform will revoke your badge immediately. But if you play by all the rules, you’re likely to retain the grey tick (or music symbol) for eternity!
