{"id":7318,"date":"2023-05-03T09:42:58","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T09:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imsfund.com\/?p=7318"},"modified":"2023-05-03T09:42:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T09:42:58","slug":"should-entrepreneurs-pay-for-twitter-blue-the-pros-and-cons-of-subscribing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imsfund.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/03\/should-entrepreneurs-pay-for-twitter-blue-the-pros-and-cons-of-subscribing\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Entrepreneurs Pay For Twitter Blue? The Pros And Cons Of Subscribing."},"content":{"rendered":"


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Should entrepreneurs pay for Twitter Blue? The pros and cons of subscribing.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-accordion>Dillon Kivo by Kyle Ernst<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who would have thought that a software company charging its users could be such a controversial topic. But there\u2019s a lot to the Twitter debate, and everyone is weighing in with their opinion. In October 2022 Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. Just after, he declared the platform\u2019s legacy approach to verification a \u201clords and peasants system\u201d that was, \u201cbull***t.\u201d Now, he\u2019s taken a stand and changed the playing field with new program Twitter Blue costing $8 a month and including the once coveted blue tick. But who is playing ball and who is refusing to take their seat?<\/p>\n

Dillon Kivo is CEO of Authority Titans, founder of Kivo Daily and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Authority Playbook. He works with influential entrepreneurs and aspiring personal brands to create them an online presence that secures their reputation and creates opportunities. Having successfully secured Twitter, Facebook and Instagram verification for his clients, Kivo has mixed feelings about what entrepreneurs should do about Twitter\u2019s new system.<\/p>\n

I interviewed Kivo about why entrepreneurs should or shouldn\u2019t pay to become verified on Twitter.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why entrepreneurs should pay for Twitter:<\/p>\n

Access more features<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that paying for Twitter Blue brings access to more features,\u201d said Kivo. \u201cIt\u2019s a compelling proposition.\u201d Subscribers of the programme not only get a verified blue checkmark once reserved for notable individuals, but they can post longer tweets and longer videos. They have the chance to undo a tweet just before it\u2019s actually sent and they can edit some tweets within the first 30 minutes. There\u2019s a new Top Articles section and two-factor authentication security options, as well as increased visibility.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you\u2019re an existing Twitter user, these additions will enhance your experience for sure,\u201d said Kivo. Twitter users have been begging for the ability to edit tweets since the platform\u2019s inception in 2006. Now you can edit to your heart\u2019s content, but it\u2019ll cost you. With the new Twitter Blue revenue firmly in place, users might hope that these features keep expanding. Musk himself said he enjoys hearing what users want, recently tweeting<\/a> that negative feedback is \u201cgreat for reducing [Twitter\u2019s] ego-based errors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Achieve better engagement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In his tweet on 25th<\/sup> April 2023<\/a>, Musk confirmed a suspicion many held, that verified accounts are now prioritised. Exactly what this means is shrouded in mystery, but you can be pretty sure that your tweets will show more prominently in the timelines of your followers and perhaps that your replies are somehow set apart too. Maybe more weight is given to your retweeted and engaging content, maybe you get suggested when users search for who to follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaying $8 a month to be seen by more people in your target audience makes sense for most entrepreneurs,\u201d said Kivo. \u201cEspecially if you\u2019re already active on Twitter, it\u2019s like buying a cheat code that gives you rocketfuel instead of petrol.\u201d So why wouldn\u2019t you do that? Businesses pay for premium listings on directory sites all the time. Twitter Blue is transparent; you\u2019re not trying to fool anyone that you don\u2019t pay. Thanks to years of visibility, blue ticks on Twitter give a first impression of legitimacy, so capitalise on the brand to benefit your business and see it as a simple advertising cost.<\/p>\n

Subscriptions are common<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although the media would have you believe there\u2019s more to this than meets the eye, on the surface, Twitter\u2019s verification program is simply a software company with 450 million monthly users<\/a>, looking to grow by adding a subscription service. How else does a software business monetize? \u201cFacebook makes money by running ads; selling user data to advertisers. But how many people would prefer to pay and see no ads?\u201d asked Kivo. Twitter is testing that theory and ascertaining the appetite.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s totally normal to pay for Netflix,\u201d said Kivo, \u201cso why not Twitter?\u201d Software platforms aren\u2019t free to run. Servers, data and customer support cost money, which has to be recouped somewhere. Estimates put Twitter\u2019s ad revenue at $3bn, whereas Facebook\u2019s is reportedly ten times that. Under new management, most businesses cut old services and add new ones. Musk is clearly not afraid to trial and error his way to Twitter success.<\/p>\n

Access more features and achieve better engagement by adding one more subscription to your list of several. That\u2019s why entrepreneurs should pay for Twitter Blue. But there\u2019s a flipside to this story that we\u2019re exploring in more detail.<\/p>\n

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Should entrepreneurs pay for Twitter Blue? The pros and cons of subscribing.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-accordion>getty<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here are some reasons entrepreneurs shouldn\u2019t pay for Twitter.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t focus on Twitter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Twitter is by no means the only social network. Once part of just a handful of platforms, creators are now seeing results doubling down on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, blogging or podcasting. LinkedIn organic engagement is high right now and podcast listenership numbers are growing exponentially. There are plenty of other options for your time and energy. \u201cIf Twitter isn\u2019t your main social platform, it might not make sense to become verified,\u201d said Kivo. Divert your efforts elsewhere and forget about Twitter entirely. \u201cYou can even edit your bio to tell your followers where you\u2019re active.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a similar note, if you can\u2019t justify the spend because you\u2019re not seeing the return, forget about Twitter all together. A social media manager used to be one person; now that job title doesn\u2019t really exist. Completely different skills are required for each platform, and it\u2019s the same with your activity. If you\u2019re not prepared to be Twitter-first, you can\u2019t just repurpose old content and expect it to fly. Go hard or go home.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t like Elon Musk <\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you don\u2019t like Musk or don\u2019t agree with his methods and principles, you might not want to pay to become verified on Twitter. \u201cIf you have to like and trust the CEO of any company you buy from, keep your cash out of his pocket by not paying for Twitter Blue,\u201d Kivo suggested. There are several people on this bandwagon, who believe Musk charging for verification is either an abuse of power or a shameless bid for cashflow. They are vocal about the potential for impersonation, new scams and misinformation that can come as a result of anyone with a debit card having access to a blue tick.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes paying for Twitter Blue mean you endorse everything Musk stands for?\u201d asks Kivo. If that\u2019s the meaning you have assigned, then think carefully before upgrading your account. You have to be able to live with yourself. If your principles are strong and stubborn, and you\u2019re prepared to compromise any potential business gain to stand by them, take your $8 a month elsewhere.<\/p>\n

It will change again in future<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With all the changes that have already happened since October 2022, there\u2019s a strong precedent for more to come. Twitter somewhat backtracked on removing legacy ticks, reinstating them for some users who hadn\u2019t subscribed. Who\u2019s to say this won\u2019t change again in the future? Maybe Twitter Blue will mean blue ticks, Twitter Gold will mean gold ticks, and there will be a whole other class for the \u201cnotable but not paying\u201d class of user. Who knows. Biding your time could be the right strategy as the dust settles on each decision.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re waiting for Twitter to regain stability, do other promotion instead. Kivo recommends you, \u201cget press in notable news outlets, focus on your product and become genuinely noteworthy.\u201d A better offering means more customers, which means a bigger company. This can lead to the fame and fortune you might have previously associated with being verified on Twitter. \u201cThere are plenty of other ways to build your brand online,\u201d added Kivo.<\/p>\n

Pay for Twitter if you want to access the additional benefits of doing so, if Twitter is a platform on which you are very active, or if you\u2019re comfortable with a monthly fee for something that you use and get benefit from. Don\u2019t pay for Twitter if you don\u2019t focus on Twitter, if your dislike of Elon Musk is getting in the way, or you want to see what happens before you get involved. No one will force your hand either way, the choice is completely yours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n