Regarding the fact that I have a blue badge despite not paying for X Premium
To start with the conclusion, I am not paying for X Premium.
Even so, I have a verified blue badge ↓
In this post, I have analyzed and verified this "mysterious blue badge phenomenon" based on my own research and experience.
If we are meeting for the first time, hello!
To those who read my posts regularly, hello! Good evening!
I am Fujikawa, an architectural photographer.
On X, I am active under the account“Architectural Photo Cat🐈”. I mainly photograph completed residential and commercial buildings, as well as real estate properties, primarily in the Kanto region.
Answer: The reason I got the blue badge was "running ads"
Actually, at the end of May, Iran an X ad.
The goal was to "increase subscribers to my note membership (500 yen per month)."
And what I noticed when placing the ad was that
X Premium verification (blue badge) is required to run ads
that.
In other words, if you want to run ads, the system is set up so thatyou must undergo X's review and obtain a blue badge.
When I learned this, I thought,“Only X Premium subscribers can run ads! That's terrible!”but surprisingly, a while after completing the ad submission process, my account also received a blue badge.
In other words, even if you don't pay for X Premium, you will be granted a blue badge if you run an ad.
Features available with the blue badge granted by running ads
Surprisingly, you can use almost the same features as X Premium subscribers.
You can post long-form content, use text formatting, and use highlights and bookmark folders. I don't really feel it, but it seems like reply boosting is also applied.
Does the badge disappear if you stop the ads?
Furthermore, this is where it gets surprising.
I stopped running ads a while after that. Despite that, the blue badge did not disappear and remained as it was.
At first, I thought it would last at most a week or, at longest, a month, but as you can see, the blue badge is still there now, nearly two months later.
Thinking, "But surely it will disappear if I do something that triggers a re-review," I tried changing my profile and account name slightly, and...
As expected, a re-review was conducted, andthe badge temporarily disappeared.
I thought, "I guess you really do need to run ads," but then...
I passed the review, andthe blue badge was back.
It seems that the blue badge "remains" even if you are not a Premium subscriber
Through this experience, here is my current perspective.
・The blue badge can be obtained through methods other than "X Premium subscription"
・A badge is granted if you pass the review when placing advertisements
・Once a badge is granted, it continues to remain (duration unknown)
・Changing your profile or account name is subject to re-review
・Even so, if you pass the re-review, the blue badge will continue to be displayed even after the advertisement is stopped
I also asked Grok, but it seems the operational rules for the blue badge are a black box, and it is highly likely that it is judged based on multiple factors such as how much money was spent on advertisements,number of followers and content of posts.
Below is the exchange with Grok.
Q. What are the conditions for getting a blue badge without paying for X Premium?
A. The conditions for being granted a blue badge (verification badge) without paying on X are as follows:
1. **Number of followers and verified followers**: - As of April 2024, X is implementing a policy to grant blue badges for free to some prominent accounts if they have 2,500 or more followers (or 5,000 or more for Premium Plus features). In particular, accounts with many verified followers (X Premium subscribers) tend to be targeted. For example, there are reports of it being granted when an account has 500,000 to 1 million followers and 2,500 to 5,000 verified followers.
2. **Special case through advertising**: - Accounts that spend a certain amount or more on X ads (e.g., $100 or more per month) may be granted a blue badge even if they are not subscribed to X Premium. This is a special measure for advertisers.
3. **Previously verified accounts**: - If you were verified by X as a "notable and credible account" before March 31, 2023, you may continue to be granted a blue badge. However, this is a rare case, and subscription is currently the main method of acquisition.
**Notes**: - The free granting of blue badges is at X's discretion, no clear criteria are public, and conditions are subject to change.
Some users can hide the blue badge granted for free in "Settings". - Normally, to obtain a blue badge, you need to subscribe to X Premium's "Premium" (from 980 yen/month) or "X Premium Plus" (from 1,960 yen/month). The "Basic" plan (368 yen/month) does not grant a blue badge.
**Conclusion**: The main cases where you get a blue badge without paying are for prominent accounts with many followers and a certain number of verified followers, or when the advertising spend meets the criteria. However, since the detailed conditions are not public and depend on X's judgment, subscribing to X Premium is recommended to ensure you get one. Please check the latest information on the official X Help Center or with an advertising agency.
Wait, I haven't spent even $100 a month???
What I was promoting was note membership
So, what was I promoting in my X ads? It was an announcement for "joining the note Standard Membership (500 yen/month)."
This plan ended new applications at the end of May, and since it was a timing where you could continue to read paid articles for 500 yen forever if you joined then, I decided to run an ad on X as a final promotion.
And as for the actual advertising costs spent, the response, and the results...
The continuation will be in the next installment, "[True Story] How to run X ads and their effects"!!
In this article, I analyzed and verified the phenomenon of "getting a blue badge without paying for X Premium" based on my actual experience.
Next time, I will introduce in detail the content of the X ads I actually ran, the reactions, and the cost-effectiveness
based on real numbers.
Thank you for reading to the end this time as well!
I will continue to post a wide range of content, from columns for photography beginners to professional architectural photography articles and articles on SNS operation, so I would be happy if you could follow and like.
Well then, see you in the next article!
Although it is unrelated to this article, I have also written an article in the past about trying out promotional posts, so please take a look if you are interested. Please note that the information is a bit outdated↓
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サポートしていただけたらめっちゃ嬉しいです！次の記事を書くためのやる気があがっちゃいます📸🐱✨