Time For Your Latest Twitter Update
If you check some of your favorite news sources right now, you’ll see lots of breathless coverage about Twitter once again “descending into chaos” and more Tweet-by-Tweet recaps of Elon Musk’s trolling. It’s time for another Twitter update!
Some of the Latest:
If you’re planning to advertise on Twitter after April 21, you’re going to need to have a verified checkmark or be signed up for Twitter Blue or Verified Organizations. (Unless you’re already spending $1,000 per month on Twitter ads and have a gold check mark, that is.) That means that, if you want to run those ads, you’ll need to budget $8 per month and be signed up for Twitter Blue, or budget $1,000 per month, on an ongoing basis.
Twitter’s former verification system is officially over; legacy verified accounts that aren’t paying for Twitter Blue have officially lost their blue check. While losing a blue check seems small, it’s becoming more difficult to tell which accounts are real and which are imposters, with serious implications for authenticity and trust on the platform. “The pope himself got downgraded along with Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and Oprah.”
Earlier this year, Twitter stopped filtering posts from government and state-affiliated media accounts in Russia, China and Iran, which could lead to even more general disinformation spreading across Twitter.
A few weeks ago, Twitter throttled links to Substack, its rival, after Substack launched its own Twitter alternative.
What Do We Do?
First of all, it’s time to take stock of how you feel about how Twitter’s being run, and decide if it aligns with your organization’s values. Twitter most recently removed transgender protections from their hateful conduct policy, which, along with the rise in hate speech and Twitter no longer removing Tweets that violate the hateful conduct policy, has contributed to more organizations leaving the platform altogether.
Second, if you’re planning to stay and you’re planning to advertise, work those extra costs into your budget for the foreseeable future. Twitter is pretty desperate for advertising revenue, and they’re going to be searching for more ways to get it if they’re planning to stay afloat as a company.
And third, whether or not you’re planning to stay on Twitter, do your research now on those potential alternatives. Where else is your target audience? Are they using other channels a lot, like LinkedIn or TikTok? Keep building your presence on those other channels and, as we’ve said many times, don’t put all of your eggs into one Twitter basket… just in case things get even more chaotic.