If your New Year’s resolution is to get your Facebook Page verified, we’re here to help you get your house in order. We’ve worked with Facebook’s Media Team to get the verification process started for many of our clients, and we’ve learned some helpful hints along the way.
Choose a clear profile picture.
Facebook wants to make sure that your smiling face is front and center on your page. While you don’t have to select a professional headshot, make sure that your profile picture shows your face clearly so Facebook – and your fans – can make sure it’s really you.
Pick a cover photo.
Any cover photo will do, really. We suggest something that showcases a little bit about your personality or the beat you cover. Maybe it’s a great picture of you hard at work that your favorite photographer captured. Maybe it’s a photo of the city skyline that you took while you were covering another story. Maybe it’s your dog from the last time you hit the walking trail. Just make sure you have a cover photo, or Facebook might pass you by.
Give your page the correct category.
There are a ton of category options that you can choose from, but if you’re in the media business we suggest using “journalist” or “public figure.”
Post regularly.
You’d be surprised at how many pages aren’t verified because they just aren’t updated frequently enough. Our general recommendation for journalists is that they post at least once a day, but it’s easy to post more often than that if you’re sharing what you’re working on early in the day, asking questions of your audience, and posting a link to your story once it airs or is published.
Fill out the “About” section of your page.
Make sure that your bio is filled out. It doesn’t have to be your life story, but a line or two about who you are and what you do will help Facebook make the determination on whether or not to verify your page.
Share the link love.
In your Facebook page’s “About” section, be sure to link back to your bio on your news organization’s website. And in your website bio, include a link to your Facebook page. Reciprocity helps.
Use Facebook as a human being.
If you’re using a fake account to manage your Facebook page (with a fake name), stop now. Facebook will shut down fake accounts and you can get locked out of your page. So be sure that your name is on your account, along with a real email address. It can be your work email address but it has to really exist.
Let Facebook know.
Once you have your page cleaned up and ready to go, you can contact Facebook directly to request verification at this form. However, you’ll need to submit a copy of your driver’s license, birth certificate or passport. Feel free to get in touch with us anytime and we’ll be happy to answer questions and give you a hand.
