Public relations is invaluable to businesses and individuals for numerous reasons. Whether you want to get the word out about a new product or attract the right kinds of press, high-quality PR can help make that happen. With many modern influencers and brands looking to elevate their status on social media, it may seem like PR is old-school. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth — if you’re chasing that elusive blue verification badge, PR may be precisely what you need to get your brand and face in front of the right people to make that happen.

How can PR help you get verified on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok? Here are five ways that PR can be a powerful ally when it comes to getting that all-important symbol on your profile:

1. Get Coverage On Top-Tier News Sites

When you go through the verification process, one of the first things social media employees will probably check is your presence outside of the platform. While that blue tick conveys a certain level of status, the primary intention behind the verification system is to ensure that you are who you say you are — and not someone else pretending to be you.

Coverage on top news sites provides that additional level of fame outside of your platform of choice, helping Instagram, Facebook or TikTok understand why you’re worthy of verification. PR can help you make your face or brand visible, demonstrating why it’s important to award you with verification.

Often once we deliver on a PR campaign for clients, they get verified not long after.

2. Boost Your Credibility

Credibility and authenticity may not be the first words you associate with social media, but you’ll need to prove yourself as someone legitimate before you can get close to being verified. One of the metrics that social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram use to decide whether you deserve that blue tick is how high your credibility is and whether it’s worthwhile to grant you verification.

With the right PR, you can ensure that your brand and presence are legitimate and visible beyond the constraints of a specific platform or service. The use of PR gets your name out to a broader audience and makes you more of a household name instead of just another influencer or digital brand. The more PR you generate, the better it is for your credibility.

3. Draw In New Followers

The size of your following on social media can be, in part, a way to capture the attention of social media platforms. But often, size doesn’t matter when it comes to verification. Even smaller accounts can get verified. What’s most important is that your presence is authentic and that you haven’t bought likes or followers — most social media platforms frown on this, and it can be a red flag during the verification process.

While you can use PR to increase your visibility across a range of media, another positive side effect of quality PR is the ability to draw in new potential followers. Increasing awareness of your brand can help to bring in a wider audience, which in turn can increase your follower numbers too.

4. Expand Your Presence On Other Platforms

Whether you primarily post on Instagram or focus your attention on Facebook, one of the great benefits of investing in PR is the opportunity for existing fans and followers to travel with you from one platform to the other. With Facebook, in particular, offering plenty of opportunities for the sharing of links and new stories, it’s easy for your Facebook audience to migrate over to Instagram and other platforms.

A widespread following is something that social media platforms tend to look for during the verification process, so the more visible you are, the better it will be for you. A well-placed PR story can help build your audience on Facebook, encourage followers on Twitter or make existing followers aware of other places they can find your brand online.

5. Fast-Track The Verification Process

The first steps are the hardest if you’re starting from scratch with social media for a brand. But with the proper marketing, including high-quality PR, it can be easier than you think to cut down on the lengthy time frame between account creation and verification. With a good PR campaign, getting your brand in front of the right people can mean faster, more effective growth.

While there’s no magic wand to help you get verified right away, rapidly growing your brand’s presence online and across multiple social media platforms is an excellent place to start. By investing in PR from day one, you get the advantage of a solid long-term strategy that can help get you verified far more quickly.

As an effective tool, PR shouldn’t be forgotten about in your social media marketing plans. Whether you’re determined to get that valuable blue tick sooner rather than later, or you want to raise your profile in general, be sure to give PR your own tick of approval as part of your marketing plan.

“Originally written by Adrian Falk for Forbes“