On many social media platforms, verification means a paid subscription — or being a star.
However on Bluesky (as is par for the course), issues look a little bit completely different. The decentralized platform is blazing a brand new blue test path: one which mixes top-down belief with neighborhood credibility.
Whether or not you’re a journalist, creator, model, or simply somebody who desires to show they’re truly who they are saying they’re on-line, right here’s what it’s good to learn about how verification works on Bluesky — and how one can get it.
The two layers of verification on Bluesky
Bluesky presently gives two most important verification choices:
A conventional verification (blue test) from BlueskySelf-verification
The previous, launched in April 2025 by Bluesky, works a bit like notable determine verification on Instagram. The platform grants this for those who meet sure standards.
Apparently, you may also be verified by Blueksy’s new ‘trusted verifiers’ — and even apply to be one. Extra on this beneath.
Self-verification, however, has been round on Bluesky for some time. Over 270K accounts have already verified this fashion.
It requires you to personal an online area (principally, have an internet site), and it successfully connects your Bluesky account to your website, even altering your Bluesky deal with to match — no extra ‘bsky.social.’ It’s not a badge or a checkmark, however it’s a stable sign of authenticity.
Enjoyable reality: You possibly can even have each a blue test and be self-verified on Bluesky, like CEO Jay Graber is:
Right here’s a little bit extra about every verification system and how one can get verified on Bluesky by way of each routes.
The brand new Bluesky blue badge
Bluesky lately launched visible verification badges, the acquainted little checkmark subsequent to your title, for accounts it deems each genuine and notable.
These are issued proactively by Bluesky or — and right here comes the twist — these trusted verifiers I discussed earlier.
As trusted verifiers, organizations like The New York Instances, Wired, and CNN get a particular, scalloped blue test on their profiles and may grant badges to others.
So for those who’re a journalist on the NYT, you may get a blue test out of your employer as an alternative of ready for Bluesky HQ to approve you.
You possibly can even faucet on any blue badge to see who granted it.
Find out how to get a verified badge on Bluesky
Proper now, getting verified on Bluesky requires filling out this utility kind. It’s a easy Google kind, which the corporate says it should refine.
“Our standards for verification is evolving primarily based on person suggestions,” the corporate says. “We’ll proceed to broaden the scope of accounts which are eligible for verification over time.”
These are the present standards for Bluesky verification:
Your account should be energetic and safe:
Your profile will need to have an entire bio, a profile picture, and present common activityTwo-factor authentication is strongly really useful for account securityYour account should adjust to Bluesky’s Phrases of Service and Neighborhood Pointers
Your account should be genuine:
Your account should signify an actual individual, registered enterprise, group, or authentic entityYour deal with and show title ought to clearly align together with your actual id or businessYour account should be the distinctive presence of the individual or enterprise it representsIf you have got an official web site, it ought to hyperlink to your Bluesky account
You have to be notable:
You, or your account, should be notable inside your subject and geographic regionWe take into consideration varied indicators of notability, which can embody skilled recognition, media protection in established publications, presence on credible reference platforms, or different proof of public interestEach verification class might have particular notability standards related to that subject
“We contemplate the general context and public curiosity worth of every account. Please present hyperlinks and proof that may assist us make sure that your account meets notability standards,” the corporate says.
For those who tick all these containers, fill out the shape linked above. Remember to have all of the proof you want useful — hyperlinks to natural appearances on media shops and the like will strengthen your case.
Self-verification on Bluesky
This was the unique technique of verifying your id on Bluesky. It enables you to use a site you personal as your deal with — for instance, @yourwebsite.com. This strategy connects your social presence together with your official internet presence, making impersonation more durable.
Buffer’s Joel Gascoigne (@joel.is) and Hailley Griffis (@hailley.co) have gone this route — discover how neat their handles are.
We’ve additionally experimented with verifying some Bufferoos with Buffer’s area, which labored out fairly properly too — right here’s mike@buffer.com (Michael Eckstein, our Product Marketer).
Right here’s the way it displays on their profiles:
With this selection, you gained’t get a blue test mark, however it’s a transparent sign that you’re who you say you’re on the community.
Right here’s how CEO Jay Graber explains it on the Bluesky weblog:
“Customized area handles are a decentralized method for us to attain a stage of account verification. Curious if ‘@potus.bsky.social’ is definitely the president of the US? As soon as this characteristic absolutely lands, it’s best to assume the precise president of the US would have an official area deal with like ‘@potus.whitehouse.gov’.
There are different perks to going this route as properly:
You need to use the identical deal with to establish you throughout social networks
“I personal jaygraber.com, so if I set my deal with to @jaygraber.com on Bluesky, I can inform my pals to search out me at this secure deal with throughout any AT Protocol social website that helps customized domains,” Jay explains.
You possibly can preserve a customized area deal with whenever you swap providers.
Bluesky is only one community constructed on AT Protocol — and the corporate’s purpose is to make it simpler for customers to modify to others. So, as Jay explains, “for those who’re presently utilizing the bsky.social, however you resolve you don’t like our insurance policies and need to swap to a different, you’ll be capable to preserve the identical area deal with.”
Find out how to self-verify on Bluesky
For those who personal a site, you possibly can set it as your Bluesky deal with proper now — no utility. Right here’s how. Open Bluesky on desktop or cellular, then:
Go to Settings > Account. Select Deal with.
Click on or faucet the ‘I’ve my very own area’ button and enter your area
Navigate to your area registrar, which is the corporate you obtain your area from (Wix, GoDaddy, Google Domains, and so forth.). The precise steps right here will rely upon the corporate, however you’ll need to navigate to DNS administration in your area. Professional tip: test below an “Superior DNS” tab. For those who get caught, the client assist group out of your supplier will be capable to assist.Return to Bluesky and faucet the ‘Confirm DNS file’ button. As soon as confirmed, click on Replace to your new domain-based deal with.
Preserve the present menu open — you’ll want to repeat over some particulars to your DNS file in your area’s settings (this varies by supplier).
This variation might take a number of hours to mirror, so sit tight if it doesn’t seem instantly — it doesn’t essentially imply you probably did something improper.
You probably have questions in regards to the course of, Bluesky’s technical information has extra.
We’re additionally comfortable to assist on Bluesky for those who get caught — you’ll discover us at @buffer.com.
Nonetheless new to Bluesky?
For those who’re Bluesky-curious, however have but to get began on the brand new social community, we have now a bunch of sources that can assist get you from zero to at least one. I’d advocate you begin right here:
For those who’d prefer to be taught extra about Bluesky and the community’s plans for creators, this episode of Buffer Chat with Bluesky COO Rose Wang is value a hear:
