If you’re sick of all the Twitter updates, we feel you. It feels like the platform has gone through a bit of a mid-life crisis over the past few months. It should go without saying that physicians and hospitals simply don’t have the time to follow the day-by-day changes of the platform, so let’s tackle Twitter together.

What is Twitter Blue? In simplest terms, it’s the new version of the blue checkmark wrapped up in a subscription. But is the blue checkmark on Twitter as cool and coveted as it once was? 

Until a few months ago, the blue checkmark confirmed the legitimacy of Twitter profiles of noteworthy people, such as celebrities, politicians, industry leaders, influencers, or popular brands. In order to receive this stamp of approval, people and brands have to go through an application and verification process to prove they are actually who they say they are.

Today, the once-exclusive blue checkmark is available to everyone on the platform for a small monthly fee of $8. You do still have to go through a verification process, but the number of followers you have or your noteworthiness as a person or brand doesn’t play a role in the decision to verify you. Additionally, because of this verification, there is a door open for tackling misinformation around healthcare and displaying a physician’s dedication to posting accurate medical info to followers and fellow colleagues on the platform. 

“#MedTwitter” is a highly-used hashtag on the medical side of the platform and its use has created a community unlike anything else. This corner of the platform is where medical experts can flex their expertise and network with others in the industry in a more casual, bite-sized manner compared to Facebook or LinkedIn.

So, for healthcare marketers and physicians on Twitter who are curious about trying out the subscription, here are the pros and cons. 

Pros: 

1. Priority in search, mentions, and replies
   If there is one "pro" above the rest, this one is it. Physicians with a Twitter Blue subscription will be prioritized above those without, meaning that they are toward the top of comment and reply threads, boosting visibility. Also, a recent update stated that the only accounts shown on the new “For You” feed are Twitter Blue accounts. All of this could be beneficial for #MedTwitter posts where a physician can present themself as a thought leader. If your marketing team is looking to expand paid media efforts on Twitter, we recommend trying this more cost-effective alternative first. If you aren’t currently making physicians a part of your brand on social media at all, here’s why you should. 
    
2. “Edit Tweet” feature
   Twitter Blue subscribers are able to go back at any point in time and edit their past tweets. For example, if a physician posts a tweet with a typo or wants to update a tweet based on new details and innovations, they have the ability to. 
    

   

3. 1080px videos
   Physicians can now share high-quality videos of their work in the hospital and operating room as a way to connect with their followers. This capability allows them to provide a clear view of complex procedures or scans.

4. Reader mode
   World-class doctors don’t have time for ads that can clutter their feeds. Reader mode is a Chrome extension that keeps your Twitter feed clean. 

   

5. A whopping 4,000 character limit 
   Some medical topics require a lengthy explanation, and 280 characters are not nearly enough. Twitter Blue offers 14 times the character limit compared to what non-subscribers receive.
    
6. Validity and trust
   Similar to the old blue checkmark, the newer, paid version still requires accounts to be reviewed and approved by the platform to avoid impersonations of profiles. Consider it an official Twitter stamp of approval. 

Cons: 

1. Your profile is locked in 
   It can take up to a month to be reviewed and approved for Twitter Blue, so if you want to change your name, handle, or profile picture, you’ll have to go through the review process again and wait another 30 days. We recommend optimizing your profile to your liking prior to subscribing to keep the profile edits to a minimum. 
    
2. Long-term reputational uncertainties
   When we looked at physicians we’ve managed on social media, we found that only 0.6% of their thousands of followers were physicians subscribed to Twitter Blue. Because of this, the reputational impact — and overall success for physicians — of this new version is unknown at the moment. At the end of the day, all users, even those with millions of followers, are figuring out this new chapter for the platform together.
    
3. Monthly cost
   This goes without saying — it’s called a subscription for a reason — but in order to take full advantage of Twitter Blue, there is a recurring monthly cost. If you sign up via the web, it’s $8 per month. If you do it through the app on iOS, it’s $11 per month. 

Whether or not you encourage your physicians to get Twitter Blue, we hope that we have cleared the muddy waters that the platform currently resides in. And if you would like more information like this on all the hot topics in the healthcare marketing world, there’s more where that came from.