What exactly is Vero? Vero is a different kind of social network, a network designed to serve the user – not the advertiser. I found out about Vero in February 2018, when it first went viral. Since then, I have been using Vero almost daily, and eventually, Vero became my sponsor. After almost two years of using the network, I wanted to put together a complete guide to Vero. In this guide, you’ll find everything to get you started with the network. I also included (and answer to the best of my ability) the most common questions people ask online about Vero True Social. And finally, if you are a fellow blogger, check out the special section at the bottom where I detail how Vero is especially helpful for creators.
What is Vero True Social?
Vero True Social is a different kind of social network. Designed around the user, Vero will never accept paid advertising and will never sell your data. Additionally, there are no algorithms on Vero – all your followers will always get to see all your posts.
Eventually, Vero is poised to start charging a small annual fee for new members. However, everyone who signs up during Vero’s free period will be grandfathered in and will be able to use the network free for life.
How do I join Vero True Social?
The process is similar to registering for other networks. Download the Vero app on the phone or an Ipad and enter your information. Keep in mind – you need a phone number to register for Vero. This helps to keep trolls away from the network.
How do you post on Vero?
Posting on Vero is very easy. Keep in mind, that you can create 7 different types of posts on Vero. These include: pictures/videos, links, music, movies, books, places, and items for sale.
Posting Images on Vero
To post a picture, select the plus sign at the bottom of the screen and choose the camera icon in the upper left-hand corner. Next, the system will upload your image or video.
Add text if desired, and lastly, select your audience. On Vero, your audience is divided into four groups: close friends, friends, acquaintances, and followers. You can share some posts with only a few close friends – and less personal information with those you may not know as well. The idea is to make privacy easy, a central pillar of Vero True Social.
Recommending places on Vero
One Vero feature I really like is the ability to recommend a place. This feature gives you a simple way to share restaurants, museums, and attractions with all of your followers (or just a few close friends). Moreover, every place is you recommend is stored in your collections – more on that later.
To recommend a place on Vero, first, choose the place icon in the lower right-hand corner. Next, find the place by proximity or name. Next, select a picture uploaded by other users or add your own and finally, share with your audience.
Introductions on Vero
Another great Vero feature is introductions – the ability to recommend other users for your followers to discover. Whether you want to spread the word about your favorite band or BFF, it’s easy to do.
First, go to you the user’s homepage. Next, select the three dots on the right side, add text and post.
Alternatively, you can recommend straight from your feed. To do so, select the three dots next to any post and pick the recommend user option.
Collections on Vero
Perhaps Vero’s most unique feature is the collections tab. Here, here you can find an index of everything anyone has ever shared with you on Vero. Looking for that book someone recommended months ago? Check the collections tab. Not sure where to go for lunch? Check your friend’s recommendations in collections. Want to read an article you didn’t get to finish? Your own posts are here too.
To access your collections, click on the collections tab and pick the type of post you’d like to access.
Common questions about Vero
What is the meaning of Vero?
Vero is a Latin word for “truth.” The founders named the network Vero because they wanted to build a social media network that was honest and genuine.
Who owns the Vero app?
The CEO of Vero is Ayman Harriri, and the cofounders are Motaz Nabulsi and Scott Birnbaum. The founders used their own funds to create the network, and it continues to be privately owned by them as of November 2019.
Who is Ayman Hariri?
If you google, you will find tons of information about Ayman. Lots of people have an opinion, and you know what they say about opinions. So instead of giving you my opinion, I am going to tell you a story about Ayman Hariri.
I joined Vero at the same time as everyone else. In February 2018, my google alerts for “social media” exploded. Apparently, a new network was going viral. Always on the lookout for the hottest and the best (hey this is a business), I popped on. Unfortunately, so did millions of others and I couldn’t even sign up. However, I am nothing if not persistent. Eventually, I logged on, and almost immediately I could see all of Vero Social’s potential. I could also see some problems.
I started to post my best work and soon Vero folks spotted me. Motaz, one of the founders, connected with me. Before you know it, my face was on Vero’s home page. They put me next to Shaq. This is probably the only time in my life I’ll get to share a space with Shaq.
My fifteen seconds of fame notwithstanding, back to Ayman.
A few weeks later, Vero’s community manager reached out to me and said that Ayman Hariri, the CEO, was calling some prominent users on the network. I wasn’t sure what it was all about (Zuckerberg never called me) but it sounded cool.
As soon as he got on the phone I could tell he was genuine, and curious about our experience. Ayman seemed to be looking for feedback. The good news – I certainly had plenty. I think about one minute into the convo I started giving him a list of all the changes I’d like to see.
Yes, I totally spend half an hour on the phone with a billionaire CEO of a social network explaining to him how he should run it better.
Throughout the conversation, he listened attentively. Then, after we hung up I send him a rather lengthy email reiterating my points. Like I said, nothing if not persistent.
But that’s not the important part.
The important part is that he actually took my concerns to heart, responded to me at length and implemented some changes I suggested. There was only one reason for Ayman to listen to my suggestions, to respond, or really to call me in the first place. Because he is the kind of person who wants to build a social network that actually serves the user.
To this day, I continue to send Ayman entirely unsolicited feedback, and he continues to listen and adopt (some) of my suggestions. I think that says a lot about Ayman Harriri, the CEO of Vero.
I wonder what would happen if I tried to email Zuckerberg? Cause I have thoughts.
Is Vero True Social still free?
As of right now, November 2019, Vero is still free, and any user who signs up during the free period will continue to be free for life. Although an account on Vero’s social network does not cost anything today, that will not always be the case. Once Vero announces they are switching to paid, any new account will be charged a small annual fee. Vero does not sell or data or post ads, so the annual fee will help cover the cost of running the network.
Does anyone use Vero?
Famously, Vero Network went hyper viral in 2018. Millions of new users joined Vero within just a couple of days. However, even after the news cycle moved on, new users continue to join the Vero community. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I would estimate the active community on Vero is comprised of several million people. Vero is still not as big as many other social networks – which means you are much more likely to be noticed on Vero.
Why Vero is especially helpful for bloggers
As a blogger, I could immediately see Vero’s potential, especially for bloggers and influencers. I believe it is absolutely the best social network for bloggers and influencers to join – and here is why.
Advertisers need creators to access an audience on Vero
The first advantage is the most obvious. Vero does not accept any paid advertising (and never will). This means, in order for a company to reach anyone who does not follow them, the company must work with an influencer already established on the network. The pool of potential advertisers is huge. Of course, just like all other major networks, Vero requires full disclosure of a sponsored post.
No algorithms
If you are reading this paragraph, chances are you already know all about algorithms and how they have wiped out years of work for many creators. There are no algorithms on Vero, and never will be. All your followers see all your posts. So, if you have earned a follower, they get to see what you post. Of course, this means you might have to work extra hard to keep a follower – but few of us have a problem with hard work.
Visibility
Vero is still a small network and even if you are small fish, you have the opportunity to be seen by powerful brands. For instance, British GQ, Goop and Clash Magazine all follow me on Vero. There are many potential advertisers on the network. If your goal is more sponsored posts and contacts, Vero is the place to be.
Community
Building a genuine community is super important to success. However, with algorithms, creating an authentic community has gotten harder on almost every type of social media.
Many of us resorted to group chats to let our community members know when we created a post. On Vero, all your followers see all your posts, so there is no reason for a secondary system.
To build a community on Vero, you don’t need to be a master strategist and algorithm decoder. You are allowed to just be a creator.
Moreover, the interactions in Vero are more genuine and authentic – which is not only helpful as an influencer but frankly, just as a human being and an artist. On Vero you feel like you can be yourself, post something out of character or experimental, create 3 posts a day – all without being penalized by the “system.” Your community is your own.
For lots more on how to build a community on Vero, check out my original post: How to Succeed on Vero.
Vero does not resize your photos
Vero was designed for artists, so your photos are original – as high resolution as you like. While FB and Instagram (and to some extent Pinterest) do compress your photos, Vero does not. Additionally, Vero accepts pictures of all dimensions, so you never need to cut off important parts of your composition to accommodate an app.
Drive users directly to your blog posts
Unlike Insta, Vero gives you the ability to post as many links as you like – and to drive users to your latest posts. Together with Pinterest, Twitter and FB, Vero is a great place for “the first-day post promo.” For me, Vero drives about 100 clicks a day. And importantly, the clicks are from members of my community, people who know and enjoy my work. They stay far longer on the page than Pinterest users – and we all know how important that is for google metrics.
Sell product directly
On Vero, you can sell products directly to your audience. To do so, create a product “type” post. This feature is ideal for creators since we always have a few side hustles. Whether you are hawking an ebook, prints or just personal items you no longer need, Vero is one more marketplace you can access. Vero does collect a small commission from sales to help pay the costs of running a network.
Before you can sell, you’ll need to set up a seller account. To do so, email the dedicated team buynow@vero.co
Huge bonus: Do-Follow Backlinks
And I am talking legit do-follow backlinks (seriously). If you are a blogger, I don’t even have to explain this one to you – just see for yourself. To find any user’s profile on the desktop, type in https://vero.co/ followed by their unique user name. This format for personal links is similar to other types of social media.
2 Responses
Are people still using it?
Every hashtag I look for, the last photo was posted in 2019.
I can’t seem to find creators, other than the ones they feature, who are posting new content.
It’s weird to have your home page show two new posts.
Thank goodness for an alternative to Fakebook and Instagram!