How to Earn Money on Snapchat

Snapchat provides unique and diverse opportunities for creators to earn money (German)

The popularity of Snapchat, especially among younger demographics, has led many individuals and businesses to explore ways to earn income from the platform. Social media has transformed the business landscape, enabling direct engagement with potential customers and creating income opportunities. This article provides an overview of how to make money on Snapchat and leverage its user base for easy earnings.

Snapchat Basics

If you're interested in making money on Snapchat, you're likely already somewhat familiar with the platform. However, Snapchat has its unique features and terminology, which can make it less intuitive compared to other social media apps. Here are some essential terms and features to understand:

• Chat: A messaging feature that lets you communicate with friends or groups. Snapchat automatically deletes chats once viewed or after they expire.
• Stories: Collections of photos or videos available for 24 hours before automatically disappearing.
• Live Stories: Similar to regular stories, but include photos or videos from other users at a specific event or location, and are also available for 24 hours.
• Lenses: Augmented reality effects you can add to your photos to send to friends or share in stories.
• Filters: Static overlays that you can add to your photos, unlike lenses that use augmented reality.
• Snap Map: Allows users to share their location. Friends appear on the map as Bitmoji characters.
• Spotlight: Snapchat’s primary earning feature, where users can submit videos for a chance to earn money. Earnings are based on factors such as unique views, favorites, and the number of daily users watching the content.

Understanding these basic features can help you navigate Snapchat and effectively engage with its audience to maximize earning potential.

The amount that can be earned ranges between $60 and $240, depending on the level of engagement for each story (Reuters)

How to Earn Money on Snapchat

Snapchat offers unique opportunities for creators to monetize their content, including sponsored content, revenue-sharing programs, and gifts. Here are some effective ways to generate income on Snapchat:

Story Partners Program

Creators who consistently publish stories on Snapchat may qualify for the Story Revenue-Sharing Program. Through this program, Snapchat places ads between creators' snaps, and creators receive a share of the revenue generated from these ads. Earnings range from $60 to $240 depending on engagement per story, and more engaging content can lead to higher returns.

To join this program, creators need at least 50,000 subscribers on a public account, over 25 million views or 12,000 hours of watch time in the past 28 days, and should have posted to their public story for at least 10 days, with a minimum of 20 snaps each day in the past 28 days. Additionally, creators must be 18 years or older.

Collaborating with Other Creators

Partnering with other creators is an effective way to expand reach and earn additional income. By collaborating with creators who share a similar audience, you can produce engaging content that attracts followers and fosters growth. Collaborations can include creating joint content, hosting live streams, or even organizing contests.

Earnings from collaboration vary widely but can bring in an extra $60 to $360 per month, depending on the collaboration’s success and the combined reach of participating creators.

Sponsored Content via Creator Marketplace

Many brands work with Snapchat creators to create sponsored content, similar to partnerships on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Snapchat’s Creator Marketplace offers brands a way to discover Snapchat creators for partnerships. In the Marketplace, businesses can search for creators based on budget, language, and expertise. Creators have complete control over the prices and projects they accept.

As an influencer, you can promote products to your followers on Snapchat in exchange for a fee. Sponsored content often involves a flat fee based on the influencer's reach and audience. You can find sponsors independently, or you can collaborate with platforms that connect creators with sponsors.

It's worth noting that Snapchat’s team selects the creators eligible to join the Creator Marketplace.

Creator Gifts:

Fans can show their appreciation for creators by sending virtual gifts. Snapchat offers special "Snap Tokens," which can be purchased by fans and exchanged for gifts. The platform notifies fans when a creator opens their gift, and creators have the option to respond with a thank you. To receive gifts, you must be at least 16 years old. Depending on your follower count and the engagement during live streams, creators can earn between $6 and $120 per live session through gifts.

Affiliate Marketing:

Snapchat provides an opportunity for creators to promote products through affiliate marketing, a popular business model among bloggers and website owners. Unlike many other social networks that impose heavy restrictions on affiliate links, Snapchat currently allows the use of affiliate links in any post without the need to hide them. This flexibility lets creators post about products, services, or even apps, and include their unique link to drive traffic to the desired page. Commissions can range from $6 to $180 per month, depending on the number of sales and the products being promoted.

Spotlight Platform:

The Spotlight platform is a space where users can go to discover new content on Snapchat. The platform's algorithm is designed to tailor the experience to each user based on their specific interests. Snapchat offers Spotlight as a way to explore a variety of content from across the Snapchat community and highlights the most entertaining snaps, regardless of who created them. Creators can also be rewarded through Spotlight. Snapchat states that eligible creators receive monthly cash rewards if they are top performers during a given calendar month. Based on views and engagement, creators can earn anywhere from $250 to $35,000 per video on average. Those with millions of views can earn even more if their videos are of exceptionally high quality. Snapchat determines rewards based on factors such as engagement and view count. To qualify, creators must have a public account that is at least one month old, with at least 1,000 followers, 10,000 views in a calendar month, and 10 posts in at least five different days using the Snapchat Creative tool. Eligible creators receive notifications through Snapchat.

Selling Merchandise:

As your loyal and engaged audience on Snapchat grows, they may become interested in purchasing branded merchandise. Snapchat allows creators to sell merchandise directly through the platform’s integrated shopping features, making it easy to reach their audience. Snapchat's store feature lets creators set up a shop to display products. To start, creators can either use Snapchat's store or integrate with Shopify to manage inventory and sales. This enables followers to browse and purchase merchandise without leaving the app, providing a convenient and engaging experience for both creators and their audience.

Selling Digital Products and Services:

Creators can also monetize their expertise on Snapchat by offering services and selling digital products. Many creators choose to provide coaching, sell digital products such as e-books, courses, mentorship, or consultancy sessions either directly on the Snapchat platform or outside of it. By promoting these digital products through engaging Snapchat stories, personalized messages, and targeted Snapchat ads, creators can reach a large audience effectively and generate revenue.

Ads on Snapchat:

Like most social platforms, Snapchat's business model revolves around advertising. With over 249 million daily active users, 75% of whom are young people, advertising on Snapchat presents significant opportunities for businesses. Snapchat offers a variety of ad formats, including:

• Collection Ads (a series of products),
• Commercial Ads (up to 3 minutes long),
• Filters (artistic overlays),
• Lenses (augmented reality interactions),
• Single image or video ads,
• Story Ads (a series of ads).

These ads can serve various purposes, such as driving app installs, selling products via e-commerce sites, generating clicks to any type of website, or even directing foot traffic to a local business.

For those looking to profit from Snapchat, it is possible to collaborate with businesses interested in reaching Snapchat's audience. If you're an expert in Snapchat, businesses may pay you to create and manage their ad campaigns.

In early 2022, Snapchat launched a program that allows select users to share revenue from ads that appear during Snapchat Stories. This program is limited to top creators, known as "Snap Stars." Snapchat automatically considers creators for the Snap Stars program, allowing them to start earning if they have at least 50,000 followers, 25 million monthly views, and post a minimum of 10 brand-safe stories each month with at least 20 snaps each.

If you create high-quality content, your followers will likely be willing to pay for it (Shutterstock)

Selling Lenses and Filters:

Lens creators design augmented reality (AR) filters used on Snapchat, which have become one of the platform's most iconic features. If your designs are successful, Snapchat notes that there are potential revenue and partnership opportunities. According to CNN, top lens creators can earn over $30,000 per month from downloads.

Revenue often comes from convincing major brands to hire you to design custom lenses. Additionally, you can create and launch geo-filters to promote a location or public event tied to your business, such as parks, neighborhoods, or cities. Snapchat users share these filters, even branded ones.

When hosting an event in a specific location or opening a new store, you can create a geo-filter. Geo-filters help promote your business or raise brand awareness.

There are two main types of geo-filters: personal and business. You must include logos or branding when creating a business geo-filter. When sharing a geo-filter, you cannot use phone numbers, contact information, or web addresses.

Depending on the complexity and exclusivity of the design, custom geo-filters can range from $12 to $120.

Premium Content:

If you're creating high-quality content that your followers are willing to pay for, you might consider offering premium content through Snapchat Premium. This could include exclusive snaps, stories, or even lenses. You can charge for premium content either on a monthly subscription basis or per piece. However, it's important to note that Snapchat Premium is not an official feature for earning money on Snapchat.

Referral Program:

By encouraging others to sign up for the platform or specific services within it, you can earn money through Snapchat’s referral program. Sharing a referral code on Snapchat to invite friends and contacts can result in rewards for successful referrals, which may come in the form of cash, discounts, or credits. You get paid when someone joins via your link and meets certain criteria, with compensation often including credits, gift cards, or cash.

How Much Do Snapchat Creators Earn from Spotlight?

Creators on Snapchat's Spotlight platform can earn substantial amounts. For example, Katie Feeney, a content creator with over 850,000 subscribers on Snapchat, earned $1 million in just two months by posting on Spotlight. Similarly, Joey Rogoff, another creator with over 80,000 subscribers, made at least $1.2 million through the platform.

How Much Do Snapchat Creators Earn from Lenses?

Lens creators can also make significant earnings. Cyrene Quiamco, a Snapchat AR lens creator for brands, earned around $750,000 in one year. Hart Woolery, who specializes in creating AR visual effects, made nearly $500,000 in one year from his work. Philip Walton, a former aircraft navigation and communication technician, earned over $230,000 in a year through AR lens creation. Additionally, Frank Shi and Xuan Buddhavong, VR specialists, designed AR lenses for brands on Snapchat and earned nearly $4 million in one year.

Tips for Earning Money on Snapchat:

1. Build a large, engaged following: The bigger and more active your audience, the more valuable your account becomes to brands and other businesses.
2. Create high-quality content: Your snaps and stories should be visually appealing, engaging, and informative.
3. Post consistently: Regular content helps keep your followers engaged.
4. Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags help attract more people to your content.
5. Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and questions to build a loyal community.
6. Collaborate with other creators: Cross-promotion can help you reach new audiences and grow your follower base.

Frequently Asked Questions About Earning Money on Snapchat:

How does Snapchat work?

Snapchat is a multimedia messaging platform that allows users to share images, videos, and messages that disappear after viewing. It includes interactive features like Stories, which are collections of snaps available for 24 hours, and the Snap Map, which shows user locations. Snapchat also offers creative tools like filters, lenses, and emojis, as well as opportunities for brands and creators to engage with users through the Discover page, ads, and integrated shopping features.

Can you make money on Snapchat?

Yes, you can earn money on Snapchat through various means, including Spotlight bonuses, brand partnerships, product promotion, and affiliate marketing. By building a strong following, engaging your audience, and participating in the platform's monetization programs, creators can profit from their content.

To enable the subscription button on Snapchat, you must create a public account (social media)

What Is the Minimum Number of Followers Needed to Make Money on Snapchat?

Although there isn’t a strict minimum follower count required for all monetization methods, having at least 1,000 followers and generating significant views (over 1,000 per month) is generally necessary to qualify for programs like Spotlight and brand partnerships.

How Much Can I Earn From Snapchat?

Earnings on Snapchat vary widely. For instance, creators can earn between $60 and $600 per video on the Spotlight platform. Brand partnerships can bring in anywhere from $120 to $1,200 or more per collaboration, depending on the number of followers and engagement levels.

How Can I Enable the Subscribe Button on Snapchat?

To enable the subscribe button on Snapchat, you need to create a public account. Once you have at least 100 subscribers on your public profile, you may qualify for Creator status, which allows you to activate the subscribe button and gain additional platform access.

How to Create a Public Snapchat Account?

When setting up a Snapchat account, you can choose whether you want it to be public or not. Public accounts help creators reach a new audience and grow their following. To create a public account, open the Snapchat app, click on your profile icon in the upper-left corner, tap the gear icon for settings, select "Create Public Account," and follow the steps, including adding a profile picture, bio, and other relevant details.

How to Verify Your Snapchat Account?

Getting your Snapchat account verified, marked with the coveted gold star icon, can boost your credibility and visibility on the platform. While there is no direct method to request verification, maintaining a strong and active account may catch the attention of the Snapchat team, who could then award you the gold star.

Does Snapchat Pay for Views?

Snapchat does not pay users based on views, and regular posts do not generate money. However, you can submit your best snaps to the Spotlight platform for a chance to earn. Snaps featured on Spotlight can earn money depending on the number of views and other factors.

Do Snapchat Users Share Ad Revenue From Their Content?

Most Snapchat users do not have the option to share ad revenue. However, the platform does offer an ad revenue-sharing program for a select group of Snapchat creators.

How Much Money Can You Make From Snapchat?

Snapchat pays users primarily through the Spotlight platform. There is no fixed amount that each user can earn, but some users have reportedly made $100,000 or more in a single week.

Does Snapchat Pay for Filters?

Snapchat does not pay for filters directly. However, you can create filters or lenses as a service for companies and make money that way.

Conclusion

By leveraging Snapchat’s unique features, such as Shopify integration and community building, creators can earn from various lucrative income streams. Like the X platform, Snapchat offers significant monetization potential through sponsored content, revenue-sharing programs, and its innovative Spotlight platform.