How to Make Money on Snapchat

An Overview

Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among young people. With its fun filters and disappearing messages, Snapchat provides a casual and playful way for people to share photos and videos. What many people don’t realize is that Snapchat also offers opportunities to make money!

With over 400 million daily active users, Snapchat has become more than just a platform for sharing disappearing photos and videos. It’s a bustling community where diverse voices converge, creating a melting pot of opportunities for those looking to turn their presence into profit. From influencers to entrepreneurs, Snapchat has become a breeding ground for creative minds seeking financial success.

The beauty of Snapchat lies in its engaged and diverse audience, ranging from Gen Z trendsetters to seasoned professionals looking for the next big thing. In the United States, the most popular age group on Snapchat is 15-25, making up 48% of users, followed by 26-35-year-olds at 30%.

The platform’s unique format encourages authentic and spontaneous content, making it an ideal space for brands and individuals to connect with their audience on a personal level.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the exciting opportunities that Snapchat presents, exploring the various ways people are cashing in on their creativity, building their brands, and carving out lucrative niches in the ever-expanding Snapchat universe.

How to Make Money on Snapchat

Generate Sponsored Content for Brands

Snapchat is a great platform for brands to promote products/services through sponsored content. As a creator, you can collaborate with brands to create sponsored Snaps, Stories, lenses/filters that align with the brand’s messaging. The key is creating content that resonates with your audience rather than coming off as an ad. For example, an apparel brand could sponsor you to showcase their new collection through a “Day in the Life” Story featuring their clothes.

Dive into Affiliate Marketing on Snapchat

You can earn commissions by promoting affiliate products through Snapcodes and shoppable Snaps. For instance, you could share discount codes or links to certain products and get a cut of resulting sales. Make sure to disclose sponsorships. An example would be creating a Snapcode that unlocks a discounted purchase link for a beauty product you genuinely like and recommend.

Provide Tailored Snapchat Services

Offer social media management or consulting services to brands looking for help with Snapchat. Given your knowledge of the platform, you can provide insights on Snapchat ads, influencer marketing, and optimizing branded profiles/content. For example, you could put together Snapchat strategies for a small business including ideas for filters, geofilters and advertising.

Profit from Viral Videos in Snapchat Spotlight

Snapchat Spotlight allows you to earn money when your videos go viral. The more views and engagement your content gets, the more you can potentially earn. Try to create unique, entertaining Snaps that capture attention. For instance, you could film funny reaction videos or participatory challenges that get people curious enough to swipe up and watch.

Craft and sell your own products

Snapchat is a great platform to promote handmade goods or crafts. Make custom jewelry, art, or other items and set up a Snapchat shop to market and sell them. Snapchat has shoppable filters that allow viewers to swipe up and purchase featured products right from your story. Successfully selling your own creations can be a fulfilling way to profit.

Snapchat’s huge user base for profitable sponsorships.

One approach is to design Snapchat-related merchandise like phone cases, t-shirts, and other fun swag featuring your Snapcode or funny captions. You can sell these either through your own Snapchat Shop or third party sites like Teespring. The cool thing is you already have a built-in customer base with your Snapchat friends and followers!

Another way to generate revenue is to create sponsored augmented reality lenses and filters using Snapchat’s Lens Studio platform. If your designs take off and go viral across Snapchat, you can earn a commission based on the number of views. People have made serious bank by developing funny or timely lenses tied to trends, holidays, and events. But it takes some graphic design and creative chops!

Finally, if you have an existing business or ecommerce store, open up a Snapchat Shop to promote products and offer exclusive deals to your Snapchat subscribers. The in-app shopping feature makes impulse Snap-purchases seamless. Active promotion to your follower base can really boost sales.

Create engaging ads for brands

Snapchat Ads Manager lets you design vertical video ads to reach Snapchat users. Use your creativity to craft effective 10 second commercials for brands wanting to advertise on the platform. Snapchat charges for these promotions based on views, so the more compelling your videos, the more brands will pay to run them. Selling advertising services can make you money while enabling businesses to connect with Snapchat’s youthful audience.

Capitalize on Your Snapchat Account

For starters, think about how you can better capitalize on your own Snapchat account, especially if you have a strong following. Offering shoutouts, promotions and sponsored content for other brands is an easy way to earn some cash. You could even create premium “exclusive” content and charge a subscription fee for fans to access it. I know influencers who make thousands simply promoting products and offering fans bonus content!

Premium Snapchat Accounts

And don’t underestimate the earning potential of premium Snapchat accounts and channels. People pay big money for exclusive content from models, influencers, celebs, and “Snapchat stars”. If you can build a large and engaged following, you can monetize it through subscriptions, tips, exclusive content and more. Models can earn tens of thousands per month!

Power of Other Social Media Platforms

A lot of people don’t realize Snapchat has money-making potential beyond just Snapping silly selfies. The key is using Snapchat in combination with other platforms and income streams. For example, you can promote your Snapchat account on other social media like Instagram or TikTok. Drive followers to your Snapchat profile, build your subscribers, then monetize the audience through exclusive content, shoutouts, sponsorships, etc.

Deliver Expert Consultation Services

Another idea is to offer your expertise through Snapchat. Are you a makeup artist or hairstylist? A fitness coach or financial advisor? Offer virtual consultations via Snapchat video chat and charge a fee for your time. People love the convenience of asking quick questions and getting live advice from experts. You’d be surprised how many folks would pay for that access and convenience.

At the end of the day, you have to leverage Snapchat creatively to tap into revenue opportunities. Learn the platform inside-out, build your audience across networks, partner with brands, and deliver real value to followers and clients. With some smarts and hustle, Snapchat can definitely generate real income. Let me know if you need any other tips!

How Can You Increase Your Snapchat Following?

• Use relevant Snapchat filters and lenses: Using fun filters and lenses related to your content makes your snaps more engaging and shareable. This can help attract new followers who see your snaps with those filters.
• Host Snapchat contests or giveaways: Offer prizes to people who engage with your account in certain ways, like screenshotting your snap or being the first to respond. This incentivizes people to follow you.
• Cross-promote your Snapchat on other platforms: Let your followers on Instagram, Twitter, etc. know your Snapchat username and encourage them to add you.
• Leverage influencer marketing: Reach out to influencers in your niche and ask them to give you a shoutout on their Snapchat story. Their followers may start following you too.
• Use Snapchat ads: Snapchat ads let you target specific demographics and promote your account directly in the app to gain new followers.
• Create engaging and unique content: Post content that showcases your personality, is visually appealing, tells a story, etc. Good content will make people want to keep viewing your snaps.
• Collaborate with other Snapchat accounts: Team up with complementary accounts for takeovers, Q&As, etc. This exposes you to their audience.
• Link your Snapchat in your other profiles: Add your Snapchat username to your Instagram bio, YouTube descriptions, website, and anywhere else relevant.
• Participate in trends and viral moments: Capitalize on trending memes, news events, holidays, etc. by posting related content. This helps you stay visible and relevant.
• Follow and engage with others: Follow Snapchat accounts you like and respond to their stories. This makes you more discoverable and builds connections.

Things to Remember Before Starting to Make Money on Snapchat

Stability of Snapchat as a Monetization Platform

First off, make sure Snapchat is actually a stable place for you to make money over the long-term. The platform is still evolving, so you’ll want to stay on top of any algorithm changes or new monetization features Snapchat rolls out. Monitor how brands and influencers are making money on there successfully.

Understand Your Audience

Next, get crystal clear on who your target audience is and what they respond to. Don’t just post random content! Really study what type of content, messaging, and tone resonates with your ideal audience. That’s how the big Snapchatters get big. They know their niche and create content specifically for them.

Research Your Competitors

It’s also smart to research who you’re competing against. Study both direct competitors and the top Snapchat creators in your niche. What are they doing that works? Where can you differentiate yourself? Finding an open niche or unique angle is key for standing out on a saturated platform.

Test, Tweak, and Try Again

When starting out on Snapchat, don’t expect overnight success. It takes time to build an audience and figure out what content resonates. You’ll likely have to test and iterate a lot at first. Try out different content formats – maybe funny Snapchat lenses one day, an AMA the next. See what your audience responds to and then double down on that type of content. The top Snapchatters got big by constantly tweaking their strategy.

Understand Snapchat’s Rules

It’s also crucial to understand Snapchat’s rules around branded content and monetization. Make sure to follow FTC disclosure guidelines, get consent for using branded templates, etc. You don’t want your account shut down! Read Snapchat’s policies closely so you avoid any compliance issues.

And for sure make sure you understand Snapchat’s monetization policies inside and out. There are specific rules around running ads, getting branded content approved, etc. You don’t want your account suspended because you didn’t follow the rules! Do your homework so you don’t make any rookie compliance mistakes.

Diversify Your Revenue Streams

And finally, don’t rely on one revenue stream alone. Diversify between advertising, subscriptions, merchandise and any other monetization features Snapchat provides. That way if one avenue declines or disappears, you have backup income sources. Many top creators make money through a blend of branded partnerships, paid content, affiliates and products. Diversify so you have income even if one stream dries up.

Protect Your Privacy

When it comes to privacy – be careful about oversharing or revealing too much personal information as your account grows. Keep some parts of your life just for you and your inner circle. You want to maintain your authenticity, but avoid overexposing yourself.

Balance Profit and Ethics

And make sure to balance making a profit with ethical practices. Don’t just promote any product for money – carefully vet sponsors and affiliates for integrity. Respect your audience by turning down shady deals even if they pay well. The most successful influencers balance business savvy with high standards. For example, I’ve seen some fashion influencers refuse to work with brands that don’t align with their values around ethical manufacturing and body positivity. Even though they’re turning down lucrative deals, they earn long-term trust and respect from their audience.

To Wrap it Up…

So there you have it – some great ways to start earning money on Snapchat! The possibilities are pretty endless once you dive in. From creating premium Snapchat content to promoting products or your other social accounts, Snapchat provides a huge opportunity to make some extra cash.

Just remember to keep your followers engaged, post consistently, and provide value through your content. Don’t spam followers or make everything solely promotional. Find a good balance between quality content and strategic marketing.

Monetizing your following and creativity takes some work but can be really rewarding. And who knows, if you keep growing your audience and improving your content, you could turn your Snapchat account into a full-time business! But for now, hopefully these tips give you some ideas to start making a little money on the side.