Snapchat has evolved from being just another social media platform to a powerful marketing and monetization tool. With over 250 million daily active users globally, Snapchat offers immense opportunities to make money on Snapchat in creative ways.
Whether you’re an influencer, business, or everyday Snapchat user, this guide covers various proven methods to start earning an income passively or full-time on Snapchat today.
Make Money on Snapchat
Launched initially as an app to send disappearing photos and video messages, Snapchat took the world by storm with its fun features. The introduction of advertising, influencer marketing, and shoppable ads have transformed this platform into a goldmine for brands and creators to engage with audiences.
There are several ways to make money on Snapchat organically without much investment. You can also scale up earnings substantially by investing time and effort into building your influence and brand on Snapchat.
This guide will explore easy and effective methods to make money on Snapchat as an influencer or business.
Chapter 1: Make Money as an Influencer on Snapchat
Influencer marketing has exploded on Snapchat with brands spending millions of dollars annually to sponsor creators. Whether you have 1000 followers or 100,000 followers, there are ways for you to cash in.
Section 1.1: Earn Through Brand Partnerships and Sponsorships
Influencer marketing involves collaborating with brands to promote their products/services on your Snapchat account. The bigger your audience, the more you can charge brands.
How Much Can You Make?
As an influencer, you can expect to earn:
- $10 – $100 per 1000 followers per post: For example, if you have 10,000 followers, you can charge around $100 – $1000 per sponsored post. The rate varies based on your niche, content quality, and audience engagement.
- Affiliate commissions: Additional income through affiliate links to products featured in your content. Most affiliates offer about 5-15% commission.
Micro and nano influencers are hugely popular on Snapchat. You don’t need millions of followers to start making money on Snapchat. Work on building proximity and trust with your niche target audience.
Types of Sponsored Content
As part of the sponsorship agreement, you will have to post content that aligns with the brand’s messaging. Common types of branded content include:
- Shoutouts
- Reviews
- Unboxing videos
- Discount codes
- Polls and questions
- User-generated content
- Takeovers
- Lenses and filters
Ensure sponsored content blends well with your usual content style for better engagement. Disclose sponsorships transparently to build trust and avoid legal issues.
Section 1.2: Spotlight Program
The Spotlight program allows Snapchat to pay creators for viral content. If your Snap gets featured in the Spotlight section:
- Snapchat pays out $1 million daily to creators.
- Top-performing Snaps can earn lakhs per day. The payout rate depends on unique views and other engagement metrics.
This presents a tremendous opportunity for creators to gain a share of the Spotlight earnings.
“Every month over 125 million Snapchatters watch Spotlight.”
To boost your chances of getting featured:
- Post daily viral Snaps that get a ton of opening and shares organically. Funny, entertaining, and informational content works very well.
- Try using viral sounds and lenses. They often result in higher engagement.
- Optimize Snaps for the Spotlight feed with vertical orientation, captions, and context.
The Spotlight program by Snapchat makes it very rewarding for creators who understand viral trends and deliver engaging content consistently.
Chapter 2: Make Money By Selling Products on Snapchat
Snapchat has over 5 billion Snaps created daily – that’s a massive audience for businesses to tap into.
Let’s explore two of the best ways for businesses to make money on Snapchat by leveraging its self-serve advertising platforms.
Section 2.1: Leverage Shoppable Snap Ads
In November 2021, Snapchat introduced Shoppable Snap Ads that integrate e-commerce into premium Snaps.
Advertisers can tag products in their Snaps to create a shortcut for users to:
- View product pages right within the Snapchat app
- Complete purchases quickly without leaving the app
This leads to a faster path to purchase, higher conversion rates, and bigger revenue for advertisers.
“Shoppable Ads delivered 2x higher conversion rates compared to comparable social media platforms.”
Other benefits of Shoppable Snap Ads:
- Seamless mobile shopping experience
- Helps advertisers track ROI accurately
- Allows precise re-targeting based on product views and cart activity
Both large and small e-commerce businesses can leverage these powerful ads to drive sales on Snapchat.
Section 2.2: Run Effective Snap Ads Campaigns
Snap Ads are full-screen vertical video ads displayed between stories and shows on Snapchat.
They are non-skippable and have above-average view rates, making them one of the best-performing ad formats.
Here are some tips to help you make money on Snapchat using Snap Ads:
- Retarget visitors who engage with your website, app, or products. This gives 5-15x higher conversion rates.
- Integrate Pixel and SDK to track conversions accurately. Optimize campaigns based on performance data.
- Make ads that entertain first and sell second. Viral Snaps get better engagement.
- Rotate creatives frequently to keep interest high.
- Complement video ads with AR try-on experiences or interactive apps.
Make sure to A/B test ad elements like design, captions, calls-to-action, and placements to refine your campaigns.
By leveraging these powerful self-serve ad formats, businesses can drive direct ROI while increasing brand awareness on the Snapchat platform.
Conclusion
Snapchat has evolved into an extremely lucrative platform, both for individual creators as well as advertisers.
As an influencer, you can earn money on Snapchat through brand sponsorships, affiliate commissions, and viral content monetization. Building your follower base and consistently delivering engaging content is key.
For businesses, Snapchat opens up opportunities for direct e-commerce sales through shoppable ads as well as brand lift through video ads. Advertising to Snapchat’s young demographic can boost ROI substantially.
The methods highlighted in this guide are proven to help make money while organically growing your brand presence. Implement them today and turn Snapchat into a serious revenue channel.
The platform continues to innovate with money-making tools for creators and advertisers. Stay tuned for updates as Snapchat rolls out additional monetization and shopping experiences.