Snapchat for
Influencers

Think about your username before you type it and hit “enter” on Snapchat. It should represent your name or brand. If you’re serious about using Snapchat as part of your influencer goal, choose something thoughtful that you won’t regret. You can’t change your username; you’ll have to create a new account with a different username if you don’t like your original pick.

To create your Bitmoji, you need to download the app from the App Store or Google Play. It’s not solely used on Snapchat; the avatar can be used for other functions and on other apps (see bitmoji.com for more details).

Instead of using a profile photo, Snapchat offers the option of using the popular Bitmoji. A Bitmoji is a personalized cartoon avatar emoji that expresses your physical look, personality and character.

Once the app is downloaded, follow the prompts to create your image and link it to Snapchat. Your Bitmoji will also show up in your Snapchat chats.

Above clockwise: A Bitmoji inside of a Snapcode. Scenes you can create using a Bitmoji. Access your library on the bottom bar you see in chat mode (shown here bottom right square). You can easily create scenes using your Best Friends’ Bitmojis, as well.

Though you can’t change your username very easily, you can indeed change your Bitmoji when you want. Most Snapchatters change it season to season. You can always unlink your Bitmoji and instead choose a true photo of yourself that will show up inside of your Snapcode.

Above: You don’t have to have a Bitmoji on Snapchat. As you can see here on Ghostcodes.com, a number of viral Snapchat stars use head shots placed well in the middle of the ghost, or an action shot framed in the silhouette.

Text: Text in Snapchat are really quick captions or sayings overlaying a Snap.

Photos: This is the main reason for Snapchat — photos. Photos are meant to be decorated with captions, doodles, filters and lenses. Snapchat introduced a 3D Camera Mode that adds depth to Snaps. The camera can capture more spatial detail and perspective than normal cameras. This means that when you move your phone to view a photo, the image moves slightly to give you a different perspective. This 3D effect is ever so slightly like the “Live” aspect of iOS cameras that capture 1.5 seconds of movement before and after a shot is taken.

Videos: Snapchat is a great environment for short videos of 10 seconds or less. The videos can also be decorated, and all your hard work will be deleted once it’s been viewed by your audience. However, videos can stay active for 24 hours if you add them to your story.

Stories: A Story in Snapchat is a collection of Snaps, which were captured in the previous 24 hours. The Story is an archive of your day. You can save your own Story to your Memories or your camera roll. Memories is a place on Snapchat to save your favorite photos and videos so they don’t disappear. That way you can view them again, edit them or repost them on your Story, but only you can see your Memories section.

Live Stories: Snapchat’s Live Stories are a compilation of images and videos from other Snapchat users who are in the same location or attending the same event. Live Stories also only last for 24 hours before disappearing. People who aren’t on your follower list will see your images. Engaging with Live Stories is one way you could potentially become an overnight influencer on Snapchat. A pop up will alert you whether you’re in the area of a Live Story event.

Captions: Use the “T” icon to add a caption or text to an image Snap. You’ll have the ability to use bold, italics and underlining.

Doodle: Use the pencil icon for this drawing tool. There are varied colors and sizes of brushes.

Color Spectrum Selector: Use different colors for text and doodles with the color spectrum selector on the right side of the screen. Once you click on the pencil icon, the vertical selector pops up.

Above: Click the pencil to activate the vertical color wheel. You can use more than one color on screens. The right-hand screen shows three colors used for text and doodle.

Paperclip: The paperclip icon is used when you want to add the URL of any webpage to your Snap. When friends see the Snap, they can swipe to find the linked page.

Timer: The stopwatch icon lets you determine the amount of time your Snap can be viewed, up to 10 seconds. There’s an infinity symbol that allows you to let them view the Snap for as long as it’s up.

Filters: Filters are used to decorate your Snaps. Swipe your screen to find the infamous Snapchat filters that include colorful effects and graphics, too. There are a couple of types of filters: community filters, geofilters and moment filters. Most are free, however there are filters you can purchase.

• Community filters: Free filters added on special locations and landmarks, or during occasions and holidays.
• Geofilters: Free filters that can be added to indicate the type of location or the actual name of the locale you’re in at the moment. Geofilters are meant to encourage users to share experiences of a certain location.
• Moment filters: Free filters for special casual times and fun activities such as brunch, shopping or watching a sports game.

Lenses: You’ve probably seen the inevitable — and infamous — puppy dog and kitty cat filters you can put over faces in Snapchat photos. Even celebrities use these lenses to have a bit of fun. Those types of lenses are only two of the thousands of creative lenses available to use on your Snaps.

There’s a small learning curve on the lenses; you’ll need to learn how to point the camera, and then tap on the faces and add lenses that pop up, many with additional prompts. Snapchat relies heavily on this feature, calling it AR (augmented reality), to not only differentiate itself from the other social media platforms, but to appeal to the younger crowd who likes to toy with images rather than perfecting them.

Important note: There’s a distinct differentiation between filters and lenses on Snapchat. Filters are static overlays on an image or vide. Lenses are typically (but not always) animated to change the look of your appearance and/or the sound of your voice.

Accessing Filters: Though it may look overwhelming, it’s easy to access and create with filters. The steps below combine accessing and creating a filter on an image.

• Open the Snapchat app.
• Tap on profile image top left corner.
• Then tap the red gear and settings icon top right.
• Scroll down to Additional Services.
• Tap Manage and turn on slider for filters.
• To use a filter, open your app.
• Take a photo.
• Swipe left or right to cycle through filters.
• If you want to add more than one filter, tap on bottom right icon of a stack of papers with a plus sign, which will let you add more filters.
• Send your creation by tapping on the blue circle with the white arrow.

Above: Sample of Snapchat filters.

Here’s a quick sample above of a photo of a starfish and shells with layered filters. The first one (left) is a sticker of the Fairfield coastline. The right side is a layered filter. The second sticker is text that says, “Hello world!” The third filter is the array of butterflies, which are actually animated, but differs from lenses which changes a face’s appearance.

Accessing lenses: Lenses, both animated and static, can be easily accessed, as well. Follow the steps to open up the world of available lenses.

• Open the Snapchat app.
• Tap the screen anywhere and a carousel of icons will pop up at the bottom of the screen.
• Look through your list and choose one.
• The camera will prompt you to take a photo as the lens positions itself into place. Here’s a sampling of four different lenses that alter the way this Snapchatter looks — note the carousel of choices at the bottom of each screen:

Above: Sample of Snapchat lenses.

You can also unlock lenses and explore lenses. For example:

Lens Explorer 

Lens Explorer lets you unlock thousands of Lenses built by Snapchatters, just like you! To open Lens Explorer, tap   or when the carousel is active.

You can add Lenses to your carousel for 24 hours by tapping on a Lens tile, or swiping up on a featured Snap in Community Lens Stories 

Lens Explorer is also where you’ll see all your Lens Subscriptions. Tap on a Lens Creator’s display name and tap ‘Subscribe‘ to stay up to date with their latest creations.

To access the Community Lenses, press the “+” sign to land on this page:

Above: Community Lens page.

Snapchat also allows you to create your own filters and lenses. Some may be free; others need to be purchased. It may whet your appetite to become an Official Lens Creator (more on Official Creators below).

Since there are thousands of different lenses, Snapchat rotates them daily, so you’ll see the breadth of selection. However, the lenses you frequently use tend to remain in your carousel.

View more about how to use Lenses on support.Snapchat.com.

Above: Enter Snapchat’s world of custom filters and lenses.

Spectacles: Snap Inc. debuted its Spectacles smartglasses in late 2016 to somewhat of a lukewarm welcoming. They are still available, and are now in its third generation, called Spectacles 3, introduced in August 2019. This latest version of Spectacles has dual cameras that capture images in 3D. They’re lighter in weight, made of stainless steel rather than the older versions made of plastic, so you can comfortably wear them around while creating Snaps and videos. They cost just under $400 at the time of this writing.

Above: The newest generation of Snapchat’s Spectacles in rose gold.

A number of Snapchat influencers became popular on the app because they learned early on to leverage their fame on other social media sites. Here are four early Snapchat influencers from 2017:

Above: Early Snapchat influencers.

As much as Snapchat has evolved since 2017, some things remain the same. For example, unless you have someone’s username, it’ll be tough to find friends, much less influencers. Friendships are private so you can’t tell the number of a Snapchatter’s community. You also can’t go by the number of Snaps, which is located under the username. Someone can have six figures worth of Snaps or hearts, but the thousands of Snaps could have all gone to one person.

This aspect of Snapchat can be frustrating, especially to brands seeking influencers. There are even websites dedicated to releasing the Snapchat usernames of celebrities, though some stars use their names so they’re easy to find, ie: KimKardashian or taylorswift. Besides jumping into Snapchat as a celebrity, let’s look at other ways to become an influencer on the platform.

There are a few paths towards Snapchat influencership that aren’t readily apparent unless you dive deep into the platform. To become recognized on Snapchat, join its Community of Creators. Within the community, get noticed by producing lenses or finding your way into the Discovery section. In addition, you can rely on your other platforms to promote your Snapchat feed. However one of the best ways to become an influencer is to join a Snapchat influencer network, such as IZEA.

Becoming a Lens Creator means joining the Lens Studio on Snapchat. You don’t need to have a graphic design degree or any other artistic credentials. All you need is the willingness to be creative to become noticed on Snapchat. You’ll also want a solid understanding of what AR (augmented reality) is all about if you don’t already. The Lens Studio tools are free to use.

Just download the templates to start creating AR, otherwise known as lenses. To find this AR lab, you’ll have to dig a little, but you can begin by going to the lensstudio.Snapchat.com. Luckily, there are step-by-step instructions plus an interactive tour for lens creators to begin creating AR.

If you want to go this route, you’ll be able to use a “lens-studio” tag so that others can discover your work and use your lenses on their own photos. You’ll also have the following credentials for additional exposure:

• Creator profile with a Snap Star profile status
• Potential partnership opportunities
• Potential revenue opportunities
• Access to your audience insights

You may also be featured in the Community of Creators’ page in the Meet the Official Lens Creators section. Here’s a sampling of a few of the hundreds of celebrated Snapchat lens creators:

Above: A few of Snapchat’s Official Lens Creators, aka Snapchat influencers. This is the new Snapchat Creator Profiles live.

Snapchat’s community of Official Lens Creators can make serious money designing custom augmented reality (AR) lenses. The real money-making venture is in the creation of sponsored AR lenses for brands. A company like Nike, for example, is always open to discovering new lens creator talent. Official lens creators are known to charge between $1K to $30K to work with brands to design custom lenses.

When you have a Snapchat account, you can access the Discover section by clicking on the icon on the bottom right of the screen. The section has evolved over the years to become a place where you can become discovered for your Snaps. The section used to be dominated by brands and companies, but now it’s a mix of Snapchatters, brands, and sponsored content. In addition, there are also Snap Original shows in the Discover section. But as an influencer, you’ll want to understand the Discover section a bit more, and its “sections” or “channels.”

There are a number of channels available on Discovery. Subscribe to them, manage your subscriptions, and select your interests to edit what you see on Discovery. One example is the So Satisfying channel, which highlights the most viewed satisfying Snaps of viral content, such as petting kittens or slicing colored sand sculptures.

Above: So Satisfying is a channel found on the Discovery section of Snapchat on which Snapchatters can submit Snaps and videos.

You can also submit Snaps to channels, which are run by various publishers. You can also submit a Snap to “Our Story,” a service launched in 2014. Our Story aggregates, with discretion, Snaps from an event, such as a football game, festival, concert, or college event, and builds a story using submitted Snaps. Campus Stories is offered on select college campuses, and it could be an ideal way to become a local Snapchat influencer: You’re able to access Campus Stories if you’re on the map where there’s a live story occurring that day.

One way to link your platforms while growing your Snapchat audience is by using your Snapcode anywhere possible. Snapchat made those old QR codes cool to use. Your Snapchat icon (the silhouetted ghost in a yellow square), with random black dots, is your Snapcode.

The main purpose of your Snapcode is to allow other Snapchatters to take a photo of your Snapcode. Doing so links you as Snapchat friends. In other words, if someone takes a photo of your Snapcode, they are automatically added to your account as a follower. There are two main ways to use your Snapcode to build followers:

• Use your Snapcode image as a profile photo on Facebook and Twitter.
• Add your Snapchat username or image of your code in your Instagram bio area. You can’t use the code as your Instagram circular profile image because some of the code will be cut off.

The paperclip will turn Snapchat friends into followers on your other platforms. When the paperclip icon was added to Snapchat in 2017, users hoped that it was a message that the platform was beginning to help influencers grow their brand. It has changed how influencers use their Snaps, even to this day.

Using a paperclip requires a little work. You’ll need to allow Snapchat to access your clipboard so you can use the paperclip tool. Steps to do this:

• Go to your camera screen.
• Tap your profile icon.
• Tap the red settings button.
• Scroll down and find Additional Services section.
• Tap Manage.
• Tap Permissions.
• Scroll down to find Clipboard.
• Tab to enable Clipboard which will allow you to attach links with the paperclip tool.

Above: Note the paperclip tool icon is found on the right side of the screen.

Use a paperclip icon (right hand side of screen) to add any URL to your Snap, including your other sites and feeds. The paperclip lets Snapchatters swipe up to land on the clipped website. It’s also a way to track click-throughs on each link.

If you’re a serious influencer and seeking monetizing opportunities, you’ll want to tap influencer networks. You can sign up with a network so that when brands and marketers, who have also signed up with the same network, look for influencers, they’ll have a much easier time finding you.

The best influencer network goes beyond mere lists of people with Snapchat accounts. Consider signing up with a network that offers more detail, data and stats on each Snapchat influencer, including information on the user’s other social media profiles and platforms.

Having a verified Snapchat account can be important for an influencer to show users you’re official. Here are the steps you can go through below to verify your Snapchat account:

• What is a verified account? Since 2015, Snapchat has quietly verified celebrity and public figure accounts so users know they’re following the actual star rather than a fake one. A verified account means you have an official status on Snapchat as the genuine celebrity or star. A verified account will also come up with a banner heading that says, “Official Story.”
• How do you become verified? Now, you don’t need to be a celebrity or a public figure to become verified. If you’re an up-and-coming Snapchat star who receives loads of views on every story, you’re likely eligible to become verified so no one else can use your name and photo on the app. You’ll need to go through a process, however.
• What’s the process? You’ll need to contact Snapchat to let them know others may be impersonating you and that your followers are confused and don’t know who the real influencer really is on the app. Steps include:
  • Find your red gear settings icon and click.
  • Scroll down to the Support bar and click on “Help”
  • Hit “Contact Us.”
  • Click on “My Snapchat isn’t working.”
  • Scroll down that list and click “Other.”
  • Press “Yes.”
  • Press “My option is not listed.”
  • A form will pop up. Fill in all the fields.
  • In the “What information should we know?” you will need to say you’re getting impersonated, others are making fake accounts using your name, and that users are getting confused and following the wrong accounts and compromising your Snapchat account.
  • Ask to be verified so users will know that you are the official account. Important: add a government identification image to show you are who you say you are. Submit this image into the form as an attachment. Snapchat will be able to more swiftly move to verify your account.
• How long does it take? Submit the form and wait a few days for a response. If you receive an email that said you cannot be verified, try the entire process a second time.
• What emojis are used for verified accounts? Snapchat’s verification emojis are unique to each user. No two celebrities or public figures have the same emoji and they are allowed to choose their own. For example, it’s reported that Hillary Clinton’s Snapchat verification emoji was the U.S. flag, Justin Bieber had praying hands, Ryan Seacrest had a film slate, Kim Kardashian had the strawberry emoji and Selena Gomez had a pink heart emoji. Verified emojis tend to change frequently, so these may have changed.

As mentioned, Gen Z is Snapchat’s largest demographic. To better help brands, and influencers, Snap Inc. published a guide to understanding Gen Z.

Snap Inc. partnered with GlobalWebIndex to sample around 79K 16- to 22-year-olds in 45 markets to gain important information on what makes this generation tick. Here are five key insights from the report that can help influencers hone in on content so that in turn, companies can find on-brand influencers:

1. Of most importance, Gen Zs need to belong to a community that accepts them wholeheartedly. Although every human being may feel this, it’s important for a Gen Z to feel this way about an online community. That’s because they’re the first generation to be true digital natives, born into a world where it’s the norm to be constantly connected to their phones or devices.
2. They have their eyes open and antennas up. About three in four of Gen Zs interviewed say that it’s important to know what’s going on globally. They understand global issues affect present and future generations.
3. Entertainment is tops on a Gen Z’s list of personal interests. Their top five interests include music, film, food and drink, gaming and technology. They are also more interested than Millennials in urban/modern art and adventure sports. That explains why lenses and filters are popular. It also explains why it seems  many brands like to have sporty influencers takeover their channels.
4. Gen Zs prefer to make healthier choices than older consumer groups. Gen Zs have reduced purchases of snacks and candy over the past few years as they’re taking a holistic view of their own self-care.
5. Gen Zs are extremely concerned about online privacy. That’s likely due to all the warnings they’ve heard from adults about the risks of the Internet. In fact, 60 percent interviewed say they’re worried about how personal data is used by companies. More than half of Gen Zs prefer to stay anonymous online, and, they like to block annoying and irrelevant ads.

If you want to appeal as an influencer or marketer to Gen Z, you may want to consider these niches to focus your content and your brand partnerships:

• Film
• Music
• Gaming
• Urban Art
• Technology
• Healthy food/drink
• General global issues
• Adventure sports/general sports

Gen Zs are heavier users than Millennials on Snapchat, but that doesn’t mean the older group is small by any means. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, making the youngest 23 years old and the oldest of this generation turning 38 years old in 2019, according to Pewresearch.org.

In Snapchat’s world, the generations overlap in terms of statistics. For example, 73 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. use Snapchat, which incorporates Millennials. Here are a few other statistics including Millennials on Snapchat:

• Users under 25 are on Snapchat on average 40 minutes a day.
• Seventy-one percent of users aged 18 to 24 use Snapchat multiple times a day.

In Snap Inc.’s report on Gen Z, there are a few similarities noted between the generations:

• Seventy-four percent of Gen Z say they want to achieve more in life, similar to 73 percent of Millennials who feel the same.
• Seventy-two percent of both Gen Z and Millennials say they like to challenge themselves and push themselves to be the best they can in life.
• Sixty-five percent of both generations are very career oriented.
• Fifty-seven percent of both generations feel insecure without their smartphones.
• Half of both generations are interested in fitness, exercise and play sports.

The report had a few things to say about the differences between Gen Z and Millennials on Snapchat, as well. Of course, the differences occur due to maturity levels and financial stations in life along with disposable income:

• Millennials are less spontaneous than Gen Zs.
• Surprisingly, Millennials are not as cost-conscious as Gen Zs.
• Millennials appear to be more interested in gambling, gardening and local issues and activities than Gen Zs.
• Millennials don’t seem to care about being contactable 24/7 as do Gen Zs.
• Millennials also don’t seem to care as much as Gen Zs about having the latest tech products.
• Millennials love technology, but they’re more inclined than Gen Zs to say that they don’t understand new technology or that it complicates their lives. Brands and influencers need to take note to keep their Snapchat campaigns simplified.
• Millennials are more likely than Gen Zs to invest in smart devices other than smartphones due to disposable income.
• Millennials spend about 30 minutes less per day on smartphones than do Gen Zs.
• Millennials are more apt than Gen Zs to use their smartphones to keep up to date with news/events and to research products/brands.
• Millennials are more interested than Gen Zs in buying experiences than products.

One of the most popular niches in which to market to Millennials: travel. According to the report, 35 percent of Millennials prefer to spend money on travel, high-end hotels and resorts, vacations and experiences versus 28 percent of Gen Zs.

There’s another fascinating takeaway from an article on Forbes.com about the timing of reaching Gen Z and Millennial Snapchatters. It’s easier to reach the Millennial audience at nighttime after work. However, Gen Zs are active on Snapchat throughout the day, and not concentrated on any time during the day or night in particular.

The way you behave on Snapchat is important. As you’ve read above, Gen Zs take notice of behaviors that are questionable. Though Snapchat is considered more casual and fun, it’s expected that Snapchatters should maintain an element of decorum, especially if you want to be a respected influencer. There’s no specific rule book for Snapchat influencer etiquette, but here are a couple of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind:

• Do return a Snap. If someone sends you a Snap, always send one back (it’s good for engagement, as well). If you wait too long to respond, however, you may forget what the Snap said in the first place.
• Don’t abuse a screenshot. Never take a screenshot of someone’s Snap and then repost it elsewhere. It’s a form of content stealing. Someone else’s content is not yours to post.
• Do keep your stories short. For example, don’t put an entire concert on your story.
• Do keep your stories relevant. In other words, don’t post something every few minutes if there’s no point in doing so.
• Don’t use stale filters. The dog filter, and the rainbow regurgitation filter, are both overused, especially if you’re an influencer.
• Don’t post gorgeous landscapes on Snapchat. Landscape shots are meant to linger on Instagram.
• Don’t overuse a geotag/geofilter. Put it on the first Snap, not on every single image on your story.
• Don’t buy followers or scores. Though it may be a little tough for a brand to determine if you’ve inflated your audience through purchasing your followers or scores, the truth always comes out.

Emma is one of the most prolific social media influencers sharing her content on Snapchat, as well as across all of her platforms. She began her social media career capitalizing on her “weird” teen life. She began selling her own brand of merchandising, and partners with various brands, including Hollister and Audible. Chamberlain is also one of the first YouTubers to portray her lifestyle as less than perfect with cameras pointed at unflattering angles, as opposed to other influencers who prefer to produce staged content.

Today, Chamberlain is over 18, though still a teen, and focusing her content on her messy adventures in adulting, made with the raw and authentic energy that catapulted her to fame. She takes advantage of Snapchat by posting quick, funny and quirky lifestyle videos, such as putting on her first dinner party.

Shaun McBride: Snapchat, @shonduras – McBride uses Snapchat to showcase fun and quick original art works, like his finger-drawings. But he also likes to share Snaps about his family. He is a full-time Snapchat influencer, working with brands such as Disney, Taco Bell, and Red Bull.

Cyrene Quiamco: Snapchat, @CyreneQ Blog, The11^thSecond.com – Now a full-time Snapchatter, Quiamco is a classic success story when it comes to the platform. She’s an artist creating not only colorful doodles and celebrity drawings, she’s also one of the famed Lens Creators at Snap Inc.

Chino: Snapchat, @turbanchino – Though this Snapchatter is hard to categorize, he’s known for his images from pop culture shows and movies which he modifies by pasting and inserting his face into the scene. In one example, he pastes his animated face onto an enlarged big toe as a toe clipper descends upon the foot.

Geir Ove Pedersen: Snapchat, @geeohSnap – This Snapchatter likes to take goofy photos of random folks and use filters and drawings to enhance the shot. He’s considered a top Snapchat influencer and has attracted brands such as Gucci and Air France to partner with him.

Christine Mi: Snapchat, @Miologie Instagram @christinexmi – This artist, also a Yale graduate, has made a name for herself on Snapchat for her artwork. She also has an Instagram account dedicated to her art, which she titled @sadgirlpop.

Evan Garber: Snapchat, @emgarber Instagram, @emgarber – Garber turned his Snapchat fame into a full-time art career. He creates intricate drawings, which can also be seen on his Instagram account.

Brittany Furlan: Snapchat, @brittanyfurlan Instagram, @brittanyfurlan – A comedian and internet personality who lives in Los Angeles, Furlan uses several social media platforms, including Snapchat.

Khaled Mohamed/DJ Khaled: Snapchat, @djkhaled Instagram, @djkhaled – DJ Khaled actually rose in fame by using Snapchat as his main platform. He’s a record producer, DJ, radio personality, and executive for a music company who relied on Snapchat to promote music.

Frankie Greek: Snapchat, @WTFRANKIE Instagram, @grankiefreek Twitter, @frankiegreek Website, frankiegreek.com — This influencer takes Snapchat more seriously than most users, labelling herself as a “Snapchat Journalist.” She also was the first person to host a Snapchat talk show.

Logan Paul: Snapchat, @LoganPaul  YouTube, @LoganPaul – Logan Paul has long been an influencer on the big social media platforms. He likes Snapchat because it’s short form which allows him to Snap over-the-top videos that disappear in a poof.

Amanda Cerny: Snapchat, @AmandaCerny Instagram, @amandacerny — This ex-Playboy Playmate managed to use Snapchat to launch herself into an acting career.

Jenna Mourey, aka Jenna Marbles: Snapchat, @jennakermarbles YouTube, @JennaMarbles – This Snapchatting influence made a name for herself on YouTube with her random funny videos. She took her on-camera hilarity to Snapchat.

King Bach: Snapchat, @kingbach Instagram, @kingbach – Another funny man who is a Snapchat influencer because of his love for making short-form videos. He turned his Snapchat venture into a possible acting career and has appeared on a few comedy shows.

Michael Platco: Snapchat, @mplatco Website, mplatco.com – There’s nowhere else to categorize this Shorty Award-winning Snapchatter but in the entertainment category. He’s entertained followers for years, garnering his slot as a top Snapchat influencer. His website tagline describes him as a Snapchat Storyteller, Artist and Influencer.

Casey Neistat: Snapchat, @caseyneistat YouTube, @CaseyNeistat – This New York based filmmaker made a career out of his Snapchat and YouTube fame, forming a social media company, Berne, which was acquired by CNN. He then founded another company, called 368, as a collaborate space for creators.

Lilly Singh: Snapchat, @iisuperwomanii  YouTube, @IISuperwomanII – This singer/rapper and vlogger is another YouTube star who transferred her talent for making short, funny videos onto Snapchat.

Karlie Kloss: Snapchat, @karliekloss YouTube, @Klossy  Website, kodewithklossy.com – This model and science expert is also the founder of an all-girl’s coding school. Her popularity spans all the social media platforms but she’s especially prolific on Snapchat where she can connect with her demographic of young women.

Neghar Fonooni: Snapchat, @negharfonooni Instagram, @negharfonooni – A fitness coach and writer sharing workouts on Snapchat. She’s also a writer about spiritual life coaching, business coaching, and helping women become better writers.

Cassey Ho: Snapchat, @blogilates Website, blogilates.com YouTube, @blogilates– A fitness influencer who likes to encourage followers by using Snapchat to share her meals, daily activities, and exercising routines.

Lifestyle

Naomi Davis: Snapchat, @love.taza Blog, Lovetaza.com – A New York-based lifestyle and mom who uses Snapchat as an extension of her blog telling stories of raising three kids.

Photography

Brandon Harvey: Snapchat, @BrandenHarvey Website, brandenharvey.com Instagram, @brandenharvey – A professional photographer, he began on Instagram but found that Snapchat was extremely friendly to photographers. He’s now said to have one of the largest audiences for photography on the platform.

Travel

Kate McCully: Snapchat, @adventurouskate Instagram, @adventurouskate – A solo female traveler, she travels the world sharing her adventures, such as being shipwrecked in Indonesia and other odd events that seem to happen only to her.

This will tell you how many total unique viewers saw your Snapchat story year to date. To count the view, the user will have had to look at it for a least one entire second. The view only counts once, regardless of how many times one user actually viewed the story.

How many viewers watched an entire story from start to finish. This helps you figure out what type of story resonates with your audience.

Other platforms track engagement with likes or comments; Snapchat tracks it with how many screenshots were taken of your stories and Snaps.

Insights hone in on the age and gender of your young demographics. There are even more details, such as their general locations and interests.

You’ll see the number of Snapchat followers you have who are engaging with content, however, it’s not the exact number of total followers. The number of followers is based on a scoring system, not a count.

In addition to Snap Inc.’s internal analytics, there are a couple of companies that offer Snapchat analytics. These companies are not affiliated with Snap Inc. or Snapchat. One company, Snaplytics, debuted its proprietary Snapchat analytics in 2016 as a way to help brands monitor the platform and their campaigns.

Cinco de Mayo Snapchat Lens: Taco Bell created one of the most memorable campaigns in Snapchat’s history in 2016 when the company sponsored a taco face lens that resulted in 224M views in one day, which is an incredibly high number, according to Adweek.com. It’s widely reported that the lens cost about $750K.

Above: Popular Taco Bell taco shell lens as part of a wildly successful Snapchat campaign.

Valentine’s Day Snapchat Share: Taco Bell struck again when it invited its audience to screenshot a Valentine’s Day card from its story to share with friends. It was a brilliant way to increase audience engagement and screen shots. In addition, the brand had the chance to learn which images resonated with the audience.

Above: Taco Bell loved Snapchat so much, they came up with another brilliant campaign that increased screen shots of branded Valentine’s Day cards.

A Day in the Life of a Cisco Account Manager: If you’re looking for inspiration, look to Cisco’s WeAreCisco campaign. This network hardware company hardly seems like a good Snapchat campaign match, but with ingenuity, it became just that. Cisco found a way to make its “boring” business fun to Gen Z and Millennials with a behind-the-scenes campaign. Cisco created a daily Snapchat diary in 2016 of one of its account managers as a way to connect with a tech-savvy audience that may want to work for the company. WeAreCisco employees created a takeover of the NASDAQ account for National Techie’s Day to show why working for a tech company like Cisco was so amazing. 

Above: Cisco Systems grabbed attention to its employees through a Snapchat campaign. Here’s a group photo of a few fun-loving engineers inside the Cisco Snapcode.

The Big Game 50 Gatorade Lens: Gatorade created a custom lens that allowed football fans to simulate being dunked in their drink. The campaign received over 1M views over Super Bowl weekend, but resulted in a total of 170M views.

Above: Gatorade’s Super Bowl campaign created a lens that made it look like someone was getting Gatorade splashed all over them.

World Wildlife Fund “Don’t Let This Be My Last Selfie”: Not the cheeriest of campaigns, but it was highly effective. The World Wildlife Fund used Snapchat to raise awareness about endangered species by creating a #LastSelfie hashtag that was also used on other social media platforms. Snapchat was effective because its images disappear in minutes, just like endangered animals.

Above: World Wildlife Fund lens campaign brought much needed attention to many endangered species.

MTV Behind the Scenes: Though this is one of the oldest Snapchat campaigns, from 2015, it’s relevant, and it was repeated in 2017. MTV did a Snapchat Live Story, asking anyone in the vicinity to post Snaps for everyone to view. Not only did celebrities participate, so did audience members. A collection of funny behind-the-scenes Snaps created the Live Story and about 12M users viewed the Snapchat Story. MTV did it again in 2017.

Above: MTV ‘s Snapchat campaign focused on behind-the-scenes Snaps.

MLS Snapchat Takeovers:  In 2015, MLS dedicated one week to takeovers by Snapchat stars. The soccer stars also promoted the takeover on their own accounts. The takeovers increased not only MLS’s audience, but enlarged the number of followers on each soccer star’s account. Star players took a 24-hour period to show users a sneak peek about what their daily life is all about. MLS also cross-promoted the Snapchat takeover on YouTube.

Above: MLS handed over the reins of its Snapchat channel to various stars as part of its campaign.

Victoria’s Secret on Discovery: Lingerie retailer, Victoria’s Secret and People magazine partnered on Snapchat to create an ad placed on the Discovery section of the platform. The campaign featured three promos for a Victoria’s Secret TV special. The promos were a few seconds long but played as a continuous loop until the user was done viewing.

Victoria’s Secret Angels Takeover: The Snapchat promos were so successful for Victoria’s Secret, it decided to do a Takeover campaign in 2017. “Angels” took control of the retailer’s Snapchat channel to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at their lives. As a result, viewers were given an exclusive view at new products.

Above: Victoria’s Secret did a Snapchat campaign featuring a takeover where models gave viewers sneak peeks to new products.

Air Jordan’s and Snapcode: One of the most unique ways to use a Snapcode came from Nike when it promoted the Air Jordan III Tinker sneakers during NBA All-Star Weekend. An image of Michael Jordan used a customized lens that included a special QR code on the image in the app. All users had to do was scan the Snapcode in the image to open up the e-commerce site for the sneakers. The sneakers sold out in 23 minutes.

Above: An easy-to-understand Snapcode campaign made from a custom lens, which led to the shoes to sell out in the blink of an eye.

Sephora’s Takeovers: The beauty retailer giant is known for its Snapchat takeovers and use of Snapchat lenses and filters to create mini-makeovers. To hone in on a specific location, Sephora used geofilters to up the foot traffic. In other words, if a Snapchatter was within 100 feet of a retail space, up popped a geofilter inviting them to the store.

Above: An announcement from Sephora about a takeover by beauty influencer, Hannah Bronfman in 2015.

Young users love Snapchat, but companies tend to have a tough time understanding how to best approach this ultra-short-form platform with its disappearing posts as part of their brand marketing line up. Brands, and influencers, tend to rely more on Instagram or Facebook, and perhaps Twitter if it’s the right match. Those platforms are used by just about all ages, and their appeal is easier for companies to understand.

But the mystery and confusion about Snapchat’s allure provides a golden opportunity for both hard-working influencers and brands. It can be a major benefit that more influencers and brands rely on other platforms already crowded with both influencers and marketing campaigns. You, and a brand, can stand out on Snapchat because there’s less competition here for marketing than on other platforms. If you’re not convinced yet, here are even more appealing stats about Snapchat.

• Snapchat has over 203M daily active users at the time of this writing.
• Daily users spend about 30 minutes a day on Snapchat.
• Snapchat has more users than Twitter.
• There are over 10 billion daily video views on the app.
• About 2.1M Snaps are created on the app every minute from all over the world.
• Countries that use Snapchat the most: the U.S., France and the U.K.
• About 95 percent of Snapchat users say using the app makes them feel happy; that in itself is one reason to become an influencer on Snapchat. In fact, it’s one of the reasons Instagram is serious about eliminating its “likes.”

Although there’s opportunity, there are also challenges. Snapchat is a different animal with different rules. But sometimes, the content can be shared between Snapchat and Instagram. The aesthetics are somewhat similar even if Snapchat feels more “in the moment” and authentic than other platforms. But, interestingly enough, Instagram’s Stories were inspired (some say stolen) by the success of Snapchat’s Stories, which are both fleeting, requiring followers to log in daily — if not more — so they don’t miss a thing.

As an influencer, you want to know what’s happening behind the scenes at Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc. If there’s one thing that Snap Inc. knows it’s good at, it’s innovation. Snap is so good at innovation, it considers itself a tech company, according to founder Evan Spiegel, in a 2018 interview with CNBC.

In fact, one of the biggest innovations Snap is working on is building other types of AR features that aren’t just for faces. Lenses will be able to be designed for a user’s full body, hands, pets and buildings.

Above: Developers at Snap Inc. are busy working on body-tracking lenses…

Above: …and hand-tracking lenses…

Above: …and pet-tracking lenses.

The buildings lens product is called Landmarker. It’s a face filter, but for iconic landmarks around the world. The company wanted to give a fresh perspective to architecture just as it does for Snapchatter’s faces. As of this writing, Landmarker has a template in the Lens Studio to create a 3D experience with five locations around the world, including the Eiffel Tower to the Flatiron Building in New York City It’s in its infancy stage, but worth noting if you are a content creator on Snapchat.

Above: The Eiffel Tower with a Landmarker lens, in progress and in the hands of Snapchat’s best creators.

In the end, Snap Inc.’s CEO Spiegel has spent the past two years investing heavily in AR technology in tandem with giving its talented creators and influencers the recognition they deserve. If you want to push the envelope when it comes to creating some of the most innovative content on social media, then Snapchat is the place to be.