How To Make Money on Snapchat: 9 Proven Ways (2024)

If you have a few hundred, or a few thousand followers, on Snapchat, you can join the ranks of those making money through the app. Snapchat influencers can demand anywhere from $500 to $10,000 per post, while the Spotlight feature allows Snapchatters a chance to win a $250 prize simply for posting videos.

But how can you make money as a business on Snapchat? Even if you don’t have a follower count worthy of a $10,000 sponsor, there are still ways you can earn money on Snapchat.

1. Win prizes with Snapchat Spotlight

If you’re up for making short, engaging videos, Snapchat’s Spotlight program is for you. The app rewards up-and-coming creators with monthly prizes that can be exchanged for cash.

To win, eligible Spotlight creators need to join in with the Spotlight challenges. They must submit videos related to a specific theme or topic. Snapchat determines the winners based on views and other engagement metrics.

To qualify for Spotlight rewards, your account needs to hit several criteria, including a minimum of 1,000 followers and over 1,000 views in the month you’re competing in.

2. Get rewarded on Stories

In a similar vein, Snapchat rewards users for consistently adding to their Stories. It distributes a portion of the ad revenue generated by each creator over a month. You can cash out your reward whenever you choose. To qualify, your account needs to hit the following criteria:

More than 50,000 subscribers on your public profile.
More than 25 million views or 12,000 hours of view time on your public profile over the past 28 days.
Have posted to your public story for 10 days with at least 20 snaps each day.

3. Promote your products and services

The easiest (and cheapest) way to make money on Snapchat is to promote products and services in your content. Show your products in action, highlight the benefits, or create engaging content around what makes your products different from others on the market.

Snapchat Stories by Gymshark that show the brand’s products on smiling models alongside illustrated descriptions of the products.

4. Partner with influencers

Snapchat is hit and miss for influencers. There’s been some backlash from Snapchat creators because the platform doesn’t provide the community with as much support or features as other social media platforms. However, partnering with relevant accounts to promote your products can be a great way to reach a new audience through a pre-trusted source.

Amazon Echo partnered with influencer Joshua Peck to promote its product.

5. Create an affiliate program

Affiliate marketing rewards your affiliates with a percentage of the revenue from every sale they make through their dedicated affiliate link.

This is a good way to work with influencers and partners because the more money they make for your business, the more money they get themselves. You can help partners by sharing assets and content ideas they can simply push out to their audience. The easier it is for them to promote your business, the better.

6. Host a Snapchat takeover

Build a buzz around your brand by partnering with a well-known influencer or business in your niche and letting them create and post content on your Snapchat account for a day or two. They’ll hopefully share the takeover with their own followers who will then come and check out your account. The added engagement should also give your account a boost, which can lead to an influx of new followers quickly.

You can make money from a Snapchat takeover by promoting a sale at the same time or running a unique discount code for followers who get involved.

7. Capture local users with geofilters

If you’re trying to attract a local audience to your brick-and-mortar store or would like to expand your reach to a specific town or city, use Snapchat’s geofilters:

Toggle your Location Services to On for the Snapchat app.
Tap the settings cog in Snapchat and choose the Manage option.
Toggle Snapchat Filters on, which will enable geofilters.

This can be a particularly effective way to serve location-specific ads to users. For example, you can run a discount for shoppers in Atlanta or drive customers to your physical store in New York.

Clothing brand Everlane uses the LA geofilter in its Snaps.

8. Run descriptive ads

Snapchat users are hesitant to leave the app. They want to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into before they navigate away from their Snapchat inbox. As such, you must be descriptive with your ads.

Describe what shoppers will get if they click through, encourage them with a discount, and make sure they know exactly where they will be redirected if they decide to swipe up.

9. Leverage UGC

Some 86% of consumers trust user generated content (UGC) over influencer marketing, and those who interact with UGC convert at a rate that’s 102% higher than average. The organic nature of Snapchat lends itself perfectly to customer-created content like reviews, customer videos, and photos.

Incorporate UGC into your Snapchat ads to create an intimate vibe and give potential customers the chance to hear the experiences of past shoppers.

Moitié used content created by its customers in its ads to reach a wider audience of Gen Zers and millennials.

Best practices for making money on Snapchat

Understand your audience
Create a sense of urgency
Make sure ads work with the sound off
Get to the point
Showcase your product straight away
Keep a close eye on your budget
Test, tweak, and try again

Understand your audience

Knowing your target market is crucial for advertising success on any platform, not just Snapchat. But it’s worth exploring who your potential customers are on Snapchat and what they’re most likely to engage with.

Do this by researching what your competitors are doing on the platform. Are they sharing product-focused Snaps or do their ads have more of a lifestyle feel to them? You can also use data sourced from your website analytics, ecommerce metrics, and other social media platforms to determine what your customers want and need.

Here’s a quick guide to understanding your audience:

Drill into web analytics, social media analytics, and buying data.
Create a survey or generate feedback from existing customers.
Research what your biggest competitors are doing on Snapchat.
Build a list of customer personas you can target with your ads.

Create a sense of urgency

You have just seconds to get the attention of Snapchat users. Creating a sense of urgency by incorporating a countdown timer or running a limited-time offer can activate the fear of missing out (FOMO) and give shoppers the nudge they need to act.

Danish brand Matas promoted a limited-time discount during Black Friday.

Make sure ads work with the sound off

People watch mobile videos on mute and, as Snapchat is predominantly used on handheld devices, it’s safe to say the majority of viewers are listening in silence.

It makes sense to create ads that work with the sound both on and off. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add subtitles or auto-captions to your ads so people who are listening with the sound off can still understand what’s going on.

Get to the point

You only have a limited time to hook users—three seconds to be precise. In that time, you need to explain what your ad is about, who you are, and why someone should click through or take action. That’s a lot to squeeze into a couple of seconds.

For this reason, you need to get to the point ASAP. The first couple of seconds really count on Snapchat, so make sure they’re working hard for you.

Showcase your product straight away

If you’re advertising a product, make sure it’s visible or mentioned as soon as possible in your ads. Snapchat users don’t want to have to guess what you’re advertising—if they have to, there’s a good chance they’ll swipe to the next story and forget about you completely.

The younger generation of consumers craves clear, concise communication from brands they buy from. Do this by showcasing your product immediately, and offer a discount in the first few seconds, if you have one available.

Need an extra dose of creative inspiration? Read What to Post on Snapchat: 21 Fun and Creative Ideas.

e.l.f. Cosmetics kicks its ads off with a handful of products, which has led to a 20% increase in site visits.

Keep a close eye on your budget

Snapchat requires a minimum ad spend of $5 a day but recommends spending $20 to $50 per day when starting out. Clicks and impressions costs vary for different industries (and for the different types of ads), but if you set your target budget from the outset, Snapchat will keep your bidding to that amount.

Keeping a close eye on your budget will ensure you understand where your money is going and allow you to see which ads are getting you the biggest ROI.

Test, tweak, and try again

You may not get Snapchat ads right the first time. A young audience is picky about the content it consumes and the brands it’ll listen to, so it’s worth spending some time experimenting with different ad formats. Continue to monitor how your ads are performing and tweak upcoming campaigns to align with the results you’re getting.

The more you tweak and test, the better your ads will become and the quicker you’ll be able to reach your audience.

Why does Snapchat matter for businesses?

Snapchat has a huge user base of Gen Zers and the younger end of millennials—in fact, those two generations make up 75% of Snapchat users. While it’s known for its disappearing messages, the platform also has plenty of advertising features that let brands increase their visibility, gain traffic, and increase conversions. Brands can use dynamic ads, localized sponsored lenses, and Snapchat stories to reach audiences. There’s also a wide variety of calls to action (CTAs) that serve different goals.

Perhaps the best thing about Snapchat is its high engagement levels.

The average user opens the app 40 times per day, and the most popular reasons for use include shopping and socializing.

And, when it comes to shopping, Snapchat is the platform Gen Zers prefer for sharing purchases they love and shopping moments. They’re also 40% more likely to purchase a product they’ve seen advertised on Snapchat than on any other social media platform.

The pros and cons of using Snapchat for business

Like with any platform, there are pros and cons of using Snapchat you should know about before diving in. For example, it might not be the best platform if you want to reach boomers, but if you’re looking to build an audience of engaged Gen Zers, go right ahead.

The pros of Snapchat for business

Driving traffic to your site: You can add links to your website in Snapchat Stories to direct users to specific product pages or landing pages.
Resonating with users: Snapchat content tends to be more personal and authentic, allowing you to connect on a deeper level with your target audience.
Communicating with followers directly: The ability to respond to Stories and ads means you can encourage direct conversations with your Snapchat followers.
Reaching a young audience: Snapchat’s audience leans heavily on the younger side (who have a combined spending power of $5 trillion).
Enjoying a low barrier to entry: It’s easy to get started both logistically and monetarily. You can create an account, set up payment methods, and make sure your pixel is firing in minutes.
Using the platform with ease: Snapchat’s built-in ads manager is easy to use with a simple, intuitive interface.

The cons of Snapchat for business

Smaller audience: While Snapchat does have a sizable user base, it’s not quite as big as other platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Dealing with time restraints: Videos can only be 10 seconds long, and automatically disappear after 24 hours.
Resharing content isn’t simple: There’s no re-gram button on Snapchat, making it difficult to share customer-created content and celebrate your fans.
Parsing analytics: Snapchat’s analytics aren’t as dynamic or comprehensive as those of other platforms, which can make it tricky to track how well your ads and content are performing.

How to make money on Snapchat

Snapchat is a powerhouse of an app and is relatively untapped by brands and influencers. If you’re looking for ways to make money online with your Snapchat account, these tips and best practices will get you off to a good start.

Make sure you understand your audience and the type of content that performs well on Snapchat, and don’t be afraid to get creative. The app has a wide variety of filters and creative elements you can use to connect with your audience and drive sales.

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Make money on Snapchat FAQ

How do you receive money from Snapchat?

While you can’t directly receive money from paying customers through Snapchat, you can make money through its Spotlight and Stories program. If you’re eligible to take part, you can cash in your rewards via the app.

How much money can I get from Snapchat?

The amount of money you can make with Snapchat depends on your follower count and engagement metrics. Influencers with thousands of followers can make anywhere between $500 and $10,000 a post, while the Spotlight program rewards creators with $250 per prize.

How can I make money on Snapchat?

There are several ways you can make money on Snapchat, depending on your business model and account size. These are the most common:

Promoting products and services
Running affiliate and ambassador programs
Partnering with influencers and brands
Taking part in the Spotlight and Stories programs
Running Snapchat ads

How many followers do I need to make money on Snapchat?

You can make money regardless of how many followers you have, but to make money through Snapchat’s native programs like Spotlight and Creator Stories, you need to have at least 1,000 followers and receive a minimum of 1,000 views each month.