Snapchat has started testing a new feature that will open up yet another revenue stream for its creator base.
We had earlier reported how Instagram and TikTok have started testing new features to incentivise their creator base. Seems like Snapchat does not want to be left behind, as it now tests its own new feature that will eventually lead to the creators on the platform earning revenue from it.
A report by The Verge sheds light on a new ability that Snapchat has rolled out to a few of its creators in the US. The short video and photo-sharing platform is now testing ads that appear in the middle of the Stories shared by its users. As the app earns from the advertisements viewed by the creator’s audience, it plans to share the revenue with the creators too.
The feature is currently available to Snap Stars, who are verified creators with large followings on the app. A Snap Star account on Snapchat is indicated by a gold star. While the feature is currently restricted to a handful of these accounts at present, The Verge states that a wider rollout for the feature will take place in the coming months.
This is the first time that Snapchat creators will be able to make money from the ad revenue on Stories. Prior to this, the app allowed creators to monetize their following on the app through ads that appear between Stories and on the Discover section. The new feature also sheds light on an important trend of Snapchat users.
Snapchat wants its creators
Snapchat has been quite aggressive in retaining as well as promoting its creator base through incentives. Back in November 2020, it introduced Spotlight, a feature that works much like TikTok and shows short videos. At the time, the company announced that it will pay a total of $1 million to the most popular creators on the app every day through the end of 2020.
Through the effort, it was, in fact, trying to capture the same trend that it does now – that of short videos made famous by TikTok. In January this year, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told investors that Snapchat users now spend more time watching content on Spotlight than they do posting and viewing stories. So, in a way, the company has seen results in the feature and continues to seek growth in the segment.
A similar story can be seen on Instagram. During Meta’s earnings call earlier this month that saw billions of dollars wiped off its valuation, the one silver lining for the company was the success of its Instagram Reels. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had promised investors that the company would now double down on the short video section of the photo-sharing app that takes on TikTok.
With the continued efforts of the bigwigs, it is clear what the future of such social media apps will be. So users can gear up to watch more of the short clips that keep them entertained for hours on end.