Yes, Snapchat stars, also known as Snap stars or Snapchat influencers, can earn money on the platform in a variety of ways. With over 249 million daily active users on Snapchat as of Q2 2019, there is a huge potential audience for Snap stars to build their followings, partner with brands, and monetize their accounts.
How Do Snapchat Stars Make Money?
There are several ways that popular Snapchatters can make money from their accounts and followers on the platform:
Snapchat Ads
Snapchat introduced Snap Ads in 2015 as a way for businesses to run video and image ads within the Stories feature on the app. Now known as Commercials, these advertisements appear between friends’ stories and can be skipped after a few seconds. Snapchat influencers with large followings can get paid by brands to feature Commercials in their own public Stories.
Sponsored Lenses & Geofilters
Sponsored Lenses allow brands to pay Snapchat to create custom augmented reality Lenses for specific campaigns. Snapchat stars will often get paid to promote these Lenses to their followers by featuring them in Snaps and Stories. Sponsored Geofilters work similarly, letting brands pay for custom location-based filters that influencers can include in their content.
Affiliate Marketing
Some Snapchat influencers make money through affiliate marketing programs, where they earn commissions promoting certain products through links or discount codes. For example, a Snap star might share an affiliate link to an online retailer where they get a small percentage of any sale. Affiliate links are often integrated into Snapchat Stories or profiles.
Sponsored Posts
One of the most lucrative ways Snapchatters can earn money is by creating sponsored content for brands. Companies will pay popular Snapchat influencers to promote their products or services through branded stories, snaps, lenses, filters, and other organic content. Rates can vary greatly depending on the influencer’s follower count and level of engagement.
Merchandise Sales
Some influencers are able to monetize their personal brand by selling custom merchandise like t-shirts, phone cases, mugs, and other items promoted to their Snapchat followers. While merchandise sales alone likely won’t make someone rich, it can be a nice additional revenue stream.
Subscription Accounts & Content
Snapchat has an in-app purchases feature that allows influencers to create exclusive Stories and Snaps that only paid subscribers can view. Fans can pay a monthly fee for this premium content. Snap Stars can also earn money through third-party subscription services like Patreon where fans pay for exclusive content.
How Much Money Can You Make on Snapchat?
Earnings for Snapchat influencers vary widely depending on follower count, rates charged for promotions, and how active they are in leveraging their audience. Here are some estimates on potential earnings:
Followers | Earning Potential |
---|---|
50,000 followers | $100 – $750 per sponsored post |
500,000 followers | $1,000 – $3,000 per sponsored post |
5 million followers | $10,000+ per sponsored post |
As you can see, sponsored posts tend to become more lucrative as an influencer’s following grows into the millions. However, other money-making methods like selling merchandise and affiliate programs can also provide earnings. Top Snapchat stars likely make six figures or more per year between all their revenue streams.
Example Earnings
Here are some real-world examples of high-earning Snapchat influencers and estimates of what they likely make:
- Shaun McBride (Shonduras): $100,000+ per year
- Cynthia Park (PocketChange): $300,000+ per year
- DJ Khaled: $1 million+ per year
DJ Khaled is one of the highest-paid Snapchatters, earning over $1 million annually from partnerships with brands like Champ Sports and Apple Music. But influencers don’t need millions of followers to start making decent money. Even those with 100,000+ engaged followers can potentially earn over $100,000 per year from a mix of brand sponsorships, affiliate promotions, and other opportunities.
Requirements to Make Money on Snapchat
While there is no set formula for turning a Snapchat account into a money-making influencer brand, there are some key requirements for monetizing your following and content:
Large Engaged Following
First and foremost you need a substantial following to attract partner brands. While the specific threshold varies, most experts recommend a minimum of 10,000-100,000 followers before pursuing sponsorships and ad opportunities. More importantly, this audience needs to actively engage with your content regularly.
Interesting & Entertaining Content
Your Snaps and Stories need to provide value to your audience and keep people coming back daily. This typically means sharing content that is funny, entertaining, informative or otherwise engaging. Regularly posting content is key for building an audience and keeping Snapchat’s algorithm showing your content.
Consistent Branding
Having a consistent tone, style and persona across your content will help build your identity as an influencer. This makes it easier for followers to connect with you and for brands to determine if you are a fit for sponsorships.
Demographic Appeal
Certain demographics like teens and young adults are highly coveted by brands on Snapchat. If the majority of your followers fall within a valuable age group, there will be increased interest in partnering with you. Highlight your audience analytics in sponsorship proposals.
Partnership Opportunities
Once you’ve built a sizable following, you need to pursue partnerships with brands relevant to your audience. Respond to sponsorship inquiries, pitch yourself to brands, and network to find opportunities. Signing with an influencer marketing agency can also help connect you with deals.
Tips for Earning Money on Snapchat
Here are some top tips for Snapchat influencers looking to monetize their accounts and turn their followings into profits:
Leverage All Monetization Features
Take advantage of every money-making option Snapchat provides like affiliate links, Snap Ads, geofilters, premium content subscriptions and in-app purchases. Combining multiple income streams will maximize your earnings.
Post High-Quality Content Daily
Post at least once daily, ideally 2-3 times per day, and ensure your content is well-produced, entertaining and engaging. Consistently good content will keep growing your audience.
Partner Selectively With Relevant Brands
Be selective about which brands you partner with for sponsorships. Make sure they are relevant to your niche and audience. This will keep your promotions authentic and effective.
Run Contests & Giveaways
Contests are a great way to engage followers and grow your audience. Offer fun prizes like gift cards, merchandise or experiences and require contest entries to follow you and share your contest Snap.
Promote Your Snapchat on Other Platforms
Leverage other social platforms like Instagram and TikTok to promote your Snapchat account and drive more followers. Add your Snapchat username in profiles and bios.
Analyze Performance Data
Regularly review audience demographics, engagement analytics, best-performing content, etc. This data will help guide your content strategy and provide metrics to share with sponsor brands.
Conclusion
In summary, Snapchat offers diverse money-making opportunities for influencers who build large, engaged followings on the platform. While it takes significant time and effort to grow an audience, Snap stars can earn anywhere from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through sponsorships, selling merchandise, affiliate promotions, and more. Consistently creating engaging content, partnering selectively with brands, and leveraging all monetization options will maximize your earnings.