How do I get special Lenses on Snapchat?

Snapchat Lenses allow users to augment their Snaps with a variety of fun effects and filters. From dog ears to rainbow vomit, Lenses make Snapchat content more engaging and entertaining. While Snapchat offers a number of default Lenses for all users, there are also special Lenses that can only be unlocked under certain circumstances. These include geofilters, holiday Lenses, and sponsored Lenses from brands and organizations. If you’re wondering how to get access to these exclusive Lenses, here’s what you need to know.

Types of Special Lenses

There are a few main categories of special Snapchat Lenses that users can unlock:

Geofilters

Geofilters are a type of Lens that becomes available when you are in a certain location. Cities, landmarks, and events may have custom geofilters that you can only access when you are in that area. For example, if you visit Disneyland, you may be able to unlock a Disney geofilter for the duration of your visit. Geographic geofilters are rolled out in major cities and tourist destinations around the world.

Holiday Lenses

Snapchat creates unique Lenses for major holidays and events throughout the year. These include Lenses for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Superbowl, Valentine’s Day, and more. Around the time of the holiday, the relevant Lens will become available for all users to access. Holiday Lenses allow Snapchatters to get into the spirit of the season with their Snaps.

Sponsored Lenses

Snapchat partners with brands, media companies, and organizations to create sponsored Lenses. These include customized Lenses from movie studios promoting upcoming films, sports teams and leagues, fashion brands, restaurants, and nonprofits. Sponsored Lenses are a form of advertising on Snapchat and a way for brands to engage with Snapchat’s audience in an organic, lighthearted way.

How to Unlock Geofilters

Geofilters are relatively easy to access on Snapchat. All you need to do is:

1. Make sure your Snapchat app is updated to the latest version.
2. Enable location services on your device.
3. Travel to a location that has a special geofilter.
4. Open the Snapchat camera and select the Lens icon.
5. Swipe through the available Lenses until you find the geofilter.
6. Select the geofilter to apply it to your Snaps.

You can swipe through the Lenses before taking a Snap to see if there are any geofilters available. If you don’t see one, it’s likely there isn’t a special geofilter for your current location. Make sure to keep location services enabled so that Snapchat can identify where you are and unlock the appropriate filters. The availability of geofilters depends on your city, so you may need to do some traveling to access filters in different destinations.

How to Get Holiday Lenses

Getting access to holiday Lenses on Snapchat is easy and straightforward. Here are the steps:

1. Make sure the Snapchat app is updated to the newest version.
2. Open the Snapchat camera.
3. Tap the Lens icon in the carousel at the bottom of the screen.
4. Swipe through the Lens carousel until you find the holiday Lens.
5. Select the Lens to apply it to your photo or video Snap.

Holiday Lenses are made available a few days before the holiday and remain active for about 1-2 weeks. For major holidays like Christmas, they may be available for over a month. All you need to do is swipe through the Lens carousel during the time around the holiday to find and use the special Lens. Snapchat will make holiday Lenses easy to discover when the time comes.

How Brands Create Sponsored Lenses

For brands interested in having their own sponsored Lens, the process involves:

1. Contacting Snapchat’s advertising team about creating a branded Lens.
2. Working with Snapchat’s creative team to design the Lens concept.
3. Developing the Lens experience based on the brand’s goals.
4. Testing the Lens before launch.
5. Promoting the Lens through ads or organic exposure.
6. Analyzing data and metrics on the Lens performance.

Sponsored Lenses tend to perform best when they offer an interactive, rewarding experience for users. The most successful branded Lenses allow Snapchatters to engage with the brand in a fun way. This gives people a positive association with the brand. Advertisers also need to promote their Lenses effectively to drive usage. With strategic development and distribution, branded Lenses can be a highly effective marketing tool on Snapchat.

How to Unlock Sponsored Lenses

Unlike geofilters and holiday Lenses, users can’t freely swipe to access sponsored Lenses. They become available when a brand pays to promote their sponsored Lens in your Snapchat feed. Here’s how to find them:

1. Keep an eye out for sponsored Snapchat ads in your Stories feed.
2. When you see an ad for a branded Lens, swipe up on the ad.
3. This will open the camera with the sponsored Lens automatically applied.
4. You can then Save the Lens to your Favorites.
5. Later on, you can find the Lens in your Favorites to use again.

Sponsored Lenses may also be made more discoverable around holidays. For example, a restaurant chain may promote a special Lens on Christmas day. Brands want their Lenses to reach as many users as possible, so they will push them directly in your feed when they are most relevant. Simply interacting with the ads is the best way to access sponsored Lenses.

Conclusion

Snapchat Lenses provide an fun way to enhance your Snaps. Geofilters, holiday Lenses, and sponsored Lenses give you special effects to celebrate locations, seasons, and brands. Unlocking these exclusive Lenses simply requires having Snapchat’s latest version, enabling location services, swiping through your Lens carousel, and tapping on relevant ads. With billions of Lens views per day, Snapchat has created an engaging platform for creatives, advertisers, and everyday users alike. So open up Snapchat and start exploring the many possibilities its Lenses have to offer!