Snapchat’s Spotlight feature allows users to share public videos that have the potential to go viral and be seen by millions of people around the world. Getting views and going viral on Spotlight requires understanding the algorithm, creating engaging content, using relevant tags, leveraging trends, and promoting your content across platforms. Follow these tips to increase your chances of getting the most views on Snapchat Spotlight.
Understand the Spotlight algorithm
The Spotlight algorithm determines which Snaps are featured and recommended to users. While Snapchat keeps the algorithm secret, these factors are known to improve your ranking:
- High engagement – likes, comments, shares, time spent watching
- Completion rate – how much of your video people watch
- Newness – more recently posted content ranks higher
- Relevance – how relevant the content is to each viewer
Focus on creating Snaps that keep people engaged from start to finish. Appealing to a broad audience also helps ensure relevance for more users.
Create engaging, entertaining content
The key to getting views on Spotlight is creating content that captures attention and keeps people entertained. Consider these elements:
- Humor – Funny videos and memes tend to perform well.
- Creativity – Show off an interesting talent, skill, or unique perspective.
- Emotional appeal – Inspire an emotional reaction like joy, laughter, surprise.
- Trends and challenges – Put your own spin on a viral trend or challenge.
- High quality – Invest in good lighting, camerawork, editing.
You don’t need expensive equipment to make compelling Snaps. Use what you have access to and focus on being genuine, creative, and fun.
Use relevant tags
Using relevant tags helps put your content in front of people interested in those topics. Do keyword research to identify top tags and terms related to your content. For example, #comedy, #talentshow, #songcover, #prank. Use enough tags to target your audience but don’t overdo it.
Leverage trends
Latching onto trending challenges, sounds, effects, memes, and topics can help more people discover your content. Stay active on Snapchat to see what trends bubble up each day. Put your unique spin on trends instead of just copying.
Here are some examples of trends you can leverage:
- Viral dance challenges
- Popular Snapchat lenses/filters
- Trending songs or sound clips
- Reaction videos to viral memes or content
- Parody skits of movies, shows, or pop culture
Promote your content
Don’t just post your Spotlight Snaps and hope people find them. Actively promote your content to drive views:
- Share Snaps on other social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube.
- Ask friends and family to watch, like, comment, and share.
- Run Snapchat ads to boost visibility.
- Engage with followers and encourage them to check out your Spotlight content.
- Collaborate with other creators to cross-promote.
Promotion combined with compelling content can help fuel the initial momentum needed for your Snaps to go viral.
Snap at peak times
Posting when high volumes of Snapchat users are active can maximize the views your Snaps receive initially. According to Sprout Social, the best times to post are:
- Weekdays: 11am-3pm and 6pm-10pm when teens are out of school.
- Weekends: 10am-5pm when usage spikes.
- Late nights: Usage remains higher after 10pm daily.
Testing different times and analyzing your Snapchat analytics can reveal the sweet spots for your audience.
Hook viewers from the start
You only have a few seconds to grab attention before viewers swipe away. Use these tips to hook people from the very start:
- Open with an eye-catching visual like a bold color, striking image, or dynamic action.
- Display text clearly stating what viewers can expect to see.
- Layer in music, sound effects, or audio narration.
- Cut quickly between shots and angles to build visual interest.
- Show yourself or introduce the scene right away.
A compelling start encourages viewers to keep watching and minimizes mid-video drop off.
Edit for pacing and emphasis
Careful editing can make your Snaps more dynamic while highlighting the most share-worthy moments. Try these editing techniques:
- Trim – Remove unnecessary downtime to keep the pace snappy.
- Sequence shots purposefully to build drama or surprise.
- Insert close-ups of reactions for impact.
- Add graphics like emojis, captions, and stickers to emphasize key moments.
- Time cuts to beat drops in songs for greater effect.
- Speed up or slow down clips to punctuate actions.
Smooth transitions and varied pacing keeps viewers engaged in the story you’re telling.
Conclusion
Gaining views and going viral on Snapchat Spotlight requires creativity, persistence, and savvy strategy. Focus on understanding the algorithm, making genuinely entertaining content, optimizing for discoverability, and relentlessly promoting your work. With compelling Snaps that engage viewers start to finish plus targeted distribution, your chances of Spotlight success will significantly improve. Stay consistent, keep experimenting, and have fun connecting with the Snapchat community.
| Day | Best Times |
|---|---|
| Weekdays | 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm |
| Weekends | 10am-5pm |
| Daily | After 10pm |