Snapchat’s Spotlight feature allows users to view the most entertaining and popular Snaps from the Snapchat community. Spotlight aims to showcase the most engaging Snaps that are submitted by Snapchatters from around the world. But what exactly determines which Snaps appear on your Spotlight feed and get distributed to the masses? There are several factors that impact what you’ll see on Spotlight.
Snap Score
One of the main factors that determines what gets shown on Spotlight is the Snap score of the user who submitted the Snap. Snap score is a number that reflects your overall activity on Snapchat. It increases when you post content, view other’s stories, send chats, etc. Users with higher Snap scores tend to have their Snaps featured more prominently on Spotlight because it signals that they are more active and engaging Snapchatters.
If your Snap score is on the lower end, your Snaps may not get as much visibility on Spotlight right away compared to users who have built up their Snap score over time. Improving your Snap score can help increase the chances of your Snaps getting into Spotlight.
Engagement Metrics
Snapchat specifically designed Spotlight to showcase the most entertaining Snaps that receive high engagement from the Snapchat community. So metrics like views, opens, shares, comments, etc on your Snaps will be evaluated when determining Spotlight eligibility.
Snaps that quickly amass high view counts, get saved or shared multiple times, and receive a lot of comments have a good chance of getting spotlighted. Snapchat’s algorithms closely track these engagement metrics on Snaps to identify ones trending upwards that may be Spotlight worthy.
Views
Views are one of the most important engagement signals. If your Snap quickly gains thousands of views within a short time frame, Snapchat will take notice and likely promote it on Spotlight where it can gain even more visibility. Snaps that go semi-viral organically often get spotlighted.
Saves
When viewers save your Snap to their Memories, it indicates they really enjoyed your content and want to watch it again later. A high number of saves helps validate to Snapchat that your Snaps are appealing to viewers.
Shares
Similarly, when users share your Snap to their own Story or with friends, it demonstrates strong engagement. Snapchat wants to spotlight Snaps that inspire social sharing, so if your Snap gets shared multiple times, it will boost its Spotlight eligibility.
Comments
A Snap that receives a barrage of comments denotes that it is sparking conversation and engagement among viewers. Funny, controversial, or hot topic Snaps that get lots of comments have a good chance of trending on Spotlight where commentary can increase further.
Contextual Relevance
Spotlight also aims to showcase Snaps that are contextually relevant to events happening in the world. For example, your Snap has a better chance of being spotlighted if it ties into a trending news event, viral meme, holiday, awareness campaign, popular culture moment, etc.
Trending Memes
If you create a Snap using a meme template that is currently going viral across social media, it aligns well with what is engaging people at the moment. Tapping into trending memes can help increase Spotlight potential.
Timely Events
Snaps that provide commentary on a news event or cultural moment that just occurred stand a good chance of being spotlighted to inform and engage the Snapchat community.
Holidays/Awareness Days
Snaps that commemorate holidays, national days, or health awareness campaigns often gain traction as they align with the public consciousness during those time periods.
Snapchat Algorithms
In addition to these engagement metrics and contextual factors, Snapchat also applies sophisticated algorithms to identify Snaps that seem to “breakthrough” and start gaining momentum with the Snapchat audience. Their systems can detect patterns and early signals that a Snap is resonating, allowing Spotlight curators to feature it before it gains mainstream popularity.
These algorithms look for signals like:
- Rapidly increasing view velocity even when posted by an account with a smaller following
- Above average view duration, indicating captivating content
- Viewers frequently sending the Snap to their friends immediately after viewing it, denoting highly shareable content
- Geographic spread of views, signifying widespread appeal
By analyzing these types of trajectory patterns, Snapchat’s technology can identify high-potential Spotlight Snaps early in their lifecycle and help bring them to a bigger audience.
Content Quality
At the end of the day, the entertainment value and creativity of the Snap itself is key. Spotlight aims to showcase the Snaps that provide the most interesting, fun, engaging viewing experience for the Snapchat community.
Humor
Funny Snaps often gain popularity because humor is universally appealing. Comedy Snaps that make people laugh have great Spotlight potential.
Creativity
Unique, outside-the-box Snaps that showcase creativity and originality tend to capture attention. Bringing creative ideas to life can help your Snaps stand out.
Quality Production
Snaps that clearly had effort put into production quality through aspects like cinematography, editing, visual effects, etc demonstrate polish that viewers appreciate.
Captivating Narrative
Snaps that tell an entertaining story or have a compelling narrative draw viewers in. Building engaging plotlines or storytelling helps create captivating Snaps.
So in summary, these are the key factors that generally determine what Snaps get featured by Snapchat’s Spotlight algorithm:
- Snap score of submitter
- Engagement metrics like views, saves, shares, comments
- Contextual relevance to trending topics/events
- Sophisticated algorithms tracking real-time momentum
- Overall entertainment quality and creativity
Spotlight aims to showcase the most appealing Snaps to engage the worldwide Snapchat community. While achieving Spotlight status may seem elusive, focusing on creating habitually engaging content that aligns with viral trends can help increase your chances. But overall, the more entertaining and highest quality Snaps tend to get rewarded on Spotlight.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s Spotlight feature shines the spotlight on the most popular and engaging Snaps from across the platform. Multiple factors impact your odds of having a Snap go viral on Spotlight, with engagement metrics and content quality being critical components. But by consistently producing creative Snaps that tap into viral trends and resonate with the Snapchat audience, you can improve your chances of having your Snaps get spotlighted. Ultimately, Spotlight aims to entertain Snapchatters with the most fun and engaging Snaps submitted to the platform.