Snapchat Discover was first introduced in January 2015 as a new way for Snapchat users to explore content from media publishers. It allowed Snapchat users to watch stories and videos from major publishers like CNN, ESPN, Food Network and more. Snapchat Discover represented a major evolution for the platform, transforming it from just a person-to-person messaging app into a media consumption destination.
The Launch of Snapchat Discover
Snapchat Discover was unveiled on January 27, 2015. The feature was announced via the company’s blog, with Snapchat stating that Discover would give users the opportunity to “explore content from different editorial teams.”
At launch, Snapchat Discover featured content from 11 media partners: CNN, Comedy Central, Cosmopolitan, Daily Mail, ESPN, Food Network, People, Vice, Yahoo News, National Geographic and Warner Music Group. Each publisher was given their own Discover channel within the app where they could post videos, articles and advertising.
Snapchat gave publishers a set of guidelines for creating Discover content. Stories had to be told in full screen portrait format optimized for mobile. Publishers were encouraged to use Snapchat-native creative tools like filters, captions and drawings. Content had to be exclusive to Snapchat and refreshed daily.
The launch of Discover was a pivotal moment for Snapchat. It signaled the company’s intention to expand beyond just private messaging and photo sharing into being a “new way to explore stories” as Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel put it. Discover established Snapchat as a media platform and opened up new revenue opportunities through advertising and partnerships.
Discover’s Initial Reception
The launch of Snapchat Discover was met with excitement by Snapchat users and media companies alike. For users, it gave them fresh daily content to engage with in bite-sized, mobile optimized ways. For publishers, it provided access to Snapchat’s young demographic at a time when youth engagement was declining with traditional media.
Here are some key stats about Snapchat Discover in its early days:
- Discover received over 40 million views on its first day, showing strong initial adoption among Snapchat’s user base.
- On average, Snapchat users spent over 20 minutes per day consuming Discover content within the first month.
- CNN Discover stories generated more than 20 million views within the first several weeks.
- Comedy Central’s first Discover story earned over 3.4 million views in 24 hours.
The launch numbers exceeded expectations and signaled that Snapchat’s users were indeed interested in using the app for more than just messaging. For publishers, Discover instantly became a desirable new platform to reach younger demographics as traditional TV and print continued to decline.
The Evolution of Discover
In the 8 years since its debut, Snapchat Discover has continued to expand and evolve as a fundamental part of the Snapchat platform.
Here are some key milestones in the evolution of Discover:
2015 – 2016: Early Expansion
- By mid 2015, Discover had over 60 million monthly viewers.
- View time per month grew to over 600 million minutes by late 2015.
- New publishers like iHeartRadio, BuzzFeed and Refinery29 were added to the Discover lineup in 2015.
- Snapchat began selling 10-second video advertising slots between Discover stories in early 2016, opening up a major new revenue stream.
2017 – 2018: Shows, Personalization and Platform Improvements
- Snapchat launched Snapchat Shows in 2017, allowing publishers to create longer-form video series distributed via Discover.
- A search bar was added to Discover to help users find relevant content.
- Publishers got expanded analytics on Discover performance in late 2017.
- Discover was redesigned in 2018 to personalize content recommendations based on users’ viewing habits.
2019 – Present: News, Original Content and Monetization
- Snapchat heavily invested in developing original short-form shows and content for Discover.
- Dedicated news content was added to Discover, curated by human editors.
- Public profiles were added for Discover publishers.
- Advertising and subscription tools allowed publishers to monetize Discover content via Snapchat.
- Additional media companies and creators were onboarded to continue expanding Discover.
Today, Snapchat Discover offers an extremely wide array of video and article content spanning news, entertainment, lifestyle, gaming and more. It remains one of the app’s most popular features with over 125 million monthly active users.
Why Discover Was an Important Innovation
The launch of Snapchat Discover was an important milestone for a few key reasons:
It Transformed Snapchat into a Media Platform
Prior to Discover, Snapchat was primarily used for ephemeral messaging between friends. By launching Discover, Snapchat evolved into a destination for consuming high-quality, professionally produced media content. This opened up massive new opportunities for user growth, engagement and monetization.
It Gave Publishers a Powerful New Distribution Channel
For publishers, Discover finally gave them a way to effectively engage younger audiences who were leaving print and TV behind. The Snapchat generation was extremely hard to reach for most traditional media companies before Discover came along. Snapchat’s distribution allowed publishers to reinvent their content and storytelling for a critical mobile-first demographic.
It Kickstarted Mobile-First Media Innovation
Most media content was still designed for TVs or desktops before Snapchat Discover arrived. But Discover was built mobile-only from the start. This forced publishers to rethink their editorial and advertising content in brand new mobile-friendly ways. Snapchat’s innovations around mobile media helped kickstart a shift across the entire industry.
It Validated Snapchat’s Vision
For Snapchat as a company, the success of Discover validated their vision of becoming more than just another messaging app. It proved users were eager to engage with the right content in the right formats within Snapchat. Discover laid the foundation for all future growth of Snapchat as a creative outlet and entertainment destination that could challenge established giants like Facebook and Instagram.
Conclusion
In summary, Snapchat Discover first launched in January 2015 as a groundbreaking new way for Snapchatters to engage with publisher content. It transformed Snapchat from a private messaging app into an expansive media platform almost overnight. Discover changed how publishers reached young audiences and accelerated innovation around mobile-focused content. While the product has gone through many evolutions since, Discover remains one of Snapchat’s signature features and a key driver of its success as a creative outlet.