Snapchat Spotlight, their TikTok competitor, has paid creators over $250 million
Image Credit: Snap
Snapchat launched their short-form video platform a year ago. To date, Snap have paid more than 12,000 creators over $250 million.
Similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spolight highlights the most entertaining Snaps from creators around the world, in a familiar, vertically scrollable interface. As on the platform as a whole, Spotlight is enhanced by Creative Tools and Lenses such as the Cartoon 3D Style Lens, which uses machine learning to turn people into a 3D-animated cartoon in real-time. This lens alone generated 2.8 billion impressions in its first week of release. Snapchat says over 65% of Spotlight submission use one of their Creative Tools or an aumented reality Lens.
Snapchat is not only a place for fun short videos. Creators can grow their audience, build their business and entertain the Snapchat community. In the year since the launch of Spotlight, Snapchat have paid out over $250 million to more than 12,000 creators. This gives an impressive average payout of over $20k to each creator. We’ve seen similarly high numbers from the likes of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. It’s worth mentioning though, the program has not been smooth sailing. Earlier this year, Snapchat faced criticism over significantly reduced payments, delays and other issues.
It’s easy to name Snapchat Spotlight as yet another TikTok copycat, with its short-form, vertically scrollable videos, enhanced by lenses, however you could also argue, Snapchat did short-form videos and AR lenses first, launching way back in 2011, way before TikTok or even Musical.ly were born.
Did you know you can upload your own music to short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels for free, and start earning revenue every time your music is used?