Snapchat has carved out a unique niche among social media platforms, which offers distinct potential for creator marketing. And with the introduction of their new API and creator tools, brands can now leverage Snapchat for creator marketing at scale. If you haven’t experimented with Snapchat in your creator marketing program yet, now is the time to start (psst - check out our guide to using our new Snapchat integration).
At CreatorIQ Connect Europe, we had the privilege of hosting a panel with Emily McDonnell, Head of Creator Partnerships for the UK and Northern Ireland at Snap Inc., alongside Snap Stars Kika Osunde and Emily Canham. They provided insight into why creators are increasingly turning to Snapchat to build connection with their communities.
So, why Snapchat? Watch the full session recording or keep reading for the highlights.
Snapchat's popularity, especially among Gen Z, makes it a crucial platform for brands targeting younger demographics. If it’s been a while since a stranger asked for your “snap” or you kept up a streak with a friend, you might not realize how embedded Snapchat is in Gen Z culture. Snapchat reaches over 90% of Gen Z in more than 25 countries. Not to mention, many of these users can't be found elsewhere—43% of daily Snapchatters are not on TikTok every day.
These users aren’t just engaging with Snapchat—they’re doing so in a wholly unique way. Snapchat is built quite differently from other social media apps. It encourages creating by opening to the camera first, it’s rooted in communicating with friends and family (many users even think of Snapchat as a texting app), and it puts less emphasis on likes or comments. Snapchat’s design naturally fosters a sense of authenticity and connection.
This focus on authenticity is precisely why creators are drawn to Snapchat—it enables them to connect with their community in a genuine and meaningful way. They can present a more unfiltered view of themselves, which is invaluable for building trust and connection with their audiences.
Snap Star Kika Osunde joined Snapchat to offer her audience an unfiltered view. She shared, “I was already on other platforms, but I wanted to give my consumers a different side of me. I wanted to be more raw, more real, and I wanted to show the behind-the-scenes of running a day-to-day business. My audience trusted me because they saw the process. They saw the journey.”
The advantage that Kika found on Snapchat illustrates how the platform helps creators develop a deeper connection with their fans and expand their reach. The key is that creators aren’t just recycling their content from other social media apps. They’re engaging their audiences in a new way.
Creators find that genuine content resonates well on Snapchat. Content on the app is more raw by design—Snapchat’s tools empower creators to produce content quickly, without extensive editing. Snap Star Emily Canham shared, “It’s such a dream for us to be able to go from a raw piece of content to posted content in minutes or seconds. But then again, I don’t use Snapchat in the same way that I would use a social platform.” Both the functionality and culture of Snapchat facilitate a relationship with content that you simply won’t find elsewhere.
Creators also engage with their audience in real time through polls, which allow them to gather input and spark conversations with their community. Emily Canham regularly uses polls to seek her audience's opinions. She finds they’re far more inclined to respond and message on Snapchat than any other platform. The trust goes both ways, as she noted that “having an audience is an insane privilege.” For creators who value building connection with their community, Snapchat is a perfect place to do that.
The ability to create content quickly and easily interact with audiences creates an always-on rapport that strengthens the bond between creators and their followers. Kika mentioned that if she doesn’t post on Snapchat for a few hours, her followers will reach out on other platforms. As she puts it, “I can’t go missing because they’re so invested.”
However, no amount of advantages will convince creators to invest their time on the platform if they aren’t able to monetize it. Thankfully, Snapchat has introduced many features to support creator marketing on the app.
You may have noticed that several years ago, Snapchat spotlight content mostly featured publishers. However, that has changed as the platform has moved to prioritize creator content. Snapchat now has the tools in place to help creators make a livelihood on the platform, including a revenue-sharing program and spotlight incentivization.
Because collaborating with brands is critical to creators, Snapchat has created a host of resources to help them do just that, from collab campaign tools to brand tagging. In combination with tools for brands and agencies like the Creator Discovery API and paid media boosting, the infrastructure is now in place to support creator marketing.
Leading agencies and brands have taken note of this and incorporated Snapchat into their strategy. Hannah Scott, Influencer Marketing Director at McCann, emphasized the importance of Snapchat, stating, “To be a truly global influencer agency, you need to be utilizing influencer content on Snap, whether you’re appealing to Gen Z or to markets that index highly (India, US, GCC territories, or France to name a few). We have been using Snap for a tourism client, as it gives a real and authentic peek into their trip.”
CreatorIQ’s integration has opened the door to activating on the platform at scale. You can now seamlessly include Snapchat in your cross-platform or Snapchat-only campaigns.
A strong Snapchat strategy starts with discovering creators who are active on the platform. That’s easy to do with CreatorIQ’s robust Discovery database, which pulls in creator profiles across social platforms. Creators can also grant access for you to view their performance metrics, so you can vet and onboard them with confidence.
Once you’ve added those creators to your campaigns, you can automatically track their Snapchat content. With comprehensive reporting in CreatorIQ, it’s easy to compare performance across platforms, creators, and campaigns, so you can analyze results and iterate on your approach.
By leveraging CreatorIQ's integration, you can incorporate Snapchat into your program, test out strategies on the platform, and grow your brand presence.
Want to learn more about how to activate on Snapchat? Check out our Guide to Influencer Marketing on Snapchat to get started.