How to Make Money on Snapchat

Snapchat isn’t just a messaging app—it’s also a great place to make some extra cash. If you have a knack for creating short, entertaining videos, you can build an audience on the app and earn money from brand deals, promoting your own merch, and more. 

Read on to learn more about how to make money on Snapchat. 

Build An Audience 

One of the best ways to make money on Snapchat is to promote products and services to your audience.

But you won’t get paid sponsorships or brand deals unless you have a pretty sizable following. If you don’t have a big enough audience yet, here are a few quick tips to help you grow it. 

• Share a link to your Snapchat profile on other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to encourage people to check out your account. 
• Collaborate with influencers by posting to each other’s stories or exchanging shoutouts. 
• Follow other people’s accounts and engage with them by replying to their stories and sending them messages. 
• Create entertaining stories that people will want to watch. Tutorials, dance videos, pranks, and snaps that give people a “behind the scenes look” at your day tend to be the most popular.
• Snapchat puts the most recently updated stories at the top of people’s feeds, so make sure you post new snaps at least a few times per day.

Promote Products and Services

Once you have a following, you can start recommending products on the app to earn some side income. Affiliate links are a great place to start because you don’t have to wait for a brand to sponsor you. You can also handpick products you think will appeal to your followers the most to maximize your earnings. 

Eventually your following may grow to the point that brands find you and offer you paid sponsorships. Depending on the size of your audience, you could earn hundreds or even thousands for promoting a product in your stories. 

If you have your own products or merch, you can also feature them on your Snapchat account or even purchase ads to help your brand reach a wider audience. 

Submit Snaps to Spotlight 

In November, Snapchat started a program called Spotlight that pays users for viral  content. You can submit your best snaps to the program for consideration, and if they get enough views, you could get a sizable payout. 

Although having an established audience will help your content get views, some people have earned thousands of dollars from the program despite not being influencers. Andrea Romo, for example, earned $250,000 for a video of her sister deep frying a turkey even though she doesn’t have a big following. 

Snapchat is mainly used by Gen Z, so the content that gets popular on the platform is a little different than what you’re used to seeing on Facebook and Instagram. To maximize your chances of success, study what’s trending and see if you can replicate the tone and style of those snaps while putting your own spin on things. 

Sometimes seemingly random things will go viral, so don’t be afraid to post content that isn’t perfect and polished. Just get creative and experiment, and who knows—you might earn some money!

Create and Sell Geofilters 

If you have an eye for design, you may be able to make money on Snapchat by selling geofilters, which are fun graphics that people can layer over their snaps. 

Geofilters are only available to people in a certain location that you select when you make them. Because they have a limited radius, they’re often used to promote local events. 

Many people buy custom geofilters for their weddings and birthday parties so guests can add them to their snaps. Lots of businesses also use them to generate buzz before a store’s grand opening or a big sale, so there’s definitely a market for them. 

Etsy is a great place to sell geofilters, but you can also market them through your own website. Letting your friends and family know you design custom geofilters may also get you some sales. 

Snapchat is a great place to earn some extra income so you can pay down your debt faster and save more. Hopefully these tips will help you turn your favorite messaging app into a lucrative side hustle this year.

Vicky Monroe

Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.