2023 Snapchat Best Practices

1. Snapchat
Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

2. Contents
Intro
How It Works
Snaps
Best Practices
Ideas
Analytics
03
04
08
23
30
36

3. Introduction
If you’re unfamiliar or unsure about Snapchat, now is the time to Snap out of it!
With over 363 million daily active users, over 5 billion Snaps per day, and 75% of 13-34
year olds utilizing the app in over 20 countries, Snapchat is a great place to connect with
your core fans, as well as reach a new potential audience.
From Lenses, Spotlight, Verified Artist Accounts, Music, and more, there are so many
ways to tell your story on Snapchat.
*stats via Snap

4. How it Works

5. Getting Started
Once you download the app, getting started is a breeze!
Just put in your name, birthday, and select a username.
Then create your Bitmoji - You can either have your
camera scan your face, or create yourself and your style
from scratch.
Your Bitmoji is your profile picture, acts as stickers to add
to your snaps, and can be sent via Snapchat chats

6. Facets of Snapchat
Map Chat Camera Story Spotlight

7. How It Works
1. Navigate to Settings.
2. Set “View My Story” to “Everyone”
3. Set “Send Me Snaps” to Everyone” (all fans)
if preferred.
4. If you’d like to tag your location and use Snap
Map, make sure location services are enabled.
Getting Started Checklist

8. Camera
When you first open Snapchat, you’re brought to the camera. The round button at
the bottom is your action button to take a picture or record. To the left is an option to
upload content from your camera roll, while the face to the right opens lenses.
The camera icon at the bottom is now featured as a scan option. You can use this
feature to scan other user’s profile or lense QRs.
Along the right hand side you have a list of options to help you get the perfect Snap,
the newer features are:
• Timeline - lets you film in segments
• Sounds - opens up music options
• Director Mode - edit videos directly on the platform
• Scan - brings up contextual Lenses and tools that might be relevant to what
the camera is seeing.
• Tone - Improve your Snaps by fixing exposure issues
• Night Mode-Enhances dark scenes
• Multi Snap - take multiple names to edit and choose from
• Timer- Set a countdown or video timer
• Focus- Highlight the subject of your Snap
• Grid - Get the proportions right

9. Camera - Editing
Once you’ve taken your content, the screen will automatically
transition to editing mode. There’s a whole menu you can
play around with (from top to bottom):
• Text - choose different fonts, colors, and add emojis
• Pencil - draw all over your content
• Sticker - here you can add your Bitmoji stickers, tag a
friend/peer, add a location, choose a Group to send
your snap to, create a Custom Story fans can add to,
and much more
• Trim - splice and slice
• Sound/Music - add a track to your Snap
• Link - place a sticker leading to any site you like
• Crop - zoom in on the main focus
• Time Limit - for images, choose how long you want
them to be seen
Once you’ve perfect your snap, either hit send to to ‘Send To’
friends, add to your Story, Spotlight, or Map; or choose the
‘Download’ or ‘Add’ button on the bottom left. Download lets
you save your Snap, where the add button lets you upload
your content to your Story, Map, or Spotlight.

10. Map
Utilizing the Map feature, you can:
● Let users see where you are
○ You can limit this to just friends, block friends, or
only certain people
○ You can also go on ‘Ghost Mode’ to hide
● See where your friends are
● Look at local stories from different areas
○ Hot spots are marked by heat maps
● See stories from certain locations - venues, museums
Consider using this feature on tour:
● Give fans a front row seat to soundcheck and backstage
● Watch fan stories from the evening

11. Chat
Chat feels pretty self explanatory! Through your chat page you:
● Direct message with friends
● Receive direct messages from other users
● Start a Group Chat
○ Can hold up to 100 participants
○ Invite directly through the app, or send a link
If you message friends often you’ll see different emojis appear next to their
name to indicate how deep your relationship runs. If you Snap them every
day you’ll begin a Snapstreak indicated by the 🔥 emoji and how many
days your streak has lasted.
*image via Hootsuite

12. Story
The Story Page is your one stop shop for everything
publicly happening on Snapchat
• Friends: here you see stories from your
connections (a lock means it’s friends only)
• Subscriptions: this portion is stories from public
figures and platforms such as magazines, etc.
• Discover: This portion is comprised of stories
Snapchat thinks you’ll enjoy or are sponsored
• Shared Story: Shared Stories expands the ability to
add friends even to those who have themselves
been added to the story.

13. Spotlight
Snapchat Spotlight was introduced as a platform to
highlight some of the best Snaps on the app! With this
feature you can also subscribe, reply (aka comment), like
replies, remix a snap, and you can see numbers for plays
and comments
To submit your Snap to Spotlight, create as usual, but then
when selecting “Send To” choose Spotlight!
Much like TikTok, Reels, or YT Shorts users can scroll
vertically through Spotlight content. Unlike these platforms,
users must be 18 to submit, and there is no functionality to
comment.
Tap the arrow in the upper right corner to view trending
hashtags, sounds, and challenges for potential cash prizes.
View currently Spotlighted content at snapchat.com/spotlight

14. Snaps
If you’re active on Twitter, share a tweet
directly into your Story.
The tweet appears like a screenshot / image
in your snap, but viewers can swipe up to
engage with the original tweet.
To do this:
Tap the share icon on a public tweet.
Under Snapchat, tap “Share to Camera”.
Snapchat will open automatically.
Twitter Integration
images courtesy of
https://snappartnersummit.com/
images courtesy of
https://twitter.com/chaelinCL

15. FEATURES

16. Director Mode
Snapchat has rolled out its ‘director mode’
worldwide for iOS users. The feature lets
users edit videos directly on the platform
instead of doing it on third-party apps. It is
similar to what TikTok offers its users.
NEW UPDATE!
images courtesy of
https://snappartnersummit.com/

17. Snapchat for Web
For the first time, Snapchat users can let go
of their phones and switch to their laptop’s
browser to continue conversations with
friends over a voice or video call, or even
chat via web.snapchat.com .
NEW UPDATE!
images courtesy of
https://snappartnersummit.com/

18. Snapchat+
The new feature isn’t an entirely new platform but
is a collection of exclusive features.The
“subscription will allow users to deliver new
Snapchat features to some of the most
passionate members of our community and allow
us to provide prioritized support.”
NEW UPDATE!
images courtesy of
https://snappartnersummit.com/

19. Family Center
Snapchat now allows parents to have greater
control over the activities of their children on the
platform with the introduction of Family Center on
9 August. The in-app tool lets parents see who
their teenage children are interacting with on the
platform.
NEW UPDATE!

20. ADDITIONAL
FEATURES
Shared Story
Snapchatters could create a story and then add friends to view and
contribute as part of Custom Stories. However, people could be added
only by the original creator. Shared Stories expands the ability to add
friends even to those who have themselves been added to the story.
Username change
For the first time, Snapchat has allowed users to change their
username.All users have to do is click on ‘Username’ and then tap the
‘Change Username’ option below the username box. A new username
can then be entered.
Send YouTube links
Snapchatters have the ability to share YouTube videos directly with
friends through the Snapchat Camera. This is the first time that YouTube
links can be shared over Snapchat Stories, while the Camera and app
are active.
Memories
On the camera page, swipe up to reveal past snaps you’ve saved to
share and relive the memories
NEW UPDATE!
Snap Tokens
Purchase Snap Tokens on your profile page to send gifts to your favorite
creators, or redeem prizes in game filters
Cameos
On your profile page, create Cameos to put your face in fun GIFs to send
to friends
QR Code
On your profile page, tap your profile image to pull up your user QR code
to scan or share

21. Snap Sounds

22. Introduction
Launched in 2020, Sounds lets you share an audio
clip in-app for the world to hear:
Sounds is comprised of:
• Featured: Snap curated Playlists and trending
tracks
• My Favorites: saved sounds
• Recents: recently used sounds
• My Sounds: sounds you create
To add music to your Story:
1. Find the son you want
2. Tap it
3. Choose your desired section that matches the
length of your Story
4. Tap the checkmark
5. Publish!

23. Saving Sounds
Are there songs you’d like to use regularly? Maybe a
new single you’ll be promoting a lot?
Add these to your favorites for easy access! To
favorite a track either:
• Search the track in Sounds and press down on
the track, the track will appear at the bottom of
the screen and you can tap the ‘heart’ button to
save it, then tap ‘Done’
• Tap the music button on someone else’s story
get info on the track and ‘heart’ it

24. Sounds on Snaps
When a user taps a Sound on a Snap, they will see information
about the sound appear at the bottom of the screen. From here
there are a few actions they can take:
● Favorite the Sound: as discussed on the last slide, tapping
that heart will add the track to their ‘Favorites’
● Sound Topic Page: by tapping the title of the track you will
be taken to the Sound Topic Page where you can see all the
Snaps made utilizing that audio
● Play This Sound: tapping this will take the user to a Linkfire
link for easy streaming of the track

25. Sharing Music

26. Snaps
You can also record an original sound (like the
voiceover option in TikTok and Instagram Reels).
To do this:
1. Navigate to the “My Sounds” section on the right.
1. Tap “Create Sound.”
1. Tap the circular button at the bottom of the
screen to start and stop recording.
1. Now, name it and hit “Save Sound.” It will now
be available to select and add on the next
screen!
Optional:
1. Before saving, trim the clip if desired, by
dragging from the left or right of the soundwave.
1. If you’d like your sound to be used by others,
toggle the “Make this sound public?” option.
Sharing Music:
Recording Sounds

27. Snaps
Snapchat users share partner content (like
music) from 3rd party apps over 600 million times
per month.*
Shazam
To share a song with your followers, try tapping
and holding down on your screen while snapping
to Shazam a track in-app.
Soundcloud, Spotify,
Apple Music, Amazon Music,
Tidal, & more
Or… share a track, playlist, album or artist profile
from your preferred streaming service by tapping
the share icon or menu in that app, and selecting
the Snapchat logo that appears.
Sharing Music
*information courtesy of
https://snappartnersummit.com/

28. Snaps
Drive fans to a link of your choice directly from
any Snap.
To do this:
1. Tap the Link tool, which looks like a
paperclip.
2. Copy and paste a link, and hit “go.”
3. Tap the “Attach to Snap” button.
4. Pinch the link sticker that appears to resize it,
or hold your finger on it and drag to move it.
Fans can visit the link by swiping up.
Links

29. AR Lenses

30. Lens Studio
AR lenses are a great way to bring your
music to life!
For those with advanced graphic design
skills or if you are working with a designer,
Lens Studio can be used to create one of a
kind custom Lenses to upload to Snapchat
for fans and other users to access and
enjoy.
Lens Studio is a free software that offers
pre-built templates that let you plug and
play. You can also include up to 30 seconds
of your song.
Images provide by Lens Studio Website

31. Artist Best Practices
• Attach an Artist Preview
• Requirement: use the artist, not a lens stock model
• Showcase all the defining elements of the filter
• If a video of the artist is not possible, use a static
image of the artist
• Submit from Artist Account
• Aim to be a verified artist account, filters from these
accounts are whitelisted in an effort to avoid being
taken down for copyright infringement
• Song Name = Lens Name
• You’ll have multiple filters so be sure to name them
after the song and not yourself
• Get Featured on Explorer
• If you’re a verified artist page, you can send Snap the
deep link and lens ID for a chance to be featured
• Clean Audio
• Explicit content will not pass the review process

32. Verified Artist
Profiles

33. Verification Perks
1. A gold star highlights an Official Story
Account, reserved for only Snapchat’s most
important accounts.
2. Official Stories from verified accounts
surface on Snap’s Discover section, for extra
exposure.
3. Official Accounts get enhanced analytics
and insights to help better understand your
audiences and engagement (and ultimately,
to help you create better content).

34. Verified Profile Setup
Make it easier for your fans to find you, and
allow trusted Snapchatters to help manage your
public Profile.
Step 1: Add your public information &
manage roles.
New Roles will get a notification after being
added by an Official account. If you are not
friends, the user will need to accept a request
via Settings in order to be added to a Role.
Roles with Snap-adding capabilities will see the
option to add to your public Story on the “Send
To” page.
Roles can be removed by you or your admins
at any time. Roles can also remove themselves
from your public Profile.

35. Verified Profiles
Profile Admin
• Manage a public Profile
• Add / remove Snaps from public Story
• Assign roles
• View insights
Roles
Profile Collaborator
• View your account Insights
• Add / remove Snaps from public Story
Story Contributor
• View all past Snaps
• Add / remove their own Snaps
• View insights on their own Snaps
Insights Viewer
• View your Insights. That’s it!

36. Analytics
Verified users can view their data by:
• Tapping on their profile
• Tapping the “Insights” tab
Here, you’ll find both profile and
individual post analytics.
Verified Accounts
https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/insights
https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-analytics/#howto

37. Analytics
Specific data available includes:
• Total number of story views
• Time spent viewing
• Total reach
• Average view time
• Story view percentage
• Lifestyle
• Popular regions
• and more…
Verified Accounts
https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/insights
https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-analytics/#howto

38. Analytics

39. Analytics
At the moment, Snapchat has very little
insights into analytics unless you are a
verified user.
You can, however, see how many times
your story was viewed or screenshot-ed
by tapping on your story and swiping up.
Unverified Accounts

40. Analytics
Since Snapchat has very limited metrics
and calls to action available, try driving
fans to a tracked smartlink.
Most will provide extra data such as
location, device type, and more.
Unverified Accounts

41. Thank You