Snapchat is a popular social media platform among younger users for sharing spontaneous photos and videos. The document provides tips for artists to effectively use Snapchat to connect with fans aged 18-34. It explains how Snapchat works, best practices for content, and ideas for sharing behind-the-scenes content like recording sessions, track teasers, and Q&As to engage fans. While Snapchat has limited analytics, the document advises verified users can view more detailed metrics and driving fans to tracked external links.

1. Snapchat
Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

2. • Introduction
• Who’s It For
• How It Works
• Snaps
• Best Practices
• Ideas
2
Contents

3. You’ve heard of Snapchat by now, but maybe you aren’t sure how it works or can’t quite see the
benefits. For artists looking to target younger fan bases, Snapchat can be a fun place to
connect with your audience and stand out with spontaneous and exclusive content that fans
will enjoy.
3
Introduction

4. …Young
• 45% are between 18-24 *
• 75% being under the age of 34 *
• 73% of all 18 to 24-year-olds in the U.S. *
…and dedicated
• 190 million daily active users *
• Those under 25 average 40 minutes on Snapchat every day *
• 3 billion snaps are uploaded every day *
4
Who’s It For
Regular Snapchat users are…
* Omnicore,
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/snapchat-statistics/

5. Snapchat works off of taps and swipes and very little text. This can make giving
written instruction tricky, so we’ve put together a key to help you understand how
to use or find a feature.
5
How It Works
Tap this spot
or icon
Swipe in
this direction

6. 6
How It Works
Getting Started Checklist:
✓ Tap the ghost to customize
✓ Create a username
✓ Add an image to your
snapcode
✓ Customize settings

7. 7
How It Works
Getting Started
Checklist:
✓ Set “View My Story” to
“Everyone”
✓ Set “Send Me Snaps” to
Everyone” (all fans) if
preferred
✓ Turn on filters and make
sure location services
are enabled

8. 8
How It Works
Snapchat works similarly to Instagram. Open the app
and take a photo or short video. Then, either send it
directly to specific people or add it to your general
feed (or, in Snapchat lingo – your Story).

9. The basics of Snapchat are simple: take a photo or video and share it.
…you didn’t think you’d get off that easy, did you?
Like any social platform, Snapchat has its own best practices.
The following slides will help you create quality Snapchat content.
9
Snaps
“Okay…how do I do this well?”

10. 10
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Snapchat is an off the cuff social platform that has fun photo
features that help to enhance the lighthearted, silly quality to the best content.
After taking your photo or video, try some of the following edits.
image courtesy of @listentoedison

11. 11
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Use the text icon in the upper right to add
text to your photo.

12. 12
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Try adding some emojis or stickers to your
photo instead of just including in a text
caption.

13. 13
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Visual artist? Use the drawing tool to go all
MS Paint on your snap.

14. 14
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Swiping to the side shuffles through an assortment of
filters like photo effects, location and event tags.
To stack filters, hold your finger down on your first choice
while continuing to swipe through.

15. 15
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Tap and hold down on your screen to add lenses to
yourself or the world around you.
Lenses are interactive overlays, so making certain
expressions or gestures can change the appearance of
the lens.

16. 16
Snaps
Enhancing Photos
Drive fans to a link of your choice by clicking the paperclip icon.
Fans can visit the link by swiping up.

17. 17
Snaps
Memories
Swipe up on the main screen to view Memories,
which stores older content from Snapchat or your
Camera Roll.
Memories can be edited with filters, text, and other
effects much like realtime snaps.

18. 18
Snaps
Shazam
To share music with your followers, try tapping and
holding down on your screen while snapping to
Shazam a track in-app.

19. 19
Snaps
Geo Stories
To allow people only at a certain
location to view your snap, tap the “+
Custom” icon below the “Add a chat…”
section of your feed and select “Geo
Story.”
This can be used to reward
show-goers or record store shoppers
with exclusive content.
Just one caveat: the story must be
posted from this location. No remote
stories, sorry!

20. 20
Snaps
Lens and Filters
Users can also create their
own Lens and Filters within
the Snapchat App.
Simply go to Settings and
scroll down to select “Filters
and Lenses”...

21. 21
Snaps
Lens and Filters
...From there select between Filter or
Lens to create customizable and fun
additions to your Snaps.
*Image courtesy of Snapchat

22. 22
Snaps
Filters
To create a Filter, simply click
on the Filter button and then
select one of Snapchat’s
template themes to build out
your custom Filter OR start
from scratch and build your
own by following the
directions inside of the app!

23. 23
Snaps
Lens
Like Filters, to
create a Lens,
simply click on
the Lens button
and then select
one of
Snapchat’s
Lens template
themes to build
out your custom
Lens.

24. 24
Snaps
Lens Studio
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
and Filters to upload to Snapchat for
fans and other users to access and
enjoy.
Images provide by Lens Studio Website

25. 25
Best Practices
You’ve gotten the hang of the basics.
Now it’s time to make sure you’re getting all you
can out of Snapchat.
image courtesy of
@DJKhaled305

26. 26
Best Practices
Frequency
Stories are a lot like a DVR – everything you post will
be available for 24 hours so fans can (binge?) watch at
their leisure.
Share snaps whenever you have a moment that
deserves capturing.
image courtesy of @theglitchmob

27. 27
Best Practices
Types of Content
A user can set snaps to last from 1 second to no time limit. However, once they’re
viewed, they’re gone.
What do people want to see on Snapchat?
✓ Candid content✓ Humor
images courtesy of @dietcig

28. 28
Best Practices
Candid Content
Snapchat feels much more intimate than other socials:
• Short format
• Self-destructing
posts
• Lack of pre-shot
edited perfection
image courtesy of @listentoedison image courtesy of @theglitchmob

29. 29
Best Practices
Humor
Snapchat is a place where humor and creativity
outweigh even the most carefully crafted photos
and videos.
image courtesy of @bobsterclaw

30. 30
Best Practices
Snapchat isn’t the place for…
X Formal promotional materials
Instead, show a snap of an
actual vinyl or a store a fan
can visit
X Previously shot, edited
photos or videos
Although Snapchat Memories
allows for these posts, use
behind-the-scenes snaps
instead where possible

31. 31
Ideas
Need some ideas to get started?
Posting regularly but looking
to get more creative?
Here are some examples
of ways to use Snapchat.
image courtesy of @theglitchmobimage courtesy of @dev0ng

32. 32
Ideas
Request Fan Snaps
Fans can see if you’ve opened their snap.
Try asking for snaps of them listening to your album, singing along to their
favorite track, or doodling on your album art.
A quick view on your part will make a fan’s day!

33. 33
Ideas
Share Fan Snaps
Snapchat can be a place for interaction.
Invite fans to send snaps directly to your account and share favorites on other
socials.
images courtesy of @theglitchmob

34. 34
Ideas
Share Your Snaps
…or just share your own! Video and photo
snaps can be saved by tapping the
download button.
Share your best snaps on your other
socials for further reach.
image courtesy of @futuregenband

35. 35
Ideas
Promoting a Release
We now know that Snapchat isn’t the place for formal
promotional photos and sales pitches.
Try getting a snap of a CD or LP while in the store.

36. 36
Ideas
Tease a Track
Share photo or video of the
recording process, a track
in Pro-Tools, or a test
pressing spinning. Even
better, send it directly to
super fans for an exclusive
experience.
image courtesy of @dev0ng image courtesy of @stsisgold

37. 37
Ideas
Q&A
A favorite of the YouTube community! Invite fans to ask questions via Snapchat.
Answer directly to select fans or add answers to your Story so fans can view them.

38. 38
Analytics
Measuring Success
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.

39. 39
Analytics
Measuring Success
Since Snapchat has very limited metrics and
calls to action available, try driving fans to a
tracked smartlink that tracks location, device
type, and more.

40. 40
Analytics
Measuring Success - Verified Users
For users who are verified, click on your profile
and then the “Insights” tab to view your profile
and post’s analytics .
https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/insights
https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-analytics/#howto

41. 41
Analytics
Measuring Success
Inside of the
Insights tab you
can view total
number of story
views, time spent
viewing, reach,
average view time,
story view
percentage,
lifestyle, popular
regions and more…
https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/insights
https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-analytics/#howto

42. Thank You