Snapchat announces expanded revenue-sharing program for its creators

Top Snapchat creators will soon have more ways to make money on the social media app.

The Santa Monica company has introduced an expanded monetization program, saying it would soon begin placing ads within longer Spotlight videos. Under Snapchat's current revenue-sharing arrangement, the company pays influencers some of the money it earns from ads it places within Snapchat Stories.

Beginning Feb. 1, eligible creators will be able to make money from Spotlight videos that are longer than one minute. Spotlight is a tab that showcases the most entertaining Snaps on the platform; the feature becomes more tailored to each user over time based on their preferences and favorites.

"With Spotlight viewership up 25% year-over-year, there is a unique and growing opportunity for creators to monetize this format in the same way they do with Stories," Snap said in a statement. "We remain committed to evolving and expanding the total rewards available to creators."

Snap, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have all been vying for content from popular influencers as the number of people who turn to social media apps for entertainment has soared. With TikTok facing a potential ban in the U.S. next month, many creators have been focusing on other platforms just in case and say they're finding the moneymaking opportunities even more lucrative.

"I feel like the fastest-growing right now and the best algorithm is Snapchat. They made a comeback," said Theodora Moutinho, a fitness creator and actor from Glendale who has 426,000 followers on the app. The 25-year-old said she is always evaluating where to post her content, and "right now, I think the biggest one for me is Snapchat."

Creators have to meet a number of criteria to be eligible for Snap's new revenue-sharing initiative, including having at least 50,000 followers and posting at least 25 times per month to Saved Stories, which are collections of photos and videos that can be added to a user's profile, or Spotlight. They also have to post on Spotlight or Public Stories on at least 10 of the last 28 days.

And in the last 28 days, they have to achieve 10 million Snap views, 1 million Spotlight views or 12,000 hours of view time.

Snap said that in the last year, the number of creators posting publicly has more than tripled.