15 Quick Ways to Make Money on Snapchat in 2024

Looking to supplement your income or even replace your full-time job? Snapchat offers a multitude of creative, engaging ways for everyday users to earn cash quickly. While celebrities and mega-influencers can demand huge paydays from sponsorships, you don’t need millions of followers to start profiting from this wildly popular multimedia messaging app.

From fun video challenges and rewarded storytelling to branded content partnerships and creative merchandise, Snapchat’s revenue streams are growing rapidly. In 2021, over 1 million users monetized their presence on Snapchat, earning the company a staggering $4.3 billion in revenue. By 2024, that number is expected to surpass $8 billion as brands flock to the app’s highly engaged Gen Z and millennial audiences.

Sound intriguing? This guide breaks down 15 fast, realistic ways for everyday creators and entrepreneurs to start earning on Snapchat in 2024. So follow along, choose your monetization methods, and get ready to strategically grow your Snapchat income!

Why Snapchat is a Money-Making Goldmine

Before we dive into money-making tactics, let’s quickly examine what makes Snapchat such a lucrative platform for creators and businesses alike:

Unique, Attention-Grabbing Content Snapchat’s ephemeral, multimedia-rich format encourages innovative, highly engaging content that advertisers covet. From immersive augmented reality (AR) lenses to zany facial filters, Snapchat keeps users hooked for over 30 minutes per day on average.

Highly Valuable Demographics

With over 347 million users worldwide, Snapchat’s audience is dominated by affluent, tech-savvy young adults aged 13-34. This prized demographic wields enormous spending power yet remains difficult for many brands to reach through traditional advertising.

Constantly Evolving Revenue Streams Fueled by intense competition, Snapchat continually rolls out new monetization and e-commerce features. In 2022 alone, new innovations included creator gifting, NFT support, subscription services, and more.

As Gary Vaynerchuk says, “Every major content provider today should put 50 percent of their effort into Snapchat and figure out how to be involved with that platform.” Let’s look at some quick, actionable ways to get involved and cash in.

Quick and Easy Ways to Earn Cash on Snapchat

1. Win Prizes Through Snapchat Spotlight

Love creating fun, artistic videos? Snapchat’s Spotlight program rewards eligible creators for posting viral hit videos in categories like comedy, lip-sync, dance, DIYs, and more.

Here’s how it works: Creators enter public video submissions into themed “Spotlight Challenges.” Snapchat’s algorithms then analyze metrics like comments, view counts, and engagement levels to identify top performers. Each day, the best videos receive cash prizes ranging from $250 to $35,000+!

While consistently hitting the top prizes is no easy feat, Spotlight offers a fun, low-risk way for aspiring creators to start monetizing their talents and creativity on Snapchat. Plus, since all Spotlight earnings are paid out via the app, winners can access their cash instantly with no hassle.

2. Cash in With Snapchat’s Creator Stories

Avid Snapchatters who post frequently to their public stories can qualify for a portion of Snapchat’s advertising revenue share. The earnings criteria are:

• Over 50,000 public subscribers
• Over 25M views or 12,000 hours of view time in the past 28 days
• At least 20 Snaps posted on 10 separate days

Qualifying creators simply need to activate “Rev Share” in their account settings to start earning. While payouts fluctuate based on view counts and ad rates, top creators can earn thousands per month by consistently sharing high-engagement public content.

3. Promote Your Products and Services

For businesses and entrepreneurs, the simplest money-maker is showcasing your own products and services through entertaining, educational Snapchat stories and videos.

Clothing brand Gymshark, for instance, posts aspirational stories of models wearing their athletic apparel to drive traffic and sales to its website. Similarly, influencers with their own merch lines or affiliate products can seamlessly promote items to their followers through compelling visual stories.

Unlike blatant ads, this organic approach blends content and commerce in an authentic, engaging way. Even solo creators without a big following can build buzz and drive sales by consistently highlighting their offerings.

4. Partner With Influential Snapchatters

Snapchat is home to countless niche influencers, celebrities, and creators who command large, loyal followings (and lucrative sponsored content rates). By collaborating on branded content and stories, businesses can promote products and tap into new audiences through trusted voices.

The key is finding influencers whose personal brands, values, and demographics closely match your desired customers. When the fit is right, influencers seamlessly promote your offerings through creative storytelling that feels native, boosting engagement, brand exposure, and revenue.

Major brands like Chipotle, Samsung, and Amazon have all launched massively successful influencer marketing campaigns on Snapchat. But even small businesses can get in on the action by negotiating fair rates with up-and-coming micro-influencers who meet their needs.

5. Launch an Affiliate Marketing Program

Affiliate marketing rewards partners (including influencers and loyal customers) for driving product sales through special referral links. Every time someone makes a purchase through their unique link, affiliates earn a percentage commission.

It’s a lucrative win-win strategy: Brands expand their reach and only pay when real sales are made, while affiliates earn recurring income for their marketing efforts. By creating an affiliate program specifically for Snapchat influencers and everyday users, you can leverage the app’s authentic, personal atmosphere while incentivizing regular promotional content.

Pro tip: To maximize affiliate earnings potential, provide affiliate partners with creative assets like demo product videos, special coupon codes, and suggested story ideas they can utilize for promotion. The easier you make it for affiliates to authentically showcase your brand, the more money everyone makes.

6. Host a Snapchat Takeover

A Snapchat Takeover is when you invite a popular influencer, celebrity, or brand to temporarily “take over” your Snapchat account. By creating and posting exclusive content under your handle over 24-48 hours, the guest star can expose your brand and products to their massive audience.

While costlier than other options, Snapchat Takeovers generate major buzz and help attract new followers rapidly. They also allow you to creatively collaborate with the influencer to develop authentic, buzzworthy stories that drive high engagement.

Beauty brands like Clinique and Benefit Cosmetics have pioneered successful Snapchat Takeover campaigns with celebrities like Miranda Kerr, Hannah Bronfman, and Shay Mitchell. For optimal results, time your takeover during a new product launch or sales event while promoting it across other platforms as well.

7. Attract Local Customers With Geofilters

Companies with physical store locations can leverage Snapchat’s geofilter ads to display branded overlays whenever users snap photos or videos within a certain radius. This hyper-local targeting makes geofilters one of Snapchat’s most powerful direct response and sales driving ad tools.

For example, you could create a fun, eye-catching branded filter offering a special discount or promotion to anyone within a 5-mile radius of your business. Or advertise an upcoming event by creating custom graphics users can add to their snaps.

With advanced customization and location targeting capabilities, Snapchat’s geofilters allow you to get extremely creative in reaching local customers at the precise moments they’re most receptive to your offers.

8. Run Targeted Snapchat Ads

While options like influencer marketing and geofilters can be pricey for small businesses, Snapchat’s self-serve ads manager makes it affordable to drive sales and app installations through lower-funnel advertising approaches.

Using advanced demographic, interest, and behavioral targeting, you can serve highly relevant video ads, story ads, collection ads, and more straight to your ideal audience segments. And with flexible pricing (allowing you to set daily budgets as low as $5), it’s easy to test out ad campaigns cheaply before scaling successful concepts.

For maximum effectiveness, create Snapchat ads that are vertical, engaging, mobile-optimized, and get to the point within the first 3 seconds.

Pro tip: Leverage Snapchat’s robust ad data to A/B test different creative concepts, placements, and audiences to refine your targeting over time.

9. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

Authentic, customer-created content is marketing gold on Snapchat. By sharing fans’ unboxing videos, product reviews, and creative photo/video submissions, brands can build trust, social proof, and emotional connections exponentially better than paid advertising alone.

How do you acquire UGC? Encourage customers to snap and share their honest experiences by offering incentives like contest entries, e-gift cards, or having their content featured. Once approved, you can amplify your users’ genuine endorsements by resharing their snaps across branded stories, ads, and other marketing channels.

Jewelry startup Moitie, for example, showcased fans’ glowing testimonial videos to fellow Gen Z and millennial shoppers, resulting in skyrocketing brand awareness and a 92% lift in purchases.

10. Join The Snapchat Creator Marketplace

In August 2023, Snapchat launched The Creator Marketplace, a dedicated in-app platform connecting brands and agencies with elite Snap creators. It allows businesses to browse verified creators matching their needs, pitch projects, and seamlessly negotiate compensation deals for everything from one-off branded snaps to long-term partnerships.

The Creator Marketplace simplifies the influencer marketing process by providing transparent portfolio profiles showcasing reach, engagement, rate cards, and overall brand compatibility. This ensures both creators and brands benefit from carefully curated collaborations optimized for success.

If you’re a brand marketer or an aspiring creator, look into joining the Marketplace to unlock revenue opportunities through meaningful, trusted partnerships.

11. Become a Premium Creator

Take full control of your monetization by signing up for Snapchat’s Premium Creator tier. In addition to gaining access to advanced analytics, story metrics, and exclusive creator tools, you can monetize through two key methods:

• Snapchat Fan Access: Segment your audience into Free and Subscriber groups, only sharing exclusive content with those paying a monthly fee you set.
• Story Crowdfunding: Allow fans to “rally up” for your public stories by sending micro-payments whenever you post fresh content.

Fan Access is ideal for creators who produce premium content like tutorials, behind-the-scenes snaps, or members-only stories their biggest fans will pay for. Story Crowdfunding meanwhile offers a motivating way to convert smaller, casual viewers into paying supporters.

Once approved, the Premium tools put you firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to generating recurring revenue while rewarding your most engaged fans.

12. Offer Exclusive Content and Experiences

Along with the Premium membership options, top creators and influencers can tap into lucrative revenue streams through exclusive paid content releases, experiences, and collectibles.

Some creators sell access to pay-per-view “Stories” detailing their personal lives, photo/video packages, or members-only live streamed events. Others roll out limited edition NFTs as digital art collectibles or tickets to invite-only virtual meet-ups and experiences.

And for especially devoted fans, you could offer one-on-one Cameo or Taki video shoutouts, personalized coaching calls, or other custom requests for a premium fee. The key is packaging your unique offerings in a limited, covetable way specifically for your biggest supporters willing to pay for insider access.

13. Become a Lens Creator

If you’ve got a knack for creating wildly imaginative, buzz-worthy AR Lenses, consider signing up for Snap’s Lens Creator program. This positions you to potentially get paid for developing branded Augmented Reality campaigns integrating real-world products or mini-games synched to real-world objects.

For instance, you could create an AR Lens for a sneaker release that superimposes fiery animations over the product via the camera. Or an AR Portal allowing Snapchat users to virtually step inside an interactive virtual branded experience.

While this option requires advanced technical skills, Lens creators can potentially score lucrative pay days from major brands for executing their creative visions into immersive AR experiences that delight and engage audiences.

14. Sell Snapchat Filters and Lenses

Have a knack for crafting clever graphics or animations? Consider designing and selling custom Snapchat Filters or Lenses directly through Snapchat’s web tool!

Simply create fun, on-brand overlays like branded frames, vignettes, graphics, or full face lenses within the web editor. Then set your price point and listing details. Whenever an individual or business purchases your custom creation, you earn a portion of the revenue.

Besides offering a potentially lucrative income stream, getting your filters and lenses purchased exposes your creative talents to Snapchat’s massive user base. It’s a savvy way to build your portfolio and credibility for bigger branded gigs!

15. Consider Snapcash or Snapchat+

While not quite “get rich quick” schemes, Snapchat offers two final built-in monetization features worth considering:

Snapcash allows you to accept peer-to-peer payments directly through the app via Square. So in addition to selling products or services, you can let friends and fans easily compensate you for any custom Snap content you create.

Snapchat+ is an optional paid subscription unlocking exclusive features like custom app icons, data insights, and prioritized federated chat replies for $3.99/month. While nowhere near enough to live off, Snapchat+ provides a low-effort way for creators to squeeze out a little extra recurring income from their community of devoted followers.

Tips for Snapchat Monetization Success

As you explore various money-making avenues on Snapchat, keep these crucial tips in mind to maximize your earning potential:

Produce High-Quality, Engaging Content Whether you’re trying to grow your audience, attract sponsors, or launch an affiliate program, high-quality content is paramount. Ensure your snaps, stories, and videos provide immense value through entertainment, education, or utility to keep audiences hooked and eager to support your monetization plays.

Build an Authentic Brand and Niche Snapchat celebrates unfiltered, authentic personalities. Lean into highlighting your unique talents, identity, and perspectives to cultivate an authoritative niche that breeds zealously loyal fans. Understanding who your core audience is and what specifically they cherish about you is invaluable for driving conversions down the line.

Cross-Promote Relentlessly While Snapchat provides ample organic opportunities for monetization, creators still need to actively cross-promote their handles and offerings across other active digital channels. Optimize your website, newsletter, YouTube, TikTok, and other presences to keep funneling new eyeballs towards your snaps and revenue streams.

Adhere to Snapchat’s Guidelines For any monetization method involving Snapchat’s official programs or branded offerings, review all participation guidelines prior to launch. Proactively ensuring you comply with specifications around age restrictions, prohibited content, and other rules can prevent costly deactivations or penalties from derailing your income.

Be Patient and Persistent As with any social platform, building a profitable presence on Snapchat takes significant time and experimentation. Few creators “get rich quick.” Adopt a long-term outlook of consistently providing value to your audience while pragmatically testing which revenue models and incentives work best for your circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Money Can You Make on Snapchat?

There is no definitive income limit on Snapchat – your earnings are determined by your specific monetization approaches. While mega-influencers can demand $100,000+ for a sponsored post, everyday Snapchat users monetizing through options like Spotlight, Creator Stories, affiliate programs, or their own products/services typically earn anywhere between a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars per month.

What’s the Quickest Way to Get Money on Snapchat?

The fastest way to start earning money on Snapchat is through the platform’s built-in monetization tools like Spotlight, Creator Stories, and Premium subscriptions.

With Spotlight, you could win cash prizes within days if your video goes viral. Meanwhile, qualifying for the Creator Stories rev share program allows you to start converting consistent public posting into revenue immediately.

And by upgrading to Snapchat’s Premium Creator tier, you unlock instant opportunities to monetize through paid story crowdfunding, subscriber-only content, and exclusive experiences.

While these “get paid to Snapchat” models provide quicker income gratification, strategies like influencer marketing, affiliate programs, and e-commerce generally require more prolonged audience-building before serious income potential unlocks.

Do You Need a Lot of Followers to Make Money on Snapchat?

While a sizable following definitely helps for many Snapchat monetization avenues, you don’t necessarily need millions of fans to start earning income. Plenty of monetization opportunities exist for smaller creators and businesses as well:

• Snapchat Spotlight prizes are awarded algorithmically based on engagement rather than follower counts.
• You only need 50,000 public subscribers to qualify for revenue sharing on Stories.
• Affiliate marketing, product promotions, and even influencer partnerships can be viable with just a few thousand highly engaged followers in a specific niche.
• Snap’s on-going creator monetization feature rollouts like gifting, paid packs, shoutouts and more are designed to empower all levels of creators to profit.

The keys are consistently creating stellar content that resonates with your audience, adopting an entrepreneurial mindset, and thoughtfully combining multiple complementary income streams over time.

How Do I Get Started Making Money on Snapchat?

Getting started earning through Snapchat is refreshingly straightforward and barriers to entry are low. Here are the basic steps to take:

1. Download the app and create your public Snapchat account focused on your niche, brand, or interests
2. Browse Snapchat’s available monetization programs (Spotlight, Creator Stories, Marketplace, Premium, etc.) and review eligibility requirements
3. Apply for the money-making tools and distribution features relevant to your goals
4. Produce high-quality content optimized for your target income avenues (viral videos for Spotlight, public story content for Creator Stories, lens creation for AR campaigns, etc.)
5. Share your public story consistently while promoting your uniqueSnapCode and presence across other platforms
6. Review performance analytics frequently while iterating your approach for better audience engagement and revenue growth
7. Continue exploring and layering on complementary monetization methods like influencer marketing, e-commerce, and paid offerings

The sooner you start building an engaged audience through must-see Snapchat content, the sooner you’ll unlock compounding monetization opportunities.

Final Thoughts on Making Money on Snapchat

While it faces stiff competition from TikTok and other video-driven apps, Snapchat’s multimedia messaging platform continues evolving at a blistering pace with creator monetization as a driving focus.

The sheer number and variety of money-making avenues on Snapchat is staggering – from fun cash prizes and revenue share programs to lucrative influencer campaigns, e-commerce offerings, and direct fan monetization through premium experiences.

Whether you’re an aspiring celebrity, small business owner, or just a creative individual looking to capitalize on your talents, Snapchat provides an engaging playground for quickly building an audience and income stream around your passions.

The keys to success are understanding your target audience, creating can’t-miss content that provides value, strategically combining multiple revenue channels, adhering to Snapchat’s terms, and persistently promoting your offerings across all relevant platforms.

While shortcuts for “getting rich quick” are virtually non-existent, Snapchat’s low barrier to entry and wealth of monetization tools give motivated creators incredible earnings potential for the long haul. All you need is patience, a unique brand identity, and a willingness to continually captivate the app’s millions of highly engaged messaging mavens.

So start snapping away – and dream of the day when those disappearing videos translate into very real, recurring revenue for years to come!