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Over the past several months, Snapchat has been becoming a more and more prominent social network. What was once though to be the domain for teenagers sending each other nude photos has become a powerful new medium of communication.
As a publisher, I’ve watched as all of the social networks became more perfection-focused for bloggers and publishers like myself. Instagram was no longer for instant smartphone photos of wherever you were; today it must be a portfolio of your best DSLR photos. Pinterest was no longer a folder of cool things you liked; today it must be a carefully curated collection of themed boards. YouTube was no longer for casual videos; today everything must be perfect.
We were due for a backlash. And then came Snapchat — a platform where everything was designed to be raw, short, unedited, and real.
Snapchat is exploding in popularity, particularly amongst the younger demographic. So it’s time to jump on. Those who don’t believe in it are going to be left behind.
What is Snapchat?
Here are the things to know about Snapchat:
1) Snapchat is a messaging app. You can send images and video, each lasting up to 10 seconds, you can also text each other. These are called “snaps,” and they disappear after you view them.
2) There are two options: private messaging and public snaps, aka My Story. Private snaps stay live until the recipient opens them; public snaps on My Story stay public for 24 hours and then disappear. You can view them as often as you’d like within the 24-hour period.
3) No editing prior to taking the photo or video is allowed. You can only upload snaps using the Snapchat camera right there and then.
4) Some editing after taking the photo or video is allowed. This is where Snapchat shines — you can use text and draw on top of your photo! Text is limited. Emojis are fun.
There are also three color filters, temperature and speed filters, and many cities and regions around the world offer city filters. They’re designed by local artists.
5) There are some third-party apps out there that allow you to upload photos previously taken and add additional text. However, third-party apps are technically against Snapchat’s terms of service, so I urge you to tread lightly. You don’t want to get banned. I haven’t touched third-party apps yet and I haven’t seen any big brands using them, but some of my friends have dabbled.
6) Every snap is supposedly deleted from Snapchat’s servers after posting. But keep in mind that nothing is ever 100% safe or 100% deleted. You can screenshot snaps that you like; the person will receive a notification if you screenshot one of their snaps.
7) The Live function shows community-shared snaps from public places and events. Each day features a different city or two (today it’s Asunsción, Paraguay); some days also feature events and festivals like the Tour de France, the Tomorrowland music festival, and my personal favorite so far, the Lumberjack Championships in Wisconsin!
I love these live snaps because it really gives you the essence of a city or event in short clips. If you’re in a city currently being featured, you are given the option to upload one of your snaps to the live event; the snaps featured are curated by Snapchat’s staff. (I’ve only been in one city currently being featured live — Chicago — and they did not choose any of the snaps I submitted!)
8) The Discover function shows you snaps from publishers. Some of the ones featured are CNN, Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, Buzzfeed, Vice, MTV, Food Network, and more.
9) The only statistic you are able to see is views on each snap. You can’t tell how many users you have unless you count them manually.
Why Snapchat Matters
It’s f*cking huge. Snapchat has 100 million daily users. 100 million!! Another factor? 70% of users are women. 400 million snaps are sent per day. 8,976 snaps are shared each second.
It’s a social network growing incredibly fast to a young audience. Periscope and Beme may have dominated headlines recently, and while they are the darlings of internet and social media geeks, they aren’t pulling anywhere near the growth of Snapchat.
In other words, normal people use Snapchat — just like Pinterest and Instagram, the other two rapidly growing social networks. Snapchat is not a platform for internet junkies; Snapchat is for real life.
Engagement is huge. In order for someone to view your snap, they need to touch it. That is engagement — it’s not counted by what people like (like Instagram), but what they see. As a result, numbers are huge.
It pays to be an early adopter. I missed the boat on adopting Instagram super-early. Had I done so, I could have been a top influencer in travel. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.
Common Arguments Against Snapchat
“Isn’t it just for dick pics and sexts?” Nope. That’s a common misconception. If that were the case, no major brands would be on it.
“It’s just for teenagers.” Wrong again. It may be dominated by people under 30, but over time, I’ve gained more and more users who are older. On my birthday, I joked that at 31 I was the oldest person on Snapchat, and was immediately deluged by snaps from people in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s telling me I was wrong!
“I don’t have time for another social media platform.” Then reduce your time on Twitter. Honestly, I think Twitter has been in decline for a long time. You’ll get more mileage on Snapchat.
“It doesn’t drive traffic to my site, so I shouldn’t bother.” Dude. It’s more than driving traffic. As I always say, social media is about making yourself present in your readers’ lives. Snapchat plays into that.
In the words of a reader named Aisling: “I found you on snapchat first and then found your website!”
How to Rock Snapchat As a Blogger or Personality
Everyone is different and everyone has different goals. These are some great ways to get started.
Go to settings and make sure non-friends can see your snaps. Set “Who Can Send Me Snaps” to “Everyone” and “Who Can View My Story” to “Everyone.” This is so your readers can be in touch with you.
Think entertainment factor, not perfection. That’s why I go for funnier over prettier snaps. Save the perfect shots for Instagram.
Tell a story. It’s not just about a snap here and a snap there — it’s about adding up the sum of a place. This is especially valuable when traveling or going on a tour of a certain place.
Show behind-the-scenes action. People are incredibly curious about what we do for our strange careers. Show them the nitty-gritty!
Be funny. Probably what I enjoy the most.
Communicate with your followers. You don’t have to respond to every “hi” you receive, but it takes two seconds to send a quick reply to everyone who says hello or asks a question! (Most recently: a reader snapped me a few minutes ago saying, “HOW DO I PACK FOR A YEAR?” I just replied, “Whatever you need, you can buy there!”)
Most importantly, be yourself. Truth: if you’ve been putting on a front and being a different person, you won’t be able to fake it on Snapchat. It’s go time.
How I (@adventurouskate) Rock Snapchat
For those of you who are new to this site, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Adventurous Kate. I’m a 31-year-old American girl who travels the world full-time and blogs about solo and independent travel for women. You can find me on Snapchat at @adventurouskate.
Here’s something you probably don’t know about me — when I’m with my friends, I spend all my time trying to make them laugh, mostly at my own expense. And I’m a former drama geek. Add those together and you have a powder keg of performance potential.
So on Snapchat, it’s not just about travel — it’s about me trying to crack you guys up as much as possible.
Yes, I do use Snapchat to show you the cool places where I’m traveling around the world. Which is very cool on its own. Sometimes I do tours — once I live snapped a Red Sox game; once I did a walking tour of Corfu, Greece.
But you also get me:
- Going on a tirade about why The Rock never took off his shirt in San Andreas.
- Singing like Cartman as I see a street named Via del Ghetto in Sicily.
- Showing you what I’m eating, especially if it’s an unusual local food you may not have heard of.
- Not just hiking to the top of Kotor, but me in all my sweaty, wheezing awkwardness.
- Hanging out with readers whenever they recognize me.
- Dancing to “Pony” by Ginuwine in advance of seeing Magic Mike XXL.
And other things. I talk a bit about beauty and fashion; sometimes I do makeup tutorials. No matter where I am, I point out weird and funny things I spot along the way.
Oh, and sometimes I talk about things I won’t talk about anywhere else.
Does It Pay Off?
Hell yes. I’ll leave you with a few quotes from my readers:
“Love your snaps. It’s like my morning routine to catch up on your snaps and laugh my head off!” –Amy
“I’m SO glad you joined Snapchat — I literally look forward to seeing your snaps every day (I even showed my mom the Riga ones!).” –Noelle
“My favourite of your 30 things definitely include snapchat- I absolutely love following your snaps- you make me laugh so much!” —Britt
And I get the best feedback in the form of snaps from my followers! Check this one out:
Travelers to Follow on Snapchat
At this point in time, not a lot of travelers and travel bloggers are doing much with Snapchat. I’d like to highlight a few of the ones who are doing exceptional work so far. These are people who know how to use Snapchat to tell a story.
@drewbinsky
Drew is the king — plain and simple. In my opinion, nobody is doing travel Snapchat better than him right now, and he’s got a great feel for the rhythm that will entertain people. He’s currently traveling, partying, and festival-ing his way across Europe.
@ExpatEdna
Follow Edna and you’ll realize that nobody is eating and drinking as well as her. She’s a newly minted full-time traveler, but most of her snaps cover high-end dining and cocktails from Shanghai to Paris.
@cailinoneil
You’ve seen Cailin in many of my blog posts — well, she’s one of the funniest people I know. And that sense of humor carries over into Snapchat. She recently went to the Yukon in Canada and snapped a pic of her kissing a severed dead toe!
@migrationology
Mark is the food and travel guy — Thai food in particular. His snaps are all about what he’s currently eating, with a bit of travel thrown in. He also happens to make the funniest “yummy faces” of anyone I know.
@theblondeabroad
Kiersten is in a new destination every time I check in with her — she has a great mix of narration and showcasing the places she’s visiting. A California girl, she was just in France and in Portland for a short weekend.
@p4use
If anyone is living like a baller right now, it’s Ryan, who spends his summers in Europe and winters in Mexico. His party snaps from the yacht week in Croatia were probably the most jealousy-inducing snaps I’ve ever seen (especially the six-liter bottles of Belvedere).
@expertvagabond
Matt is known for his extreme adventures, but on Snapchat you’ll find Matt the real life human. He’s currently hanging out in Madrid, his summer base, and snapping from behind the scenes around the city.
Other Travelers to Follow
It’s still the early days in terms of travel, and everyone is still finding their footing, but I also enjoy snaps from the following people:
@globotreks — Norbert shows snaps from his round the world adventures, many in Latin America right now.
@youngadventures — Liz is snapping away from beautiful Wanaka, New Zealand, and around.
@jeremysfoster — Jeremy shows snaps from his adventures around the world. He’s in Berlin right now.
@glamdering — Alex is snapping live from Copenhagen and on his travels.
@waegook_tom — Tom, a hilarious guy, is sharing lots of live snaps from Taipei.
@theplanetd — Dave and Deb are sharing behind-the-scenes snaps on their adventure trips, most recently Niagara Falls.
@michaelshodson — He’s got one foot in the travel blogging world and one out, but Michael is still sharing cool snaps from wherever he is.
@twodrifters — Amy is snapping live from her summer destinations, including my neck of the woods, North Shore Massachusetts!
@dangerousbiz — Amanda is getting into Snapchat and trying new things, like daily travel facts.
@backpackerbrock — Brock shares lots of funny and scenic snaps from his travels, currently at home in Toronto.
@seektheworld — Are you deaf? Can you read sign language? Calvin is snapping and signing from around the world!
@an00ba — Anubha lives on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Follow her for icy, chilly snaps!
@candicewalsh — Candice just moved to Berlin a few days ago and I’m expecting many more crazy Berlin snaps.
@justtravelous — Yvonne is snapping from around Europe, with recent trips to France and Switzerland.
@thetravelbite — Rachelle is brand new to Snapchat, but her video personality is so fun, I know we’re going to see more fun snaps from her.
The Best Part — Snapchat Birthdays!
Remember when Facebook first came out and everyone was thrilled by how many birthday wishes they got? Facebook has nothing on Snapchat.
I had the most beautiful messages from around the world! People took photos! People drew pictures for me! People made me stuff! Three people even sent me videos of them singing happy birthday! One of them was shirtless! (You know who you are.)
I was touched.
Don’t miss the boat on Snapchat.
Hey, feel free to do whatever you want. But I think it’s a mistake for you to think that Snapchat is a passing fad. It’s here and it’s going to be here for awhile.
In fact — and this is what I know bloggers and publishers want to know — I was approached for my first paid Snapchat campaign the other day. I turned it down because it wasn’t the right fit for me, but I know it’s only going to grow.
Long may it continue!
Are you on Snapchat? What do you think of it? Share away!
I’ve been following your travels for 3 years now and it wasn’t until recently when I started following you on Snapchat. Honestly, it is my favorite thing you do in your travel career. I look forward to your snaps everyday.
One day, I decided to snap you back, not expecting a reply. Within seconds, I had your reply and found myself even more in love with you.
I couldn’t wait to read this blog post because I know how much your Snapchat story means to me. But what I couldn’t believe is that you used my Snap!!!!!!!! I still use that makeup style since you’ve showed it, so thanks!
Kate, you rock! Thanks for always producing such relatable and breathtaking work 🙂
Sloane!! I couldn’t remember your Snapchat username but I’m so glad you found this! And I’m glad you liked the makeup tips! Really want to do more of that. Thank you so much!!
What an awesome post! I watch Snapchat stories religiously every morning and throughout the day and can’t believe I didn’t see more opportunity in this as a new blogger. I can’t wait to see yours and the others that you mentioned, keep up the great work, I’m a big fan of your blog!
Thanks so much, Taylor!
I had downloaded -and deleted- this app two times already, but now I must confess you got me back on it. Already lost have my morning watching snaps. Thanks Kate! 🙂 Have followed everyone you mentioned and from the comments, I’m @thetraveltester
Good! It takes some time to get into it. I faltered once myself.
Hey!
I really liked that post. Until now, I was using Snapchat only with my close friends and family but I can see the point of sharing wider now. Thanks for explaining!
Though, I would add a MAJOR CON to your list, at least as far as I’m concerned: It might be obvious, but you need to have an Internet connection!!
Reading all the comments people left here, I’m starting to wonder if I’m the only one here who has a cheap mobile plan! Changing my mobile plan was one of the first things I did when I started extensive travel in order to cut down on expenses. Shall I regret that decision already?
It means that now, I can access Internet only through WIFI and I guess there is no WIFI on mount Etna :p
My followers (which are close friends and family so far) are doomed to receive snaps only from places where I can catch WIFI. But view from my hostel room, my daily meals and the long waiting at the airport are still part of my life, right?
If I want to live snap the most interesting parts of my travels, I would definitely need to invest in a more expensive mobile plan 🙁
By the way, I’m @moandthen on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat – currently in Poland. But you know what to expect from me on Snapchat, you’ve been warned.
Another detail remains unclear to me: how do you know who you should follow? How can I find this awesome account of that guy live snapping from Botswana or Mongolia? I’m under the impression that I first need to find him on Twitter, Instagram or maybe to find his blog. But what if he doesn’t have a blog? Well, I guess I will figure it out through more active practicing of social media… In the meantime, I’m glad bloggers like you are helping!
I’m coming back to remove the MAJOR CON out of the list! Just read Drew’s article on Snapchat (http://thehungrypartier.com/snapchat-101-marketing-for-bloggers-businesses/) as a complement and I learned that it’s possible to kind of save snaps for later. So, let’s start snapping real travel now 🙂
You can take a snap and it will save for upload later! Full disclosure — on two different occasions (out of hundreds) my saved snaps disappeared randomly before uploading them, so it’s not 100% foolproof.
I only got Snapchat because of you! I love seeing your daily snaps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
I joined Snapchat a while ago, but only posted my first snap today on @helenwonderlust! Thanks for the push and inspiration Kate! x
Welcome!
I have been using snapchat to keep in touch with friends and family for a few years now and recently started snapping to my story as I travel and hike. Been following your adventures and live following other travel bloggers. Going to have to follow the ones you suggested. Anyone want to follow my journeys, I am @angelamae11a. Cheers!
I *just* downloaded SnapChat the day before this post, mostly because of your influence, Kate. I’m having a lot of fun, especially with the Live feature — the first day was Kuwait City! So cool to see a completely different place! Thanks, Kate, for this post!
Is there a way to just ‘find’ people? Or do you have to have someone’s username / SnapChat code? It seems more difficult to ‘stumble upon’ new people than Istagram or Pinterest. Or maybe I’m just not using it correct, because I’m an old lady… 🙂
I’m @wayfarersbook if anyone wants to see NYC and my upcoming trip to St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Oslo!
You know, there isn’t an easy way to discover new cool people other than the major brands.
I’ve had snapchat for something like two years now, and I’ve been sending stuff to friends only, and I’ve been struggling as to whether I make it public… what do you think?
You could start by sharing a few benign things publicly and seeing how it’s received!
Man, you are persuasive. I’ve been living vicariously through a friend who uses Snapchat, but haven’t joined yet. I think I need to get on there.
Just made the leap! I’m @chewytravels
I was really hoping this post would convince me to give Snapchat another try! Alas, no.
Too bad! I miss your hilarious snaps!
I wish snapchat had a bit of editing tools in terms of chopping the video scene you want to omit.
Reading this: http://breakingsmart.com/season-1/a-new-soft-technology/
reminded me of this blog post.
Kate! I had heard of your blog but there were just so many other travel blogs I was following that I never checked you out. (I didn’t know what I was missing!) Then I started following you on Snapchat…. Wow. I love your posts! Keep up all the great work 🙂
Thank you so much, Machella!
In Europe Snapchat is not that big deal like in the US. But it’s growing here too and more and more people are joining. So I started Snapchat too for my travelblog. First I didn’t got into it my now I’m a JUNKIE! It’s so much fun and I love it. And it’s mostly because of you Kate. You were the first one I’ve followed and I love your account. You’re my Snapchat inspiration! You find me “rapunzelsreisen”. Have fun in Europe and greetings from Switzerland!
One of the biggest Snapchat stars, Jerome Jarre, is a French dude! And thank you!
Love the concept of not being “too old” I just got into snapchat bc my daughter was always snapping her friends during our travels… @globetrottingGs we love to watch your snaps.
well, thanks for that. I remember shaking my head wondering what the value behind it was, so happy to see you just wrote this article last week so I can still be one of the “early adopters”! Especially given that my dream is to have my own travel show, so building an audience based on my personality and travel experiences would be a huge plus — hey, I even get discovered sooner than I think!
Thanks again, downloading it now 😀
– Maria Alexandra
Are there really people over 50 on Snapchat?
YEP!
literally could not agree more. snapchat is huge in our era. i have little nieces, who i always look to when I wanna know where everything is headed and let me tell you, they spend HOURS on snapchat… so i’ve learned to become an early adopter of it too! great post, glad you hopped on the snapchat bandwagon, always better to join forces, just like you were saying you wish you had done with insta
Great to read that! I love snapchat and You are soooo right! If u want to see some Snap from Italy add me: @EzioMrLifestyls
Hi Kate,
I think your take on snapchat is spot on, I’ve been using snachat since it begun and it always amuses when people say isn’t that the app to share nudes? I’m not saying that doesn’t happen but its so much more than peoples preconceptions.
I love it as its fun entertaining and raw, after reading your pointers I’ve set my account to be solely for our blog littledonkeytravels.com it would be great if you could add us on snap @donkeytravels.
Thanks Darren
Hi. busy with creating a website/blog. Soon more about it but thank you very much for this article. Without reading this I would never be on Snapchat. I follow your Snapchat now every day since you wrote this article. For anybody that like to see Dubin today and next week France and Spain. My snapchat is: bianca_welgraaf
I am ALMOST convinced. I am just starting to get a kick out of twitter, I am liking instagram and facebook, and I refuse to learn what pinterest is. And with my retarded-phone (it really is) I am not even sure it would work… But, you know what? I will give it a try. You never know… it may just be fun!
Spot on! I had SO many people thank me for having Snapchat while I was studying abroad in Italy (including both of my parents, whom I taught before I left!). By far my favorite social media app. And it keeps getting better!
Thanks for featuring me here, Kate – I’ve got lots of new followers thanks to you! Yours is one of my favourite accounts on Snapchat, along with Edna’s. It’ll be interesting to see how SC evolves and if paid campaigns will become a thing. I think it’d have to be VERY different though, as written words can be faked easily enough if you’re not particularly enamoured with a place, but live video? Not so much, unless the person recording is a pretty good actor. It’d have to be a perfect fit for it to be beneficial to both parties methinks.
p.s. I know I’m saying this to you pretty much everywhere at the moment, but COME TO TAIWAN, OKRRR?
OKRRRRR! 😀 You make it look great via Snapchat!
Alright, you’ve convinced me! So much of this blogging scene is about perfection, something that does NOT come naturally. I am all about spontaneity and funny shit, so this sounds right for me. Gonna try it out and see what happens :P. I’m just worried about never being able to get wifi while abroad… What do you guys do about that?
Most places have wifi somehow, and you can always get a sim card!
Hey Kate, great explanation! I’m all about Italian food and lifestyle and new to Snapchat. I’m snapping from Rome and hope to build up a following. User name; flavorofitaly
Kate, You made my DAY by writing this. I absolutely love you thoughts on snapchat I installed it a couple of months ago and got confused (Yes I felt old), but decided to get back on it the other week and I think that’s exactly what I was looking for to share the behind the scenes of it all and be closer to followers.
In addition to starting up a business one when I start a business of my own
Charles M. Schwartz May, 2018
Freeman School of Business / Tulane University
Kate, I love your snapchat… and down to earth nature. My kids often steal my snapchat and I don’t find out until someone sends me a comment lol.