Katie Feeney is a content creator with over 854,000 Snapchat subscribers.
Katie Feeney
Snapchat is a moneymaker for some creators who know how take advantage of the platform.
Successful creators post content frequently to Spotlight, sign brand deals, or create AR lenses.
Here’s how creators make money on Snapchat and manage their schedules.
While Snapchat is largely known for its ephemeral messaging, the platform is also a bonafide moneymaker for some savvy creators who have learned how to take advantage of it.
There are several ways Snapchat creators are making money.
Since launching its TikTok competitor Spotlight in November 2020, Snap has financially incentivized creators to post short-form videos to the app feature. The company pays on a curve, factoring in various engagement metrics, including the total number of unique video views and “favorites,” as well as the number of daily users who view a Snap. Snap paid 12,000 creators more than $250 million in 2021 as part of its Snapchat Spotlight programs, the company said. And some of them earned millions.
Katie Feeney, a content creator with over 854,000 Snapchat subscribers, earned well over $1 million posting videos to Spotlight that were a mix of repurposed TikToks and funny, new clips.
But she’s not the only Snapchat millionaire.
Read more about the strategies 4 Snapchat influencers used to earn over $1 million.
Another way to make a living off Snapchat is by designing augmented reality lenses.
Cyrene Quiamco is a former Verizon web designer who joined Snapchat in January 2014. She soon began publishing several branded stories a month before striking gold in late 2017, when Snapchat announced Lens Studio, which lets Snapchat creators develop AR lenses for free.
Since then, Quiamco has created Snapchat AR lenses for brands like Hulu, Marriott, Ulta, and her former employer, Verizon, and carved out a lucrative business along the way. In 2021, Quiamco earned about $750,000.
Read more about how Quiamco became a millionaire from designing Snapchat AR lenses for brands.
Snapchat creator Cyrene Quiamco.
Cyrene Quiamco.
Like Quiamco, it’s not unusual for some creators to sign lucrative brand deals in exchange for promoting products and services in their posted content.
Snapchat has also made it easier for businesses to find creators to work with through its Creator Marketplace, launched in 2021, which helps brands to find creators based on criteria such as location, specialties, Lens category, and budget.
Here’s our coverage on how Snapchat creators make money and manage their time.
How much Snapchat creators earn from Spotlight and how they do it:
Katie Feeney is a creator with more than 854,000 Snapchat subscribers. Feeney, who started posting to Spotlight when she was a high school senior, shared how she earned $1 million in just two months.Sarah Callahan is a creator with over 10 million TikTok followers. The actress, model, and fitness influencer explained how she made over $1 million through Spotlight.Joey Rogoff is a creator with about 81,000 Snapchat subscribers. Rogoff earned at least $1.2 million through Spotlight.Kevin Parry is a stop-motion animator and visual effects artist with nearly 117,000 Snapchat subscribers. He earns thousands per Snapchat video.
How to make money from Snapchat lenses:
Cyrene Quiamco is a prolific AR lens creator for brands on Snapchat. Quiamco shared how she made about $750,000 in 2021.Serial entrepreneur Hart Woolery specializes in creating — or recreating — visual effects from movies in his AR lenses. Woolery is on track to earn nearly $500,000 in 2022 from his work. Philip Walton, a former aircraft communication and navigation systems technician, is an AR lens creator whose potato lens went viral in a big way. Walton shared how he earned more than $230,000 in 2021. Cofounded by Frank Shi and Xuan Buddhavong, the studio Paper Triangles pivoted away from VR to develop Snapchat AR lenses for brands. Paper Triangles made nearly $4 million in 2021 designing for brands like Adidas and Spotify.
How Snapchat creators juggle the demands of their busy schedules:
Jack Settleman is a sports influencer with nearly 184,000 Snapchat subscribers. Settleman, who runs the account SnapBack Sports, broke down his daily routine and earnings.