Social media platform Snapchat has announced plans for a unified monetisation programme that will launch on February 1, 2025. The company said the new programme will see ads placed within a creator’s Snapchat Stories and also in longer Spotlight videos. The shake up is expected to see the company’s existing Spotlight Rewards Programme retired at the end of January 2025.
In a blog, Snapchat said: “With Spotlight viewership up 25% year-over-year, there is a unique and growing opportunity for creators to monetise this format in the same way they do with Stories. Beginning February 1, 2025, eligible creators will be able to monetise Spotlight videos longer than 1 minute.”
Creators need to be invited onto the unified programme, and this can only happen if they meet a series of stringent criteria. They must: have at least 50,000 followers; post at least 25 times per month to Saved Stories or Spotlight; and post to either Spotlight or Public Stories on at least 10 of the last 28 days. In addition, they must achieve one of the following in the last 28 days: 10 million Snap views, 1 million Spotlight views or 12,000 hours of view time.
Snapchat said: “Over the last year, the number of creators posting publicly has more than tripled, and our community loves their content. We remain committed to evolving and expanding the total rewards available to creators, from Snap’s Monetisation Programme to the Snap Star Collab Studio, and more, making it even easier for them to find success and get rewarded for being their authentic selves.
Observers have noted that the new eligibility requirements are stricter than the existing regime. Under current criteria, Spotlight videos creators only need 1,000 followers to start earning. Furthermore, videos less than one minute in length are eligible for revenue. The latest moves point towards an increasing professionalisation in the digital-first sector.
