Snapchat has just launched its response to the growing behemoth that is TikTok. Its new tab, Spotlight, will contain a curated feed of the most entertaining videos on Snapchat.
It Pays to Be in the Spotlight
A post on the Snap Newsroom unveiled Spotlight, Snapchat's attempt at one-upping TikTok. The Spotlight tab is a place where Snapchat can "shine a light on the most entertaining Snaps created by the Snapchat community."
Snapchat labels Spotlight as an "entertainment platform, rather than a space for news or overtly political content." This means that you're more likely to see funny, creative content on Spotlight, much like the videos you see on TikTok.
If you want to get your content on Spotlight, you'll have to submit your best Snaps to the platform. Your Snaps can be up to 60 seconds long, and should be vertical videos with sound. Snapchat also encourages you to add captions, GIFs, and lenses.
Snapchat is even providing an incentive for users who manage to create popular content. The top Snapchatters on Spotlight will get a piece of a $1 million reward on a daily basis. To qualify for the program, you have to be at least 16 years old, and your content must adhere to Snapchat's Community Guidelines.
As for how much you'll earn, this depends on how many views your video gets in a single day compared to the other Snaps on Spotlight. Snapchat says that this promotion will last "through the end of 2020, and potentially beyond."
But in case you just want to enjoy other users' content, you can do that as well. Simply head to the Spotlight section, and you can scroll through a feed of Snaps. The platform will tailor the Snaps you see based on the videos you've viewed before, what videos you've interacted with in the past, and how long you've watched certain videos.
Although Spotlight might seem like a TikTok copycat, it does have its differences. Perhaps the biggest difference is that you won't always see the name of the creator attached to the Snaps on Spotlight.
The platform will only display the creator's username if their Snapchat profile is public. This might be a little strange at first, especially if you're used to following your favorite creators on TikTok and Instagram.
TikTok Faces More Competition
Snapchat isn't the only platform that's been gaining inspiration from TikTok. Instagram has already followed in TikTok's footsteps by creating Reels, a section specifically for short-form videos.