Do people still read the news on Snapchat? Is Snapchat dead? Here’s my reasons why every newsroom still needs Snapchat.
Is Snapchat dead?
Launched a decade ago, Snapchat established itself as one the first mobile-forward apps. It was the first to shoot vertical videos that disappear and become inaccessible after short periods of time.
Today, it boasts 265 million daily active users (DAUs). Additionally, over 90% of the US Gen Z population tuned in to its shows and short-form series.
Growing from a platform that shares silly videos with friends to becoming a hub for young audiences to watch entertaining and informative shows, Snapchat remains to stay as one of the top used apps by millennials and Gen Zs.
But can news still thrive on this app? And is Snapchat really dead? Here’s my reasons why every newsroom still needs Snapchat.
The Snapchat audience are young
81.3% of American social media users aged 18-24 use Snapchat, while 66.5% are aged 12-17, according to statistics from eMarketer and Pew Research Center (2019).
What makes this significant is that these users are the next generation of news consumers. Therefore, they have the ability to shape the way news looks in the near future.
The proof is in the pudding. Take for instance, The Telegraph, the UK’s number one digital news brand. Already well-established on Snapchat, it attracts over one million subscribers of those aged 13-24 years.
Establishing a brand on Snapchat allows outlets to experiment different multimedia and find new ways for users to consume news; separate from traditional media.
Snapchat breaks the news quickly
Snapchat has an in-built interactive map, known as Snap Maps, which fires up hotspots of user activity. With this, journalists can break a new story before many other platforms.
While tricky to get permission to use Snapchat footage, it provides insight into what’s happening around the world and takes you into the heart of the action.
Unlike other social media platforms, Snapchat allows for quick recording, immediate upload and instant sharing; all of which make up the key components of breaking news. Not only is this platform great for news, but for entertainment too. Read here to find out why Snapchat is great to start an entertainment news brand.
Snapchat focuses on completion rates, not vanity metrics
Vanity metrics comes in various forms but are often comprised of likes or reactions (Facebook and Instagram) and retweets (Twitter).
However, Snapchat is void of this. Instead, it focuses solely on other factors such as story views, view time and completion rate (%). These metrics enable business accounts and influencers to understand bounce rate and check whether content is resonating with viewers.
Moreover, it allows newsrooms to adapt content based on what the audience read or watch, rather than number of likes received.
Are there any drawbacks?
There are a few. Mostly notably the fact that Snapchat caters itself towards being a private platform, which hinders users to repost content outside of the app. However, it seems like a small price to pay in order to create a new generation of loyal news consumers.
Recently, Elise Johnson, Head of Social Media at The Telegraph, advised this year’s Audience Strategy students that even subscriber-based news outlets see the value in sharing content for free. It’s in the hope that new users will start to develop a loyalty. And therefore, feel more inclined to stick with the brand. That way, news brands can grow its audience and, most importantly, retain them too.
So, newsrooms need Snapchat if its aim is gaining newer, loyal customers
It’s no secret that journalism is synonymous to being a business. As with many social media platforms, Snapchat helps news outlets to get its content shared and gain a brand following. If the aim is to serve the next generation of news consumers (i.e. 13-24 year-olds), then Snapchat seems like a good place to start.
If Snapchat isn’t quite your thing, then why not see what’s doing well on TikTok? Find out which TikTok accounts you should be following!