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Snapchat’s new Spotlight feed is a new feature meant to compete directly with TikTok. The carrot for creators is a pile of money: $1 million per day, which will be paid out to the creators of the most popular Snaps (at least through the end of 2020).

There are also a few unique features compared to TikTok, including the lack of a comments section.

According to The Verge, the new Spotlight tab’se vertical video content is meant to be “more meme-like and jokey instead of the day-in-the-life content Snap previously encouraged. Imagine, basically, TikTok but in Snapchat.”

How it works

Viewing Spotlight content:

• Find Spotlight on the far-right side of the app (the play button in the main menu)

• Within the feed, swipe up and down to move between Snaps

• Tap the heart icon on a Snap you like to save it to your favorites, and tap the arrow icon to share it

How to Submit to Spotlight:

• Create a Snap, then select 'Spotlight' at the top of the 'Send To' screen

• Note: Spotlight snaps can be up to 60 seconds long

• Tap Submit!

• The status of submitted snaps can be viewed, saved and deleted from your profile and your profile’s settings menu

How to earn money:

• Follow the Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, Spotlight Terms and the additional, Spotlight-specific guidelines (including to be creative, avoid copyright infringement, stay safe, and follow the tech specs)

• You must be 16 or older

• According to Snap: “Payment is determined by our proprietary formula, which takes into account various engagement metrics and other factors during each day.”

• Earners will be notified via a chat from Team Snapchat in the app

Why it matters

This is a major change for Snapchat that introduces an entire new way to Snap. Will the focus on paying creators be enough to draw the best content back to Snapchat and away from TikTok?

(Side note: Remember the simple days when it was apps like Instagram mimicking Snapchat’s Stories features?)

Related News

This month, we’ve also got you covered on these important social media news items:

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Social media looks back at 2020

You can now send Snaps directly to Twitter

New admin roles coming to LinkedIn Pages

Twitter's Fleets, One Month In

Snapchat "Spotlight" will pay the best TikTok-style meme creators

Here are a few more shareworthy items we’ve been reading…

Channel Updates & News:

• Instagram Tests Sharing Reels to Facebook's News Feed (SocialMediaToday)

• A 'community feed' is coming to Google Maps (Search Engine Land)

• How to print free Facebook Business posters (Facebook Help)

• Making it Easier to Shop on WhatsApp with Carts (Whatsapp Blog)

• Twitter Halts Test of Threaded Replies, Shuts Down Experimental twttr App (SocialMediaToday)

• Pinterest launches new board features focused on wellness pinning (Pinterest news)

• Help Your Neighborhood Shine with Nextdoor’s Cheer Map (Nextdoor blog)

• A new look and feel: introducing Foursquare Everywhere (Foursquare blog)

• Frequency Caps: Updates on how to make the most of your Twitter Ads (Twitter Blog)

Stories & Analysis

• How one teen got 98 million TikTok followers (The Atlantic)

• How social media algorithms "Optimize for Engagement” (Sparktoro blog)

• TikTok's new generation of millionaires: 'I did it 100% on my own' (Yahoo Finance)

• Q&A: What's next for Facebook in the antitrust case? (AP News)

• What TikTok Taught One Stand-Up Comic (NYTimes)

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