Is it just me or are content creators no longer posting on YouTube these days? What happened to all the widely known YouTubers who would post regularly? Well, many of them are still creating content, just posting it on a different platform known as Snapchat; but why is that?
Many YouTubers such as David Dobrik, The ACE Family, Bryce Hall, and other favorites stepped away from YouTube once Snapchat introduced their creator program. This invite-only revenue share program has their Snap Star creators earning money all day. In an episode from the “Jeff FM” podcast, a former YouTuber and internet personality named Tana Mongeau revealed that creators are getting paid excessively to post regularly on Snapchat. Mongeau quoted, “After every four or five stories, Snapchat places ads in between”; you could be watching an influencer’s Snapchat story then, out of nowhere, an ad pops up on your screen, making you wait five seconds before moving on.
Mongeau also mentioned that she got rejected from the creator program due to not being “brand safe enough.” Tana’s experience sheds light on some of the differences between YouTube and Snapchat. While YouTube pays creators for posting whatever they want, Snapchat reviews a creator’s content before inviting them into their program.
The rise in Snapchat stories from content creators has also helped Snapchat gain engagement and increase the amount of new users. A YouTuber who has recently gone viral for their Snapchat content is Austin McBroom. Following the announcement of his divorce with Catherine Paiz, many viewers gained interest in Austin’s “cringe” Snapchat stories. Oftentimes his content is so long that it starts to feel like a full length YouTube video. Most viewers believe that Austin is using his Snapchat as a way to express his feelings toward his divorce — others believe it’s “clickbait” to earn Snapchat and himself more money by attracting new users to the app.
Another distinction between the two is how easygoing and flexible it is to post on Snapchat rather than on YouTube. According to Alexandra Sternlicht, YouTuber David Dobrik revealed how Snapchat doesn’t make him feel the burnout of needing ideation and a production schedule. All Snapchat creators follow three easy steps: they press the record button, post, and wait for their paycheck. With YouTube, there’s definitely more editing and camera quality involved.
Overall, Snapchat’s growth in engagement has been extraordinary over the past year, but could Snapchat lead to YouTube’s downfall? Maybe — maybe not. For now, it seems content creators have plenty of apps available to continue their influencer lifestyles.