Snap Inc. recently announced a round of layoffs. The parent company of Snapchat is cutting back on products and programming, but it has a plan to continue supporting its user base.
With the discontinuation of Snap-funded Originals, creators who land on Snapchat’s primary hubs — such as its Discover page — will become the undisputed stars of the app. That’s good news for Eitan Bernath, a talented young chef with a strong social media following. Bernath exemplifies the modern Snapchat creator: He is spreading his content across multiple formats, from Discover shows to Stories to Spotlight, and those efforts are (literally) paying off.
Bernath’s success on Snapchat has allowed him to take his online video career to the next level. He currently runs a five-person business for which Snap is his “main source of revenue.”
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So how’d he pull that off?
Bernath has been in the public eye since he appeared on Chopped as a 12-year-old. His social media presence grew soon after, and though he’s active on several platforms — including YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook — his early adoption of Snapchat made him a natural fit on the app. “I don’t remember not being on Snap,” said Bernath, who is now 20, in an interview with Tubefilter.
Since Bernath has been active on Snapchat since its early days, he’s paid close attention to the gradual rollout of the app’s formats. For starters, there’s the Discover page, where Bernath syndicates three shows (Eitan Bernath, Eitan’s Food Labs, and Eitan’s Test Kitchen) that all launched within the past two years. Compared to Bernath’s other Snapchat videos, these programs are more produced, and the New York-based chef sees his shows as “one of the newest things” powering his business.
Then there are Stories. Bernath shares a lot of disappearing content on his @eitan account, and the Stories format offers a home for his “less produced” work. Like many creators, Bernath shares his Stories on other short-form platforms and vice-versa. His take on a homemade Choco Taco can be found on @eitan, and it’s also available on the chef’s other channels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDyb18dKaSU
Finally, there’s Spotlight. Bernath is ramping up his activity on Snapchat’s TikTok competitor, though he’s still figuring out the best way to turn that format into a solid revenue stream. “I plan to use all the different parts of what Snapchat offers,” he told Tubefilter. “It’s definitely great for growing profiles.”
More formats = More $$$
Taken together, Bernath’s diversified Snapchat activity adds up to his most substantial revenue stream. Rather than honing in on one type of video, he takes advantage of the “flexibility” built into the app. “Snap as a company encourages that,” he said. “They don’t want to cause any burnout.” The app offers a robust suite of editing tools, so videos “flow quicker” and it takes less time to upload them across multiple channels.
That’s not the only advantage Snap offers. Bernath claims “the reach is incredible” on platforms like Discover, in part because of Snapchat’s large international audience. Due to “the nature of how Snap serves the content,” Bernath’s cooking videos can connect with “people who don’t necessarily follow food accounts.” The talented young chef told Tubefilter that fans who recognize him often tell him that they’ve seen his videos on Snapchat.
Bernath’s numbers back up his claims. Over 365 days, his @EitanBernath account reached 29.2 million unique viewers and generated 201 million minutes of watch time.
For a businessman like Bernath, no aspect of Snap is more advantageous than its financial model. “The monetization is really great for creators,” he told Tubefilter. He’s particularly fond of mid-roll ads, which are everywhere on Snap. Viewers who check out his produced shows will often see multiple mid-rolls in the same video. “On Snap, very often the number of monetizable views will be higher than the number of viewers,” Bernath said.
Bernath is also one of the creators who is helping Snap test mid-roll ads on Stories. Mid-rolls haven’t made it to Spotlight yet, but that format offers plenty of its own paths to profit.
The Snap creator of the future
Based on the ideas Evan Spiegel laid out when discussing Snap’s post-layoff plans, the app plans to support its creators rather than directly funding shows. Spiegel cited “community growth” as one of “three strategic priorities,” and to foster that growth, Snap must make sure to maintain strong relations with top creators like Bernath.
According to Bernath, Snap representatives have taken great strides to support his career. Though there’s still other features Bernath would like to see on the app, such as the ability to connect shows to profiles, he’s pleased with the platform’s responsiveness. “They’re super helpful and super communicative,” Bernath said.
Interacting with online video platforms can be unpleasant or frustrating, but Snap is showing its stars that it’s eager to help them create. “Often on these platforms you can feel like you have no idea what’s going on,” Bernath told Tubefilter. “Snap has more transparency and they’re supportive. They make it so much easier to be a Snap creator.”
