Snapchat pledges to “unlock scalable creator revenue” with new Subscriptions product

Snapchat has a new revenue stream for its creator community, and it will look familiar to anyone who’s active on Twitch. With its Creator Subscriptions, Snapchat will serve users who want to engage with their biggest fans through a premium tier.

Snapchat’s Subscriptions are akin to the paid, periodic units that are now available on most major social media platforms. (They’re not to be confused with what YouTube calls subscriptions — YouTube’s version of this particular product is called Memberships.) Snapchat users who buy a Subscription to a particular creator’s account will gain access to exclusive content, will have their replies prioritized, and will be able to browse that creat or’s Stories ad-free.

On many platforms where Subscriptions are available (and especially on Twitch), they provide crucial monetization for top creators. A general shift toward engagement-based revenue streams has only made Subscriptions more powerful. Snapchat is advertising its take on the product as a tool creators can use to connect directly with fans while maximizing their in-app income.

“We’re introducing Creator Subscriptions to deepen fan engagement and unlock scalable creator revenue on Snapchat,” reads a blog post. “Alpha testing launches on February 23 with a select group of US-based Snap Creators, with plans to expand to additional Snap Stars in Canada, the U.K., and France in the weeks ahead.”

In recent years, Snapchat has launched several new revenue streams across its various formats. Spotlight Challenges boosted short-form creators, Stories monetization capitalized on Snap’s most famous format, and a Lens program rewarded the originators of top AR effects. Those efforts don’t just make Snapchat more lucrative — they also help it market itself as a viable alternative to any floundering competitors.

As Snapchat looks to generate even more revenue, Creator Subscriptions are a logical next step. Subscription-based products like Snapchat+ and Lens+ have been success stories for Evan Spiegel‘s company, so why not apply the same concept to creator monetization?

Creators like  Jeremiah Brown, Harry Jowsey, and Skai Jackson will be some of the first test subjects for Creator Subscriptions. In the coming weeks, more users will gain access to the new feature. The value of Snapchat’s new revenue stream remains to be seen, but it will probably have more staying power than 6-7.