With Snapchat being adopted as a mode of communication by more and more people everyday you might feel tempted to give it a try. Or maybe you've already tried it but are still unsure what is the Snapchat etiquette or what to post about? If that's the case, keep reading below for 10 easy DO's and DONT's to make you Snapchat start easier.
1. DO
Think of a strategy before starting with Snapchat. What are you going to snap about? Your daily life, behind the scenes of blogging, fashion/beauty tips, or opening your freebies (aka unboxing)? Some of the most popular type of content on Snapchat are behind the scene footage, lifestyle, sharing new finds like cool places, products, shops, etc.
2. DON'T
Post long stories. Keep your stories under 200 seconds. With every snap being 10 seconds long that's 20 Snaps a day. Keep it short and entertaining.
3. DO
Engage with your Snapchat friends or followers. Don't stray away from starting conversations on Snapchat or ask your followers for feedback. Think of an easy call to action to find more about your audience. Some good examples are “screenshot your favorite from the following 3 option”, “ask me your questions on Twitter” or “Snap back at me…”
4. DON'T
Overuse the filters. Snapchat filters are perhaps the most fun feature of the app. It's ok to use filters every now and then, especially since new filters are introduced almost weekly, but avoid making your story all about trying new filters.
5. DO
Be creative. Use emoji, stickers, funny captions or even drawings to help enhance your story and reinforce your message.
6. DON'T
Be afraid to show your personality. One of the reasons Snapchat has become so popular is the “real” element it brings to social media. It's an escape from the perfectly curated feeds of Instagram and a great opportunity to engage with your audience on a deeper level by showing them more of your personality.
7. DO
Cross promote Snapchat on your other social media channels like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Growing a completely new following on Snapchat is not easy. Let your existing audience know you're on Snapchat and ask them to follow you there.
8. DON'T
Flood your audience with too much of the same type of content. Being too many selfies or long rants or rambling about a topic. Alternate instead the type of content to keep your followers interested until the end of your story.
9. DO
Change the length of your pictures. Make sure your snap pictures are not too long or too short. The general rule is 3 seconds for a regular picture, like your coffee, cake or food and 5 seconds for a picture with text.
10. DON'T
Snap while driving. Believe it or not, this seems to be widespread behavior. Be responsible and don't snap while behind the wheel.
Great tips and thanks for sharing. I am pretty new to SnapChat (although am blogging for a long time) and still getting used to it. I can definitely use some of these tips in planning my snaps.
http://styleovercoffee.com
These are excellent tips! I love snapchat, and can’t seem to warm up to the Instagram stories just yet. My readers are more on Instagram than Snapchat, though, so I should. Great post! xo Zuma
www.splashofteal.com
Hi Lucy,
Honestly saying, I had no idea to use the Snapchat but reading your post it comes some of important knowledge that what to do and what don’t. You’ll be amaze to know that I have no snapchat account yet and eligible for a laugh on this matter.
I praise you for making aware to use the snapchat and I’ll start thinking strategy to start snapchat soon.These all tips are so useful and informative for everyone, means who have account and who haven’t account too. I using emoji, stickers, funny caption in other accounts. So, it is going very interesting for me. I can’t wait for start snapchat. I have heard and sometimes tried to know more about it but due to less number of accounts in my connection, I left it.
Anyway, these was so informative to know and I’m looking forward to use SnapChat.
Thanks.
– Ravi.