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Innovative platform features play a leading role in giving creators the tools they need to enhance their storytelling abilities and establish long-term, viable businesses. From forging brand partnerships to establishing their own brands, creators rely on dedicated platform support to achieve their goals.
Rajni Jacques, head of fashion and beauty partnerships at Snap, and Snapchat creator Alyssa McKay joined Adweek’s Social Media Week to share insights on how brands can tap into the potential of realness through collaborations with creators.
Keeping community at heart
Social media platform Snapchat has undergone a significant transformation from its early days of flower crown filters and rainbow vomit. Today, it stands as a vital player in the thriving creator economy. The platform recently doubled down on its investment in creators, opening ad-revenue sharing and launching public stories to all users over 18.
“Snap creators are being rewarded for just being themselves and being authentic. It’s helping them build their brand, grow as entrepreneurs and build their businesses,” Jacques explained. “It’s a game-changer. Snap started with a community of creators, and this is a way to give back and make sure we’re funneling back into the group that essentially made the app.”
While evolving at the speed of culture, Jacques said the brand has always remained centered in building community.
“Snap has always been a platform where you connect with your friends, your tribe,” she said. “Snapchat was built differently. It’s designed differently. That separates us. Snapchat is about community. We’ve always pushed privacy and being real. Snapchat isn’t curated. It’s not the best of you. It’s not the polished you. It’s, ‘Hey, this is who I am at this moment.’ I don’t think that’s a feeling you can get on any other platform.”
Sharing genuine moments
McKay is a Snap creator who posts 150-250 Snaps a day to her 2 million-plus followers. As a creator who primarily focuses on scripted content on other platforms, McKay said she’s thankful to have an outlet where she can show up “unfiltered.”
“Snapchatting is genuinely a part of my DNA,” she said. “Every single moment I have—whether it’s positive or sad—I want to share it with my audience. I start posting first thing in the morning, exactly what I look like, bedhead and all.”
Unlike platforms that primarily revolve around consuming content, Snapchat inspires users to be active creators, expressing themselves through various features and creative tools. McKay said this encourages creators to show up as their authentic selves.
“One of my favorite features about Snap is that it opens right up to the camera,” she explained. “On other platforms, you’re taken to a feed where you’re consuming content. I love how Snap is so creator-focused. You open it, and you’re prompted to create. As a creator, it makes it so much easier to capture immediately what’s in front of me. I like posting things in the moment, and I don’t want to miss it, and Snapchat aids me.”
