Snapchat is now allowing creators to publicize how many subscribers they have. This is the first time Snapchat has given its users any sort of public-facing metric about their followings or audiences, and it represents a substantial change to the platform, as first reported by Tubefilter. In a statement to The Verge, a Snap spokesperson said: “We’ve listened to feedback from our creator community and many of them expressed interest in having the option to show that their community on Snapchat is growing,” which is why it’s making subscriber counts visible. Creators can decide to turn this feature on or off from their settings.
The company introduced creator profiles in September, which gives users on the platform more insights on their audience and helps them coordinate with brands. The fact that Snap’s saying its creators wanted to show off their growing community with public subscriber counts, suggests that they want a public-facing metric to demonstrate how successful they are for brands. On Instagram, for example, brands often look at follower counts and engagement rates to gauge how big a creator is on the platform. On Snapchat, brands would have had to ask creators to share those details before committing to a deal. Making those metrics public streamlines that conversation and helps creators and brands determine whether a deal might work between them. This then could lead to Snapchat becoming an overall more creator-friendly platform where more influencers see an opportunity for business.