7 Legit Ways to Make Money on Snapchat (for FREE)

In today’s digital age, platforms like Snapchat have opened up a plethora of opportunities for individuals to monetize their presence and skills.

From leveraging the power of short videos to promoting brands or even selling merchandise, the avenues are many, and will show you the best of these here.

However, while some of these methods promise quick gains, it is not wise to put all your eggs in one basket, which is why I will tell you about a more sustainable and lucrative alternative that you might consider at the end of this article.

Without further ado, let’s delve into these seven great methods to make money on Snapchat without an investment:

1. Earn with Snapchat Spotlight

Snapchat Spotlight is a platform within Snapchat that allows users to share short, entertaining videos.

It’s a place where anyone’s content can go viral, and Snapchat often rewards top content creators with a share of a daily prize pool.

Steps:

1. Create a Snapchat account.
2. Make engaging and original videos (Check out Snapchat’s guidelines for Snapchat Spotlight).
3. Submit your videos to Spotlight through the Snapchat app.

Cost to Start: Free

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 1-4 weeks, depending on content quality and consistency.

Pros:

1. Free to start and no need for an initial investment.
2. Potential to reach a large audience quickly.
3. Chance to earn significant money if your content goes viral.

Cons:

1. Highly competitive.
2. No guaranteed income.
3. Dependent on the changing algorithms and preferences of Snapchat.

2. Influencer Marketing

Being a Snapchat influencer means you have a significant number of followers and engagement on your content.

Depending on the niche and followers, brands often collaborate with influencers to promote their products or services.

You can list your Snapchat profile on online marketplaces for influencers where you can list your niche and number of followers, in addition to other metrics, in order to get noticed by brands and businesses looking for people like you.

Steps:

1. Build a substantial and engaged follower base on Snapchat.
2. Network with brands or join influencer platforms.
3. Collaborate on campaigns and share branded content with your followers.

Cost to Start: Free

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 3-6 months, depending on growth rate and networking.

Pros:

1. Potential for high earnings with big brand collaborations.
2. Flexibility in choosing which brands to work with.
3. Opportunity to get free products or services.

Cons:

1. Need to maintain consistency and engagement.
2. Potential backlash if promotions aren’t transparent.
3. Reliant on follower count and engagement metrics.

3. Sell a Membership to Your Snapchat Followers

While snapchat doesn’t offer the means to sell a paid membership to your followers, but you can still create a membership program on platforms such as Substack or on a WordPress website, and lead your Snapchat followers to join it.

You can provide exclusive content to your followers for a monthly fee and even offer group consultations and webinars on consistent basis.

This method can help you earn a consistent monthly income from Snapchat if your followers like what you provide in the membership program.

Steps:

1. Set up a membership site or platform.
2. Create exclusive, valuable content.
3. Promote your membership to your Snapchat followers.

Cost to Start: $10-$50 (for website hosting and domain)

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 1-2 months

Pros:

1. Recurring income.
2. Full control over content and pricing.
3. Direct relationship with your audience.

Cons:

1. Requires consistent content creation.
2. May need to invest in marketing.
3. Initial setup can be time-consuming.

4. Help Local Businesses Grow on Snapchat

Offer services to local businesses to help them establish and grow their presence on Snapchat, either through organic strategies or paid Snapchat ads.

With this method, working with a few clients, you can generate a decent and stable monthly income as these services are usually sold on long-term basis.

Research the market, and find what industries or markets can fit into the Snapchat user base, reach out to the businesses in that industry or market, and explain how you can help them get more reach with your expertise on the platform.

Steps:

1. Understand Snapchat’s organic and advertising ecosystem.
2. Reach out to local businesses and offer your expertise.
3. Implement strategies and campaigns for the businesses.

Cost to Start: $0-$100 (for marketing materials and outreach tools)

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 2-4 weeks

Pros:

1. High demand as businesses look to tap into Snapchat’s user base.
2. Potential for long-term contracts.
3. Diverse range of businesses to work with.

Cons:

1. Need to keep up with Snapchat’s changing algorithms and ad policies.
2. Potential for demanding clients.
3. Success is often tied to client ROI.

5. Sell Snapchat Services on Freelancing Marketplaces

Platforms like Upwork, PeoplePerHour and Freelancer offer marketplaces for freelancers to sell their services related to Snapchat to clients worldwide, ranging from small, one-time services to long-term projects.

Steps:

1. Set up a profile on freelancing platforms.
2. List your Snapchat-related services.
3. Promote your services and gather reviews.

Cost to Start: Free

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 1-3 weeks

Pros:

1. Access to a large audience actively seeking services.
2. Flexibility in pricing and offerings.
3. Multiple platforms available for diversifying income.

Cons:

1. Competition with other freelancers.
2. Platform fees can reduce earnings.
3. Need to constantly market and promote your services.

6. Create & Sell Digital Products in Your Niche

Leverage your expertise and create digital products like ebooks, tools, or templates related to your niche and promote them on Snapchat.

For example, if you were a fitness trainer, create a short ebook focused on reaching a certain result that your audience wants, such as building abs in three months for vegetarians, or flat belly for women after deliver, …etc.

Make it specific to your audience, publish it on Amazon KDP as an ebook, and lead your Snapchat followers to it.

When your ebook starts getting sales and positive reviews from your Snapchat followers, Amazon will start to push it to other shoppers who are searching for books in the same genre.

Steps:

1. Identify a need or gap in your niche.
2. Create a digital product.
3. Promote and sell it to your Snapchat audience.

Cost to Start: $0-$100 (depending on the product creation tools)

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 1-3 months

Pros:

1. Passive income potential.
2. High-profit margins.
3. Opportunity to establish authority in your niche.

Cons:

1. Time-intensive initial setup.
2. Requires marketing and promotion.
3. Product may need updates or revisions.

7. Sell Merchandise without Making Them

Print on Demand (POD) marketplaces allow you to upload your designs and sell merchandise without the need for inventory.

You choose which items you want to sell with your design (mugs, t shirts, hoodies, ..etc.), set your profits that is added to their fulfillment cost, and promote these items on Snapchat to your followers.

When someone buys a merch item, the marketplace will fulfill the order and ship it directly to the buyer, and they will send you the profits.

Steps:

1. Design your merchandise.
2. Set up a shop on a POD platform.
3. Promote your products on Snapchat.

Cost to Start: Free

Estimated Time to Start Earning: 1-2 months

Pros:

1. No need for inventory or upfront investment.
2. Creativity in designing merchandise.
3. Wide range of products to choose from.

Cons:

1. Lower profit margins compared to self-manufacturing.
2. Rely on POD platform for fulfillment and quality.
3. Need to drive traffic and sales.

Risks of Building Income on Snapchat Alone

Relying solely on platforms like Snapchat for income can be risky.

These platforms control the rules, algorithms, and monetization strategies.

They can change their policies, affecting your reach and earnings.

Building a business on a platform you don’t own can lead to instability and unpredictability.

My Alternative Method for Long-Term Success

For those seeking a more stable and scalable income source, affiliate marketing through blogging offers a promising avenue for beginner.

Low stress, low cost, more secure, and highly scalable.

By creating content on a topic you’re passionate about and promoting products related to that topic, you can earn commissions for every sale made through your referral.

And it is more sustainable because no one can take your blog from you, opposite to your Snapchat account that you don’t actually own.

Simple Steps to Get Started with This Snapchat Alternative:

1. Choose a Niche: Select a topic you’re passionate about. It could be anything from travel, tech, fashion, health, to hobbies. It could be the same niche of your Snapchat account.
2. Set Up a Blog: Use platforms like WordPress to create your own blog. Make sure to choose a user-friendly and responsive theme.
3. Create Quality Content: Write informative and engaging articles related to your niche and answers their questions on Google. Consistency is key.
4. Sign Up for Affiliate Programs: Platforms like Amazon Associates, ClickBank, or CJ Affiliate offer a variety of products you can promote.
5. Promote Products: Integrate affiliate links naturally within your content. Ensure that you’re recommending products that you truly believe in.
6. Drive Traffic: Utilize SEO, social media, and email marketing to drive traffic to your blog. You can even utilize your Snapchat following to help your blog’s growth.
7. Earn Commissions: As readers purchase through your affiliate links, you’ll earn commissions.

For those interested in this Snapchat alternative for generating online income, Wealthy Affiliate is an all-in-one platform that provides comprehensive training, web hosting, research tools, content editing tools, and a supportive community to guide you through your journey.

All of that of a reasonable cost that is less than getting every thing from a different platform.

They even have a free membership to get started with the basics.

Conclusion

Snapchat offers a myriad of avenues for individuals to harness their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

While each method comes with its set of advantages, it’s essential to diversify and not solely rely on third-party platforms for income, especially with sustainable alternatives like the one I recommended above.

Whether you’re a Snapchat enthusiast or a budding blogger, the digital landscape is vast and ripe with opportunities.

Choose wisely, and success will surely follow.

If you still have questions about any of these ways for earning money with Snapchat, let me know in the comments’ section below.

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