Snapchat may let users subscribe to publishers, get notifications when they snap

By Jason Hahn February 14, 2016

planet earth snapchat snapchatdiscover — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Snapchat may have a trick up its sleeve to appease content publishers that may be unhappy with how discoverable they are on the app’s Discover page. The company has plans to let users subscribe to their favorite content channels, according to a report from Re/code.

While Snapchat has added to its stable of publishers in its Discover page, the company has also seen a few content producers step away from the platform. Discover is supposed to be Snapchat’s monetization vehicle, so this new report is a clear sign that the company is trying to make its app more appealing to paying publishers.

Snapchat has been telling publishers that it plans to let its users subscribe to their favorite channels and may send push notifications when one of those publishers posts content, according to the report from Re/code. The company is also considering replacing each publisher’s logo with a “magazine-like image that rotates each day depending on that publisher’s content,” according to sources who have spoken with Re/code. A company spokesperson declined to comment.

Currently, when a user opens the Snapchat app on their phone, they have to swipe left to get to the Stories page, which features a scrollable Discover row at the top. If a user swipes left again, they get to a full-blown Discover page with all the publishers’ round logos shown. MTV, Vice, Food Network, ESPN, Vox and Comedy Central are among the 19 publishers currently on Snapchat’s Discover page.

Allowing users to subscribe to the publishers of their choice may put less heat on Snapchat and how it chooses to order its Discover publishers. It also appears to be a user-friendly step toward improved monetization.

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Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

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