In the latest tale of social media platforms brazenly nabbing features from one another, Snapchat has just launched its own version of TikTok.
Rolled out this week as part of the Snapchat app, “Spotlight” welcomes short, entertaining clips — similar to what you see on TikTok. Indeed, you may be posting that kind of stuff on Snapchat already, with Spotlight designed as a natural home for such content.
Just like TikTok, you can swipe up and down to speed through Spotlight content, with algorithms working diligently in the background to serve up engaging clips.
To get Spotlight off to a flying start, Snap is promising to share a million bucks — on a daily basis — for the rest of 2020 among creators who post the most popular clips. The company has added a page to its website detailing the precise terms for those hoping to make some money out of the new feature.
“Submit your best video Snaps to Spotlight for the opportunity to earn a share of more than $1 million that we’re distributing to creators every day … Or, lean back, watch, and pick your favorites!” Snap said in a post announcing the new feature, adding, “In order to earn $$, Snapchatters must be 16 or older, and where applicable, obtain parental consent to earn.”
Spotlight videos should be vertical, no longer than 60 seconds, and of course, be your own original work. Don’t even think about uploading your best TikTok efforts, either, as Spotlight won’t accept watermarked clips.
The new feature is available first for Snapchat users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France, with more countries set to be added soon.
The arrival of a TikTok-like feature on Snapchat hardly comes as a big surprise. Social media platforms are at it all the time, grabbing the best bits from rival services, making a few adjustments, and then adding it to their own platform. Instagram, for example, took Stories from Snapchat in 2016, before adding TikTok-like Reels this year, while Twitter just recently added Snapchat-like disappearing “fleets” to its platform.
