How Publishers Are Using Snapchat

In December, New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo said Snapchat parent Snap had “quietly become one of the world’s most innovative and influential consumer technology companies,” noting how Facebook is “obsessed” with imitating the popular messaging app—a topic widely reported across news sites.

Now, with its IPO and a number of new launches and partnerships under its belt, Snapchat is making more and more headlines as publishers seek to tap its coveted millennial audience. Here’s a sampling of recent posts detailing how publishers and media companies are approaching the platform:

“The New York Times Brings Its (Even Briefer) Morning Briefings to Snapchat Discover” (Nieman Lab)

The New York Times just started publishing morning briefings (and mini crossword puzzles) to Snapchat Discover, separate from its Snapchat Stories content. Designed with “a commute-friendly feel,” the new edition targets both Snapchat natives and “olds,” with the aim of replicating the success of the newspaper’s Morning Briefing emails and The Daily podcast.

“MGM Television Is the First Big Entertainment Studio to Create Original Shows for Snapchat” (Adweek)

In March, MGM Television and Snapchat announced a first-of-its-kind partnership under which MGM will develop and produce original series for Discover. “The team at Snap is thinking about mobile TV differently than anyone else in this space,” MGM’s Barry Poznick said. In recent months, other major media studios—including Vice Media, Discovery Communications, A+E Networks, BBC Worldwide, Turner, and Disney—signed on to produce original content, generally four to five minutes long and shot vertically for the platform.

“Condé Nast Creates Snapchat Team for GQ, Wired, Self” (Publishers Daily)

Condé Nast said in April it’s building a new Snapchat team—including designers, visual editors, and motion-graphics specialists—to produce weekly content for its GQ, Wired, and Self brands. The publisher said it’s going forward with more investments in Snapchat content given the “fantastic results” it has seen with its Vogue Discover channel, which debuted last fall, and Stories content related to events like the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards.

“In France, Snapchat Takes the Lead in Producing Political Content” (Digiday)

As this articles notes, Snapchat is taking a leading role in creating and distributing political content. For example, the platform’s 8 million daily users in France, which just finished a round of elections, were allowed to submit questions to candidates in either a video or message and view responses via video on Discover France. The platform also features geofilters that remind users to vote and allow them to show support for their candidates, as well as Stories relaying election results, analysis, and campaign speeches.

“Snapchat Is Embracing German Publishers by Expanding its Discover Section” (Business Insider)

Snap just rolled out Discover in Germany, with Bild, Spiegel Online, Sky Sport, and Vice debuting their content on the platform. “We want Snapchatters everywhere to have content that is relevant to them, in their own language, from trusted media brands,” said Snap VP Nick Bell in a statement. This marks the fourth international version to launch; German publishers will share ad revenue, according to a Snap spokesperson.

“The Washington Post Will Be the Breaking News Source on Snapchat’s Discover” (The Washington Post)

Earlier this year, The Washington Post launched a daily edition of Discover, making it the first publisher to offer 24/7 news updates on Snapchat—live in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. “The Post will focus on producing fast, visually captivating and experiential storytelling. The Post will take readers behind-the-scenes, both nationally and around the world, in highly curated editions that feature breaking news, top political headlines and smart, forward-thinking analysis,” its blog post said.

Have a suggestion for a topic you’d like to know more about? Drop us a note! 

Check out our other articles and sign up for TFP’s newsletter briefings, including Media Metrics, Women in Media, and This Week in Publishing, highlighting industry news and tips to help you stay informed.