As Snapchat continues its challenge against Instagram and TikTok, the company announced a set of new features designed to make content creation and sharing easier for creators. Among the updates are a new Timeline Editor, a video creation tool from saved Memories, the option to automatically save Stories to profiles, and expanded insights into how creators’ content performs.
Introducing the Timeline Editor
The new Timeline Editor gives creators a more intuitive way to edit videos directly within Snapchat. It presents videos in a chronological timeline format, allowing users to trim, move, or rearrange clips with ease. Once the video sequence is finalized, creators can add Lenses, choose music from Snapchat’s Sounds library, and apply other creative tools. This feature could eliminate the need for many users to rely on third-party apps like CapCut for basic video editing before posting on Snapchat.
Snapchat is also launching a new “Create a Video” template that helps creators quickly generate compilation videos from their saved Memories. Users can select several Memories, pick a song from the Sounds library, and choose from different templates to create a personalized video. This feature is rolling out globally on iOS devices.
Auto-Saving Stories to Profiles
Soon, Snapchat users will have the option to automatically save their public Stories directly to their profiles. This will allow followers to revisit Stories after they disappear from the usual feed. While this change contrasts with the original ephemeral nature of Stories, it provides creators a way to preserve their best content and build a lasting collection for their audience.
Snapchat is expanding its analytics tools to give creators better insight into their content’s performance. Creators will be able to see how many viewers watched their public content for at least 12 days in the past month, helping them understand their returning audience. They’ll also see which Spotlight posts and public Stories received the most views over the previous 28 days, along with total view time across all their public content. The platform will break down traffic sources, showing views from places such as the Discover For You page, Following, Spotlight, Search, Chat, and Profile. Creators can monitor the average watch time on Spotlight posts and the percentage of viewers who finished watching each post.
What The Author Thinks
Snapchat’s latest features demonstrate a growing focus on making the platform more creator-friendly. Offering built-in video editing reduces creators’ reliance on outside apps, streamlining the posting process. Enhanced analytics give creators the data they need to tailor content and grow their audiences more effectively. However, the move to save Stories permanently challenges Snapchat’s identity as the home of fleeting, spontaneous content. Balancing innovation with the platform’s original spirit will be key to keeping users engaged while attracting creators. Overall, these updates position Snapchat well in the competitive world of social video creation.
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