Snapchat unveils new features to recruit more creators and land them paid brand deals

• Snapchat's Brooke Berry introduced new creator tools at the company's partner summit on Tuesday.
• Snap Stars can now directly share content analytics with brands to land paid deals.

If Brooke Berry had two minutes with you alone in an elevator, she's "90%" confident she could convince you to start posting on Snapchat every day.

The head of Snap creator development's power of persuasion is so "legendary," as one influencer put it, that they abandoned TikTok altogether a year ago after meeting her and hearing about several of the app's monetization initiatives, like its ad revenue sharing program.

Berry's role, alongside her team, is to recruit creators they believe are "great storytellers"; this year alone, well-known online personalities from rapper DDG to TikTok star Alix Earle have started regularly sharing content on Snapchat.

"There's a home for everyone on here," Berry told Business Insider, detailing how the number of creators posting publicly on Snap has more than tripled over the past year.

Now, the social media platform is gearing up to make itself even more attractive to creators — at the Snap Partner Summit on Tuesday, Berry announced six new and updated features in the app's attempt to foster a stronger online community and help creators score more lucrative paid opportunities.

Responses, public vs private, and pins

Users have always been able to publicly comment or reply directly to a creator's Snap story; now, creators can turn that message into a sticker and post a video or photo response, similar to features that already exist on platforms like Instagram.

The app is also simplifying its profile design to make it easier for users to toggle between private and public profiles. In other words, those who want to connect with just their friends on the platform turn on personal mode. The public setting is encouraged when a user wants to build a wider community.

Berry also announced a new pinned Snaps feature, where creators can highlight their favorite content at the top of their profiles, several new templates, and the ability for a creator to add to their story when they're mentioned in a public snap.

These new tools could help recruit creators who are unsure about whether to devote their time and energy to another platform, especially since many influencers in recent years have voiced frustrations at toggling between so many different apps to stay relevant to their audiences.

"I don't think we need to compete with the others, honestly," Berry told BI. "Creators go deeper on Snapchat, I think because the money's there," referencing how some influencers have made tens of thousands of dollars directly through the platform.

However, Snap isn't the only platform paying its creators well for in-app monetization programs —YouTube holds that title for now, paying out $70 billion in the last three years.

Direct data sharing with brands on paid content

Beyond ease-of-use updates, the platform is prioritizing earning opportunities. At the summit, Berry revealed a new initiative under the Snap Star Collab Studio, that enables the app's brand partners to work with preferred agencies to source and partner with Snap Stars.

Now, creators in this program can choose what engagement and demographic data they share with companies they want to work with. They can also share this information directly with any advertiser on the platform. Data available for sharing includes follower count and video engagement metrics, making it easier for brands to discover and partner with creators who are the best suited for their campaigns.

To round out the year, Berry is most looking forward to Snap School, where she and her team lead sessions for creators on the best ways to use the platform, like how many times a day to post on stories or demonstrate how to use the Snap Maps feature.

"Education is a huge focus right now," she said. "I always tell creators that with Snap, you can be a big fish in a small pond."