As Snapchat starts competing with TikTok via its Spotlight program, some creators begin earning small fortunes and look for ways to expand
Top performers are raking in cash, as the company seeks to compete against TikTok and similar platforms. — In late November, Cam Casey … Tweets: @richlightshed , @taylorlorenz , @kevinbparry , @yungchomsky , @arperelli , @jbillinson , @kerrymflynn , @taylorlorenz , @nickcicero , @anothercohen , @taylorlorenz , and @taylorlorenz See also Mediagazer Tweets: Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed : 🚨 19-year old has made nearly $3 million from @snapchat's #spotlight 🔥 the creator momentum to snapchat is a very big deal for platform engagement and ultimately monetization $SNAP great piece from @TaylorLorenz @nytimes https://www.nytimes.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : Snapchat is paying out $1M a day to ppl who post viral videos to it's new TikTok-like feature, Spotlight. I spoke to some of the users who have won big, making millions of dollars in just a couple weeks. https://www.nytimes.com/... Kevin Parry / @kevinbparry : I wrote off Snapchat for years - but they seriously are handing out cash. Don't even need an audience. Got $5k from a recent video. Friends have received massive payments ($100k+). https://www.nytimes.com/... @yungchomsky : i will now be pivoting to whatever it is these children do. watch this space https://twitter.com/... Amanda Perelli / @arperelli : Creator @ItsCamCasey told @TaylorLorenz that he has been paid nearly $3 million by Snapchat for his viral content https://www.nytimes.com/... Josh Billinson / @jbillinson : “The same things that are popular on TikTok are popular on Spotlight ... The primary difference on Spotlight is the absence of public like counts or comments. And when videos go viral, the creator makes money, even if they are not influencers.” https://www.nytimes.com/... @kerrymflynn : Great read by @TaylorLorenz on Snapchat Spotlight: https://www.nytimes.com/... “I now have the opportunity to go to the school of my choice. For a lot of people Spotlight is going to change their life and it's unbelievable.” - Katie Feeney, 18, a high school senior in Olney, Md https://twitter.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : Five years later, it's a total 180, payment from a platform is expected. As @josephpalbanese said, TikTok “put all other platforms on notice.” https://www.nytimes.com/... Nick Cicero / @nickcicero : Awesome to see @MTZLER @OperAmericano featured in here with other creators! Has been great to see so many creators starting to monetize their snap. Better late than never for sure https://twitter.com/... Alex Cohen / @anothercohen : Looks like I'm about to go shake my ass on Snapchat as my new career Sorry mom and dad https://twitter.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : The amount of money people are earning overnight is insane. Anyone 16+ is eligible, but if you're under 18 your parents have to approve the payment from Snapchat https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : Cam Casey, a 19 year old TikTok star, made $3M on Snapchat in under 5 weeks. His roommate, Joey Rogoff, 21, also a TikTok star, made over $1M in the same time. They're just a couple of many raking in massive amounts of cash https://www.nytimes.com/... See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
Spotlight is a deliberate reversal of Snap's earlier posture: back in 2017 its hands-off approach to high-profile users pushed top Snapchat talent toward Instagram and YouTube, and Spotlight's roughly $1M-a-day payout pool is the corrective — buying short-form video supply outright rather than hoping creators stay. Cam Casey's nearly $3M and Joey Rogoff's $1M-plus in weeks show the strategy working at the individual level.
The timing matters commercially: Snap reported a Q4 beat days later, with revenue of $911M up 62% YoY and DAUs up 22% to 265M, per its Q4 earnings report. The question the NYT piece surfaces is whether payout-fueled momentum converts into durable engagement — and what creators do with windfalls that arrived faster than any career infrastructure around them.
First-order effects
- Top Spotlight creators like Cam Casey and Joey Rogoff suddenly hold seven-figure earnings from weeks of posting, and are actively looking for ways to expand beyond a single platform's payout pool.
Second-order effects
- TikTok and Instagram face pressure to match or formalize their own creator funds, since Snap has demonstrated that direct cash can pull short-form video supply — and its audience — across platforms.
- Creators flush with Spotlight cash become early customers for adjacent monetization tools, feeding the wave of hyper-specific revenue streams like NewNew, where fans pay to control a creator's decisions.
Third-order effects
- Blanket daily payouts prove hard to sustain: by late 2022 Snap had scaled Spotlight spending down from $1M a day to millions per year collectively, pivoting instead to structured programs like Spotlight Challenges that pay $25K+ against specific AR lenses, sounds, and topics — platform-subsidized creator income normalizing into targeted incentives.
The trend: Short-form video platforms are moving from blanket creator-payout arms races to structured, task-based incentive programs as subsidized supply gets rationalized.