I’ve talked a lot about why I loooove Snapchat (ok, wait, let me explain… I promise it’s not just for those scandalous teens anymore!). Sharing the real life moments and having a dialogue with all of you there is what make me love it most. When I first downloaded it just over a year ago, man, I was so confused. I thought it was hard to understand, and I wrote it off as a fad. Well, that’s totally not the case at all. It’s become the social media platform I use (and like) most. I obviously had to share with you guys, so I wrote a piece on Glitter Guide to share how to use Snapchat and how to make the most of using it. Annnd don’t forget to join me there, I’m erincsousa.

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Oh, Snapchat. Gone are the days when it was used for a cheeky friend-to-friend private photo-sharing purpose. Now, it’s a great way to showcase fun snapshots in 10-second videos or images to followers. There are so many different ways to use the app, from sharing recipes and how-tos to sharing narratives throughout your day. Because the ‘Snaps’ disappear within 24 hours, there is less need to commit to the perfection you’re used to in Instagram. And oftentimes, the more off-the-cuff your Snaps, the better. Still largely free from obtrusive ads (but that might be changing soon), Snapchat grows your community and deepens the connections you have with your readers and followers. We’ve created a cheat sheet for you to get started on the app, and make the most of the experience!

The Basics – How To Use Snapchat:

• In order to see someone’s story (their public Snaps), you must be following them. If you watch their Snap, they will be able to see that you’ve watched it. If you replay it (no matter the number of times), they are not notified.
• If you find something interesting enough to screenshot, the snapper will be able to see that you have done so. As the snapper, screenshots are also a good gauge to see what is of interest to your followers.
• There is no way to see how many followers you (or others) have. However, you can see how many people view and screenshot each Snap.
• You can save your own Snaps to your camera roll and to the ‘Memories’ feature on the app. This allows you to repost on other social media platforms. Just note that this must be done before the Snap expires 24 hours after it was created. Otherwise, it’s gone for good—yes, forever and ever!
• If you do not want your Snaps to upload in real time, switch your phone to airplane mode, and upload the Snaps. Once you turn your data back on or hit Wi-Fi, you can tap to upload them and they will be live. Note: They will be timestamped for the actual time you created the Snap.
• After creating a Snap, you can swipe right to reveal color, time, weather and location filters. You can double up on those filters by holding your finger on your filtered Snap. Then swipe right again to place another filter on top.
• Private Snaps can be shared between people you follow, as long as they are either following you or have their settings set to, “Everyone can contact me.”
• Be social and chat with people you follow by swiping up while viewing one of their Snaps to send a chat or private Snap. Comments and questions form a community!
• You can only replay private Snaps once, and then they are gone forever. If you take a screenshot of a private Snap, the Snapper will be notified. It’s good etiquette to let them know why you took the screenshot because it is a private conversation.
• Creating a personalized on-demand geofilter for your event (or wedding!) can be done through the website https://geofilters.snapchat.com. To use it, the user must be within the set proximity you’ve put into place.
• Hidden filters can be found by turning the camera to selfie mode and holding your finger on your face. This reveals those fun face filters you may have seen other Snappers use—flower crown, anyone?
• Once you’ve placed an emoji on your Snapchat video, hold your finger on the emoji to make it come to life. It will move with your video!

How To Increase Your Snapchat Following:

• Create engaging stories, and be real! People follow Snapchat accounts that show personality and have interesting information included. This is the platform on which to experiment with your content, so have a little fun with it. There is a fine line between being real and sharing too much information, so tread it carefully.
• Try to mirror your Snapchat handle with your other social media handles. That way, it’s easy for people to find you.
• Include your one-of-a-kind Snapchat code (a Snapcode is that little yellow ghost with the black dots) on your blog. People can then easily take a photo and upload it to Snapchat to add you.
• Promote your Snapchat account on your other social media platforms (don’t forget to add it to your Instagram and Twitter bios!). Also, encourage people to follow by sharing exclusive content. For instance, offer behind-the-scenes peeks of a shoot, a trip or even your day-to-day activities! People are more interested than you think.
• Ghostcodes is a separate app that Snappers use exclusively for advertising their accounts. Download the app, and add yourself to the database. Users there give ‘kudos’ that raise your score, allowing you to be discovered more easily there. This is also a great way to find other interesting Snappers to follow. Giving them ‘kudos’ will help them raise their score as well.
• Link your Snapchat page on your blog using this URL (replace “username” with your handle): https://www.snapchat.com/add/username. This way, people can easily find and add you by taking a photo of your Snapcode.