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Prediction number 4 time! Before you read this one, you should check out my first three:

AI Content Fails

TikTok Survives

The Year of ‘Monetize Everything’

…and now it’s time to talk Snapchat, the most promising company in the creator economy, despite launching nearly 14 years ago.

Let’s dive in.

2025 Creator Economy Prediction #4

Snap will grow to over 500m daily active users

That’s nearly double the DAU growth we saw from 2023 to 2024.

So what changed?

First let’s look at Snap’s history.

Snap began as a ‘disappearing messages app’ that, despite all of the spin you may have heard, gained popularity as teens viewed it as the best way to send messages in a way their parents are least likely to see.

I think you understand what I’m inferring here.

Then, they made those messages public as Stories. And although nearly all major platforms have copied that feature, Snap was the first to make this format, which has been a smash hit.

Then Snap saw another big jump as a leader in AR filters: from vomiting rainbows to dancing hotdogs and contorting happy faces to make them look like they’re bawling.

It was a short jump to sponsored filters and interactive ads that genuinely felt different from the rest of the market.

And after that, a whole lot of misses.

Evan Spiegel said Snap was a camera company, leading to many off-base features.

Their photo glasses Spectacles: failed. Their drone: failed. Playable AR mini-games: failed. Snap premium shows: failed. Snap Discover: failed. Snap Spotlight monetization: monetized like crazy for a while then had to change drastically.

What the app was missing was clarity on its vision beyond messaging.

But now it feels like they found it: there’s an incredible amount of entertainment in the concept of ‘one to many’ messaging.

In other words, something that feels intimate and personal but has wide enough reach to monetize.

Snap Stories Monetization is that feature, and it’s an incredible win.

David Dobrik has been a huge advocate for years, boasting over $10,000 per day in earnings.

But now Snap has finally announced the one monetization feature they’ve been needing for a decade: clarity.

Finally they are focused on one unified monetization program, combining Stories and Spotlights monetization into one experience, and launching just days after the projected TikTok shutdown.

But wait…so is Meta! So why so bullish on Snap?

I believe Snap is the easiest way for creators to build a meaningful audience. Stories can be pumped out quickly and show an ad after every seven stories. You can include pictures and text. There’s urgency to view since they disappear in 24 hours.

Then consider Spotlight videos, their ‘TikTok competitor’. With the FYP-like algorithm, that creates discovery that can lead to new Stories fans.

Agencies have started to notice.

And finally, don’t sleep on Snap Maps. You can find highly localized creators. That’s huge for both relevancy and to keep Snap’s roots as a ‘dating-forward app’ alive.

Mix this with a boom in AI content, where people will desperately seek something that feels ‘real’, and the real-time unedited authenticity of Snap feels like the natural winner.

When creators feel squeezed on other social platforms due to potential platform bans, ‘rich get richer’ algorithms, AI slop, and confusing monetization structures, Snap has a strong chance of winning the next generation of creators.

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Thank you for reading and stay tuned through December for more 2025 predictions! If you enjoyed this edition, give it a share and if you get someone to sign up, I’ll send you my ‘10 Rep-Friendly Ways to Monetize Today!’ deck!

Until next time, protect yo rep.