Spotlight Content Best Practices

Here are some tips on how to create engaging content for Spotlight’s most popular categories:

Comedy, Pranks, Fails, and Memes

  • Set up the premise immediately

  • Use text to introduce characters and establish context

  • Creative settings and original ideas are encouraged 

  • Capture interesting angles and locations 

  • Show off unique talents and abilities


Food

  • Make it pop: feature bright, vivid colors and choose a background that emphasizes your subject—a contrasting color, a nice pattern, or even other food!

  • Add explanatory text with helpful info 

  • Get to the main course (the food!) quickly with as little build-up as possible

Satisfying and ASMR

  • Present satisfying visuals or ASMR sounds in their entirety, from start to finish, even if you have to speed up or slow down the footage

  • Show the subject of your video clearly and full-frame with little else to distract

  • Novelty is key. Avoid the use of common, easily accessible, or repeatable effects

  • Music can be helpful for satisfying content, but it’s important not to drown out ASMR with additional audio

Tutorials, DIY, Arts and Crafts

  • Introduce the concept immediately by telling viewers exactly what they’re about to learn, either verbally or through text

  • Don’t give it all away! Save the final product or result for a dramatic reveal at the end of your Snap (revealing too soon can cause early drop-off)

  • Feature bright, colorful subjects and creative settings

  • Highlight original ideas and innovative methods. This is a great time to show off any unique skills or talents you have! 

  • If you add background music, sync important on-screen moments with shifts in the audio track

  • Show the entire process from start to finish so the viewer can learn the necessary steps, and don’t forget to include instructions.

Cosmetics and Beauty

  • Display the entire face clearly to allow your viewers to get the full effect

  • Go big! Dramatic effects can do well in this category, especially when they feature bright, vivid colors

  • Background music adds a lot to this type of content

Dance and Challenges

  • Dance and challenge videos are participatory experiences: while you don’t want to be boring or simplistic, Snaps that can be easily replicated enable viewers to join in on the fun

  • Set up your challenge immediately, either by giving it a name or introducing the rules

  • Bring your original dance routines or challenges to set off a new Spotlight trend