In the ever-evolving landscape of social media marketing, advertisers are constantly on the lookout for platforms that offer untapped potential, engaged audiences, and intelligent tools for targeting.

Snapchat might not be the first name you hear in every media strategy meeting—but it should be. With nearly 300 million daily active users and some of the most intimate and personal user experiences of any social app, Snapchat presents a unique playground for performance marketers and brand advertisers alike.

And now, with the release of Snapchat Trends, the platform is raising the stakes—offering an analytics tool that gives brands a real-time look into what users are talking about. But before we get to that, let’s take a step back.

Why Snapchat Still Deserves Your Attention

Snapchat is not just a nostalgia app for Gen Z anymore—it’s a dynamic, content-rich environment with next-gen ad delivery and one of the strongest hold rates in mobile media.

From its pioneering Stories format to hyper-personal messaging and immersive augmented reality, Snapchat keeps innovating. It also continues to evolve its user base and advertising infrastructure, especially with formats that support full-screen, sound-on engagement—the exact conditions under which ads drive the highest emotional impact.

Add to that a continually growing audience in the 13–24 age bracket, who are using Snapchat more than TikTok or Instagram to communicate with friends—and you’re looking at a platform that is influencing purchasing decisions at scale.

“Snapchat is hugely neglected by most advertisers,” says Alexandra, our Senior Paid Social Media Manager at One Day Agency. “But the truth is, young users are here—not on TikTok. And Snapchat’s ad algorithm is just as strong as Meta’s—arguably even more effective than TikTok’s when it comes to performance targeting and stability.”

Introducing Snapchat Trends: Your Gateway to Real-Time Culture

So what exactly is Snapchat Trends?

It’s Snapchat’s newest insight tool designed for marketers and content creators to explore trending keywords, topics, and phrases shared across public Stories and Snaps. This is not vanity data—it’s organic user-generated trends, giving you an open window into what your audience is actually discussing in real time.

Whether it’s a cultural moment, meme, slang phrase, product reference, or seasonal event—Snapchat Trends shows you what’s resonating.

Here’s why it matters: traditional social media analytics tell you how your content performed. Snapchat Trends tells you what to create in the first place. That’s a powerful creative edge.

How Snapchat Trends Works

Using anonymised, aggregated data from public Stories and content, the tool surfaces which keywords are trending, how frequently they’re being mentioned, and how their popularity changes over time.

Want to see how the term “hot girl summer” spiked last year? Curious if Gen Z is still saying “rizz” or if it’s evolved to “gyatt”? With Snapchat Trends, you get cultural clarity backed by real engagement signals.

And when you overlay this insight with your brand calendar, product releases, or key campaign milestones—you start planning content that resonates, rather than guesses that miss the mark.

Why Snapchat Trends Is a Game-Changer for Marketers

1. Cultural Alignment That Actually Converts

Users come to Snapchat to share moments, not perform. That makes the language on Snapchat more authentic and emotionally expressive than other platforms. As a result, Snapchat Trends helps advertisers align with genuine sentiment and real conversation, not algorithmic fads.

Use this data to create messaging that matches the mood of the moment—or better yet, gets ahead of it.

2. Real-Time Campaign Tuning

Because Snapchat Trends updates regularly, you’re not locked into outdated keyword strategies. You can shift creative tone, tweak copy, or launch reactive campaigns in hours, not weeks.

Let’s say you’re marketing a dating app and notice a rising trend in mentions of “third-wheeling” every weekend. That could be your cue to launch a playful, highly contextual Snap ad during prime scrolling hours on Friday nights.

Snapchat’s own internal case study showed exactly this with dating advertisers reacting to trend spikes and seeing immediate uplift in relevance and engagement.

Three Ways to Use Snapchat Trends Like a Pro

Here’s how to turn insight into performance:

🔍 1. Research Trending Keywords Around Seasonal Events

Users love to celebrate—whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Pride Month, or quirky micro-holidays like National Pancake Day. And they talk about it a lot.

Use Snapchat Trends to research how people are discussing events. Are they using emojis? Is there slang unique to that moment? How has volume changed over the years?

This kind of insight lets you tailor creative and targeting to the exact mood and tone your audience expects to see—boosting both relevance and ROI.

📈 2. Identify Repeatable Patterns in Audience Behaviour

Not every trend is a one-off. Some patterns repeat weekly, monthly, or by season.

Snapchat shared that mentions of “third-wheeling” doubled on weekends, leading dating brands to adjust targeting windows and creatives accordingly.

In other words: Snapchat Trends isn’t just about content—it’s about timing. When you align your ads with when your audience is talking, you insert your brand into the conversation instead of interrupting it.

🤝 3. Connect with Hyper-Relevant Messaging

Once you understand what your audience is talking about—and when—they’ll expect you to show up in that space. This is your opportunity to match brand voice with user expression.

For example, a skincare brand noticing rising mentions of “Sunday resets” or “skin flooding” can jump on that language with a tailored Snap creative, using those exact keywords to enter the conversation naturally.

This is how modern brands build cultural relevance—and it’s exactly what Snapchat Trends enables.

The Advertising Edge: Why Snapchat Delivers ROI

Beyond trends, Snapchat’s advertising infrastructure offers:

Full-funnel ad formats, from awareness (AR Lenses, Story Ads) to conversion (Dynamic Product Ads)
Pixel-based tracking and advanced attribution windows
A self-serve Ads Manager with optimisation controls similar to Meta
Strong audience segmentation, particularly among Gen Z and young Millennials
Competitive CPMs and CPCs, often lower than Meta and TikTok in niche categories

Snapchat might not be your biggest platform in terms of reach—but it could be your most efficient one.

When Is Snapchat Not the Right Fit?

Snapchat shines with youth-oriented, trend-driven products and services—especially in fashion, beauty, food & drink, and lifestyle categories.

However, if your target audience is over 40 or your brand relies on B2B conversion funnels, Snapchat might be a secondary or supporting channel rather than your main media play.

That said, for product launches, awareness pushes, and culturally-aligned moments, Snapchat can still deliver outsized results.

Final Thoughts

Snapchat Trends is a smart, intuitive tool that finally allows advertisers to speak the language of the platform—and of the users who love it.

If your brand wants to stay ahead of culture, drive results with creative that resonates, and tap into a high-performing yet underused platform, Snapchat needs to be on your media plan.

At One Day Agency, we work with clients to find the right social mix—and Snapchat is increasingly a part of that mix. Whether you’re looking for creative ideation, media buying, or insight interpretation, we can help you make Snapchat work for your brand.

“Viral culture doesn’t just live on TikTok anymore,” Alexandra adds. “Snapchat is where trends begin—and if you’re not here yet, you’re already behind.”

Featured