The sizes at a glance
Snapchat is plain about the shape: Snaps for Spotlight should be vertical videos with sound. Still photos, horizontal Snaps, blurry Snaps and text-only Snaps will not appear in Spotlight. That is the whole rule on the creator pages we read; it names no pixel size.
The nearest number is in Snap's ad specification, where Single Image or Video ads, which run in Stories and Spotlight, are listed as 9:16 at 720 x 1280 pixels. The table uses 1080 on the short side, which is the same shape at a larger size, so 1080 x 1920 is our arithmetic and the 720 x 1280 figure is Snap's.
- 9:16the vertical shape Spotlight is made for
- 1080 x 1920pixels for 9:16 at 1080 on the short side
- 5 secthe shortest video Snap you can post to Spotlight
- 30 secthe shortest Spotlight video that can earn
| Shape | Pixels | What Snapchat says |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16, vertical | 1080 x 1920 | The Spotlight shape. The ad specification lists 720 x 1280 |
| 4:5, portrait | 1080 x 1350 | Not mentioned on the pages we read |
| 1:1, square | 1080 x 1080 | Not mentioned on the pages we read |
| 16:9, horizontal | 1920 x 1080 | Horizontal Snaps will not appear in Spotlight |
Because Snapchat says only that horizontal Snaps will not show, we make no claim about square or 4:5 videos: the pages we read do not mention them. Vertical 9:16 is the safe choice.
How long a Spotlight video must be
To post from the Main Camera, Snapchat says to create a video Snap that is 5 seconds or longer: the Post button to Spotlight shows only for videos at least that long. For the ad format that runs in Stories and Spotlight, the specification lists a length of 3 to 180 seconds.
Length also decides what can earn. Under Snapchat's Monetization Program, a Spotlight video must be at least 30 seconds long to earn. The program has its own conditions on followers, view time and invitation, covered in our Snapchat guide, so the length is only one of them.
- To post: a video Snap of 5 seconds or longer.
- To earn from Spotlight: at least 30 seconds.
- Ads in Stories and Spotlight: 3 to 180 seconds.
A longer video is only better if it holds attention. Plan a 30-second video around one idea told well rather than a short one stretched.
Keep words and faces out of the way
Snapchat draws its own interface over a Spotlight video: the creator name, the caption and the Snap's topic along the bottom, and the like, comment and share buttons down the right side. Words or faces under them are hard to see.
The pages we read give no safe-zone drawing in pixels, so we give no margin numbers. Keep titles, captions and faces toward the middle of the frame and away from the bottom and the right side. Snapchat suggests captions so that people watching without sound still get the context, so burn them into the picture.
Preparing a Spotlight video
If your footage is horizontal, crop it to 9:16: Snapchat says horizontal Snaps will not appear in Spotlight. A 16:9 frame cropped to 9:16 at the same height keeps a little under a third of its width (81 out of 256 parts), so the crop has to follow the speaker or the action. A crop fixed on the middle cuts people off as soon as they move.
Spotlight asks for sound, so check that the video has a clear voice or music before you export. A silent video is not what the page describes. Then watch the export once on a phone to check the picture and the level.
- Export vertical 9:16, at 1080 x 1920.
- Keep it at 30 seconds or longer if you aim to earn.
- Make sure the video has sound, and add captions.
Sound, captions and the first seconds
Snapchat's own tips for Spotlight are short: open each Story with a strong hook, and use captions so that sound-off viewers still get context. Both are cheap to do and both show in how long people watch.
Burn the captions into the picture before you export, and keep each line short enough to read at a glance. If you use a trending sound, add it in the app, and keep your own voice clear over it.
Open on the point. The first seconds decide whether a viewer stays, so start with the result, the question or the surprise and leave the introduction out. Tag the video with a topic on the Send To page so that others can find it.
- Add captions before you export.
- Open on the hook, not on a greeting.
- Add a topic when you send it to Spotlight.
Making the video once
Clip-Short exports videos in 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 and 16:9, with captions burned into the picture, so one export in the right shape covers Snapchat and every other app. The AI Agent makes a narrated, captioned video from an idea, and AI Clipping cuts a long video into vertical clips.
The free plan makes 1 AI video a month, up to 1 minute long. That is enough to try the shape on Snapchat before you plan a series.
It does not change what an app accepts. It only saves you from remaking the file for each one, so the numbers in this guide are the ones to follow.
Before you post to Spotlight
- Vertical 9:16, never horizontal.
- Exported at 1080 x 1920.
- 5 seconds or longer to post, 30 seconds or longer to earn.
- With sound, and with captions for those who watch without it.