Short answer: A Snapchat Public Profile is an optional public page, available by default to Snapchatters aged 16 and over, where anyone on Snapchat can see your public Stories, Spotlight videos, Lenses and bio. Friends are a two-way connection, while followers (called subscribers in some older Snapchat wording) follow you one way. A Public Profile also unlocks Insights on your views and audience.
Snapchat started as a friends-only app, and many people still do not realise that it has a public side. If you want to reach people beyond your contacts, the Public Profile is where that happens. Here is how it works and how its numbers differ from your private Snapchat.
Who can have a Snapchat Public Profile?
According to Snapchat Support:
- Age: the minimum age is 16, although local laws may set a different minimum. Snapchatters aged 16 and over get a Public Profile by default and can choose whether to use it.
- Account history: accounts that have broken the Community Guidelines in the past may not have the option.
- Birthday: if you qualify but cannot see the option, check that your birthday is set in your settings.
There are also related profile types. Professional Accounts, which some people can switch between Creator and Business, are for users aged 18 and over and are not yet available to everyone. Business Profiles for brands are created and managed in Ads Manager and also require users to be 18 or over.
To open yours, tap your Bitmoji in the top-left corner and choose “My Public Profile”. Snapchat recommends adding a profile photo, a background photo, a bio and a location.
What is the difference between followers and friends?
This is the part that confuses most people. Snapchat describes friendship as a two-way relationship, while following is one way: someone can follow you, or you can follow them, without either of you adding the other as a friend.
| Friends | Followers | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of connection | Two-way, both accept | One-way, no approval needed |
| What they see | Your personal profile and Stories shared with friends | Your Public Profile and public content |
| Chat button | Shown | Not shown, unless you have a Creator or business account with “Who Can Contact Me” set to Everyone |
| Where to find the list | Friends tab | Followers tab, only with a Public Profile |
To see both lists, open My Account by tapping your Bitmoji or Story icon, then tap “View All” under Friends & Followers and switch between the Friends, Following and Followers tabs. Accounts without a Public Profile only see Friends and Following.
Snapchat also notes that creating a Public Profile does not change your existing contact or Story privacy settings, so your personal Stories stay as private as they were.
What can you post on a Public Profile?
A Public Profile gives you a public Story that is separate from your personal Story, and you can allow replies and quoting on it. You can also show Lenses you have made and post to Spotlight, Snapchat’s feed of short videos. Creator accounts get extras such as a website and public email, a category and the ability to assign roles to people who help manage the profile.
Your follower count is optional: you can show or hide it from your Public Profile by tapping the pencil icon and switching the “Show Follower Count” toggle.
How does Spotlight decide who sees your videos?
Spotlight does not rely on your follower count. Snapchat says it predicts how likely each viewer is to favourite, share or comment and how long they will watch, using positive signals such as subscribing to a creator and watching to the end, and negative ones such as skipping, reporting or hiding. It can also show your videos to people who have never watched you before, which is why new profiles can still reach a large audience.
Which Public Profile Insights should you watch?
Insights are only available with a Public Profile. The most useful ones are:
- Story views and viewers: total Snap views across a public Story versus unique people who watched.
- Average and total view time: how long people actually watch, which Snapchat also uses in its monetisation criteria.
- Spotlight followers: new followers gained from a specific Spotlight video.
- Average view rate: the share of a Spotlight video viewers completed on average.
- Audience: age groups, top locations and top interests of people who watched your public Stories over the past 28 days.
Engagement such as favourites, shares and replies relative to views is a better health check than raw follower numbers. Our guide to what a good engagement rate is explains how to calculate it.
How do followers differ from your Snapscore?
Your Snapscore is a separate activity counter based mainly on Snaps and Stories; it is not your follower count and does not affect Spotlight ranking. We explain it in what Snapscore is and how it is calculated. If you are building a public audience, followers and view time are the numbers that count, including for how Snapchat pays creators.
For practical growth tactics, from Spotlight ideas to cross-promotion, see how to get more Snapchat followers. Some creators also add Snapchat followers from StreamElevate to a new Public Profile for initial social proof; it only needs your public profile link, but it does not replace the view time and engagement that Snapchat’s systems reward.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn off my Snapchat Public Profile?
Snapchat says users aged 16 and over get a Public Profile by default but can choose whether to use it. If you do not post public content, your personal Snapchat works as before.
Why don’t I have a Public Profile option?
The most common reasons are being under the minimum age, past Community Guidelines violations or a missing birthday in your settings. Local laws can also set a higher minimum age.
Can followers message me on Snapchat?
Not by default. The chat button appears for friends, not followers. Snapchat now only offers the Everyone option under “Who Can Contact Me” to Creator and business accounts, so on a regular account only your friends can reach you, plus people saved in your phone contacts if you choose the Friends and Contacts option.
Are subscribers and followers the same thing on Snapchat?
Yes. Some Snapchat help pages still say subscribers, while the app’s lists and settings use followers. Both describe people who follow your Public Profile without being your friend.
Sources: Snapchat Support: What is a Public Profile?, Snapchat Support: Followers and friends, Snapchat Support: Public Profile features, Snapchat Support: Insights glossary, Snapchat Support: contact settings