How to make a public profile on Snapchat

Snapchat has evolved far beyond disappearing messages and dog filters. With over 900 million monthly active users, it’s become a legitimate platform for creators, influencers, and businesses to build their audience. 

But here’s the catch: you need to know how to make a public profile on Snapchat to get its maximum benefits. If you are still using a standard Snapchat account, you are missing out on reaching a massive audience and advanced analytics that can improve your social media strategy. 

Let’s walk through exactly how to make your Snapchat public and start growing your presence on the platform.

What is a public profile on Snapchat?

A Snapchat public profile is your ticket to being discovered by users other than your immediate friend circle. Unlike a regular account, where only approved friends can see your content, a public profile allows anyone to subscribe to your updates, view your public stories, and engage with your content.

Think of it as the difference between a private Instagram account and a business profile. With a public profile on Snapchat, you get access to subscriber counts, Snapchat Insights (their analytics tool), and the ability to appear in search results and the Discover feed. 

Your username becomes searchable, and users can subscribe to see your public stories without needing your approval.

The best part? You maintain control over who can send you direct messages and view your private stories. Your public profile simply creates a discoverable presence while keeping your personal boundaries intact.

Requirements of a Snapchat public profile

Before you rush to make your public profile on Snapchat, you should get familiar with some specific requirements. The purpose of these conditions is to maintain platform integrity and protect younger users.

Snapchat public profile age limit

You must be at least 16 years old to create a public profile on Snapchat. On the other hand, if you want to create a business / professional account, you must be at least 18 years old. This is non-negotiable. The platform verifies your age through the birthdate you provided when creating your account, so if you lied about your age initially, you’ll need to update it (though this might temporarily restrict your account).

This age requirement reflects Snapchat’s recognition that public profiles come with increased visibility and responsibility.

Snapchat’s community guidelines compliance

Your account must have a clean record of following Snapchat’s community guidelines. If you’ve been flagged for spam, harassment, posting prohibited content, or violating terms of service, you won’t qualify for a public profile.

Snapchat reviews accounts for guideline violations, including sexually explicit content, violence, harassment, illegal activities, and misinformation. Even minor infractions can disqualify you, so it’s worth reviewing the guidelines thoroughly before applying.

Account in good standing

Beyond guideline compliance, your account needs to demonstrate genuine activity. Brand new accounts typically can’t immediately create public profiles because Snapchat wants to see that you’re a real person with authentic engagement patterns.

Your account should have an established history of posting stories, maintaining friendships, and using the platform regularly. While Snapchat doesn’t publish exact thresholds, most users report needing an account that’s at least a few weeks old with consistent activity before the public profile option becomes available.

How to make a public profile on Snapchat

Ready to know how to make your snap public? The process is quite easy, though the interface varies slightly between Android and iPhone. Here’s exactly what you need to do on both platforms.

How to make a public profile on Snapchat on Android

Follow these steps to make a public profile on Snapchat on your Android device:

1. Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top-left corner

2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings

3. Scroll down and select “Create Public Profile” under the Account Actions section. Review the information about public profiles and tap “Okay.”

5. Now, choose your public profile name (this can be different from your display name) and a short bio of up to 150 characters. You can also add a profile picture that will be visible to everyone who visits your public profile.

6. Review your settings related to public replies, auto-save stories, etc.

Once created, you can review your public profile and modify its appearance from your account. 

How to make a public profile on Snapchat on iPhone?

The process on iPhone is nearly identical to Android:

1. Launch Snapchat and tap your Bitmoji or profile picture in the upper-left
2. Tap the settings gear icon in the upper-right. Alternatively, you can tap the My profile picture option under the public profiles section.

3. Enter your public profile name (consider using your brand name or creator alias). Write a compelling bio that explains your content niche. You should also upload a professional profile photo.
4. Once done, you can view your public profile and see how it will appear to the audience. 

How to edit a public profile on Snapchat

You can keep editing and updating your public profile on Snapchat with the evolution of your brand. Here’s how to make changes:

1. Go to your profile by tapping your Bitmoji/profile icon

2. Tap “Public Profile” beneath your display name

3. You’ll see multiple options to edit your snap public profile here

a. Bell icon to adjust notifications

b. Pencil icon to add profile picture, short bio, and enable/disable location and follower count.

c. Option to add a header to your public profile

d. Share button

e. Additional profile settings

Overall, Snapchat provides maximum control over your public profile, so you can easily modify its appearance and control the way users will perceive your profile. 

Pro tip: regularly update your bio with current campaigns, collaborations, or content themes to keep subscribers engaged and informed.

Related Read: How to turn off active status on Snapchat?

Tips to build your brand with a public profile

Having a public profile means nothing if you’re not strategically building your audience. Here’s how to actually grow your Snapchat presence and turn subscribers into engaged followers.

Post consistently

Snapchat rewards consistency with the algorithm’s favor. Aim to post public stories at least once daily, ideally during peak engagement hours for your audience (typically 10 AM – 1 PM and 6 PM – 9 PM).

Unlike Instagram, where you might post once a day, Snapchat’s ephemeral nature encourages more frequent, casual content. Behind-the-scenes glimpses, day-in-the-life stories, and real-time updates perform exceptionally well. The key is establishing a rhythm so subscribers know when to expect your content.

Create a content calendar that balances promotional material with entertaining and educational content. The 80/20 rule works well here: 80% value-driven content, 20% promotional.

Use Snapchat analytics

Once you have a public profile, you gain access to Snapchat Insights, which is a powerful analytics dashboard that shows story views, subscriber demographics, engagement rates, and content performance.

Pay attention to which stories generate the most screenshots, shares, and time spent viewing. These metrics reveal what resonates with your audience. Track subscriber growth trends and identify which content types correlate with spikes in new followers.

The analytics also show you when your audience is most active, allowing you to optimize your posting schedule. Use this data to refine your content strategy continuously rather than guessing what works.

Cross-promote on other platforms

Your existing audience on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or YouTube is your fastest path to Snapchat growth. Don’t assume your followers automatically know you’re on Snapchat, as you need to actively promote your public profile.

Add your Snapcode to your Instagram bio link, mention exclusive Snapchat content in your YouTube videos, and share your Snapchat username across platforms. Create content teasers on other platforms that direct people to “see the full story on Snapchat.”

Consider offering Snapchat-exclusive content or early access to announcements to incentivize your existing audience to follow you there. This could be discount codes, behind-the-scenes content, or direct Q&A sessions.

Related Read: How to post to all social media platforms at once? (4 easy steps)

Collaborate with other creators

Snapchat’s platform is built for collaboration. Partnering with creators in your niche exposes you to their subscriber base while providing fresh content for your audience.

Look for creators with similar subscriber counts and complementary (not competing) content. A fitness creator might partner with a nutrition expert, or a beauty influencer could collaborate with a fashion creator.

Use Snapchat’s story takeover feature, where you post to each other’s accounts for a day, or create collaborative content that appears on both profiles. Make sure to clearly promote the collaboration beforehand to maximize viewership from both audiences.

Also Read: Social media collaboration: how to make it work

Snapchat for business

If you’re building a brand or running a business, a Snapchat public profile is just the beginning. Snapchat for Business offers additional tools specifically designed for companies and content creators looking to monetize their presence.

Snapchat Business accounts can access advertising tools, including Snap Ads, Story Ads, and AR Lens creation. These allow you to reach beyond your subscriber base with targeted advertising campaigns.

The platform’s e-commerce integrations let you tag products in stories, link directly to your website, and even enable in-app purchases. For service-based businesses, Snapchat’s location features help drive foot traffic to physical locations.

To maximize your Snapchat business strategy, integrate it with ContentStudio’s social media management capabilities for cross-promotion. For example, you can plan and schedule your Instagram stories via ContentStudio, and then post the same content to your Snapchat public profile through the native Snapchat app. 

This unified approach ensures your Snapchat presence supports rather than silos your overall marketing strategy.

Conclusion

Creating a public profile on Snapchat opens doors to audience growth, brand building, and monetization opportunities that simply aren’t available with a standard account. Whether you’re an aspiring creator, influencer, or business owner, making your snap public is a crucial step toward using Snapchat’s full potential.

The process is straightforward. Start with meeting the compliance requirements and then follow the setup steps for your device, and you’ll have your public profile live within a few hours. 

But remember, creating the profile is just the starting line. Consistent posting, strategic analytics use, cross-platform promotion, and creator collaborations are what actually build a thriving Snapchat presence.

As you grow your public profile, tools like ContentStudio can streamline your content management. Start building your public presence today, and transform your Snapchat account from a messaging app into a legitimate marketing channel.

FAQs

Can you make a private account on Snapchat?

Snapchat accounts are private by default. When you create a standard Snapchat account, only people you add as friends can see your stories and send you messages. You control who has access to your content through friend approvals. Even with a public profile, you can maintain privacy by choosing which stories are public versus friends-only, and by managing who can contact you directly through privacy settings.

How do you make a public profile on Snapchat?

To make a public profile on Snapchat, open the app and tap your profile icon, then access Settings. Look for “Create Public Profile” under Account Actions and follow the prompts to set your public name, bio, and profile picture. You must be 16 or older and have an account in good standing. 

Why can’t I make a public profile on Snapchat?

If you can’t create a public profile, you likely don’t meet one of Snapchat’s requirements. The most common reasons include being under 16 years old, having community guideline violations on your account, using a brand new account without established activity, or being in a region where public profiles aren’t available. Check your birthdate in settings, review any account warnings, and ensure your account has been active for at least a few weeks before trying again.

How old do I have to be to make a public profile on Snapchat?

You must be at least 16 years old to create a public profile on Snapchat and 18 years old to access business/professional accounts. This age requirement is strictly enforced and based on the birthdate you provided when creating your account.