Top Tips to Grow Your Snapchat Following from 0 to 500

By Gareth O’Sullivan, Social Media Influencer (@_GarethG)
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If you're not on Snapchat already, then stop what you are doing, right now. 

No, seriously. Snapchat, whether you like it or not, is the perfect social app to be on if you're a B2C organisation. B2B companies are also taking advantage of this rapidly growing app. 

Gone are the times of just Snapchat selfies. Companies are using Snapchat to stay connected with their customers, prospects and provide exclusive content for those followers. 

Creating a Snapchat account for your company is a great idea, you can show off exclusive behind-the-scenes content, deals, sneakpeaks etc, but if you've got such a small Snapchat audience then you're doing something wrong. 

On my Snapchat, I have over 500 users, now I'm going to give you my top tips on how I gained those. 

Ghostcodes 

If you're looking to grow your Snapchat following fairly quickly, then I'd suggest first downloading the Ghostcodes app, available on both Apple and Android. This app allows you to upload your Snapchat code and tag yourself under specific categories.
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The good thing about this app is that there are various categories to choose from which include Viral Stars, Sports, Comedians, Fitness, Brands, Music, Storytellers, Entrepreneurs, Inspirational and plenty more! 

You can then add specific "interests" to help others find your profile. Here's what my Ghostcode 
profile looks like.

When you visit a ghostcode profile, you are given various options. You can download the user's Snapchat code, give "Kudos"and also check out their social media they have linked on the profile. 

This is perfect for gaining new followers that will be interested in the specific content you intend to post. 

Snapchat Code 

One of the best and fastest ways to gain new followers on your Snapchat is by downloading and sharing your Snapchat code. Share it on your social media networks, send it your colleagues, friends etc. All they have to do with the code is download it, head over to their Snapchat and scan it. Boom, they'll then have the option to add you. 

I've seen many people feature their Snapchat code on their blogs, using it as their Twitter profile image etc. Those a great methods to gain more followers on the social app. 

Snapchat Links 

Whilst it's good to share your Snapchat code, it's also very handy and quick for people to add you via Snapchat's add friend link. Every Snapchat account will have a link that allows people to add you when they click on it. To grab your link open Snapchat and scroll down so you see the option "Add Friends", click on that then click on "Share Username". You should see the option "Copy" if you click that you'll have the following message copied: 

"Add me on  Snapchat! Username: your_username https://www.snapchat.com/add/*your_username* for example, my Snapchat link is https://www.snapchat.com/add/mynamesgareth

The good thing about this is that you can place the link anywhere. Whether you want to just post it to your social channels is up to you, and that's a good idea to start with, but you could also place it in your email signature, send it to your colleagues, friends, include it on your blog etc. 

I've found that by placing it in my Twitter bio link section, I've gained a lot of Snapchat adds. Perfect for when it comes to promoting products, engaging with people etc as I have a large audience. 

Snapchat Recommendations 

If you've been living under a rock recently, you might not have heard about Snapchat's new feature. 

Just kidding, they didn't really make much of a fuss about it. 

Recently, Snapchat added the ability to recommend accounts worth following with the new suggest feature. 

Usually you'd have to manually find the person's exact Snapchat handle and send it to your friends manually, but you don't need to worry about that anymore. This new feature allows you to suggest accounts to your friends with ease. 

On the stories list, tap and hold a user's name to reveal a blue arrow. Once clicked, you will be able to send the account to your followers as a recommendation. They'll then receive the recommendation via private chat allowing people to add them. It should look something like the below.

So there you go, applying these simple tips to your Snapchat marketing strategy will definitely help you grow your account. 

If you've got any questions or have some other tips you'd like to share, then please feel free to comment below! 
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Gareth is a versatile digital marketer with experience on various social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many more. Gareth also writes various blog posts like this one. You can follow and stay connected with Gareth onTwitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can also contact Gareth directly on his site here.