Snapchat is now rolling out a new feature called custom Stories, a new type of Snapchat Story designed for easier sharing.
Once the feature is enabled on a user's account, they'll be able to create global and geofenced stories with select friends. It's somewhat an expansion of Snapchat's geofilters, which let users create custom filters for events such as weddings, birthdays, and more.
Snapchat is introducing this feature along with a new sharing mechanic that could help attract new users — a potential uptick parent company Snap Inc. definitely needs to brave through its staunch competition with Instagram.
How To Create A Custom Story
To make one, users need to tap the new "Create Story" icon displayed in the top-right corner of the Stories screen. Then, users can give the Story a name, and select friends who'll want to join in — regardless of where they are in the world.
Users can also invite other Snapchat users if they're within proximity, at which point Snapchat creates a 1-block geofence around the host's current location. Custom Stories will only include other Stories from friends and, if the user allows it, friends of friends.
After creating a custom Story, the original user and other participants can then add several Stories to it piecemeal. Think of it as a typical Story but collaborative. Snapchat's demo video illustrates the feature perfectly, with three girls on a roadtrip adding their own Stories under the "Girls' Trip" custom Story.
Custom Stories will remain live until nobody contributes a story for 24 hours, or if the original host deletes it. There's no limit to the number of Stories a user can add, but there can only be up to three custom Stories at once.
Custom Stories: What's The Point?
Custom Stories makes sense as Snapchat's platform has always relied on sharing. The company this time is simply making that sharing mechanic more communal and collaborative. A summer vacation, for example, can be documented by all participants, resulting in a more diverse bundle of Stories for all involved to see. Gatherings such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, or conferences are where custom Stories could shine.
Most importantly, custom Stories encourages friends and participants to share. Therefore, someone who doesn't create Stories often can be lured by friends to do so, especially if these people are in the same event, celebration, or getaway.
Can Custom Stories Help Snapchat Attract More Users?
Snap Inc. has to hope that custom Stories fare well among users, especially given its head-shaking earnings report released recently, in which it suffered a reported loss of $2 billion. The company now has to punch its efforts up a notch to attract more users and convince them to increase app usage.
Custom stories could draw users and friends together during big events such as the Olympics, TV competitions, big events, and more. This encourages them to create more Stories overtime, and that alone might convince other users to hop on the Snapchat train.
Hopefully Instagram doesn't copy it, too.
Thoughts about Snapchat's new custom Stories? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
