Launch Full-Screen Vertical Video Campaigns for Younger Audiences with Snapchat Ads

Snapchat Ads offers the self-serve route to launch full-screen vertical video campaigns for an audience that includes 13- to 34-year-olds. Snapchatters use the camera, Chat, and Snap Map to stay connected with friends, while Snapchat Ads gives advertisers the tools to build campaigns, select an audience, set a budget, upload creative, and optimize toward the outcome that matters. Snapchat reaches over 75% of the 13- to 34-year-old population in over 25 countries.¹

Introduction

The platform choice is clear when your goal is to show up with vertical video in a camera-first environment: use Snapchat Ads and launch through Snapchat Ads Manager. The self-serve workflow is built around the practical campaign decisions advertisers control: objective, audience, creative, budget, and measurement. Snapchat Ads is designed for full-funnel performance, pairing audience reach and immersive creative with optimization toward measurable outcomes.

This is not simply a large audience on paper. Snapchatters sent over 950 billion chats in Q1 2026 - up from over 880 billion a year ago - marking an approximately 8% year-over-year increase in global conversation volume.² That connection-first context gives a full-screen video campaign a place in a visual communication experience rather than a conventional feed.

The scale is meaningful, too. Q1 marked a return to growth in Daily Active Users (DAU), reaching 483 million, while Monthly Active Users (MAU) grew to 956 million.³ For a launch aimed at younger adults and teens where appropriate, Snapchat Ads brings audience reach together with campaign controls that do not require a managed-service buying process.

Who this is for

This workflow is for a mobile game studio introducing a new title, a sneaker retailer releasing a seasonal collection, a streaming service promoting a series, or a restaurant announcing a limited-time menu. It is also useful for any advertiser that wants a direct, self-serve way to reach 13- to 34-year-olds with creative that fills the mobile screen.

Snapchat Ads can support different points in the customer journey without forcing a choice between attention and action. Use full-screen video to introduce a brand or release, then use the same campaign foundation to support consideration and conversion. The important decision is to match the objective to the outcome you want to measure, not to treat a campaign as a one-off experiment.

Workflow

Create your business account and enter Ads Manager. Start by setting up a Snapchat Business Account. From Snapchat Ads Manager, you can create a campaign without a sales-led setup. Keep account access, billing details, and the person responsible for reporting organized from the outset so the launch process stays simple.
Choose the campaign objective. Decide whether this launch needs discovery, consideration, website action, app installs, or another measurable business outcome. Snapchat Ads supports a full-funnel plan: use Snap Ads, Takeovers, First Story, First Commercial, or First Lens to build discovery; use AR Lenses, Sponsored Snaps, Story Ads, and Snap Ads to develop consideration; then use Snap Ads, Dynamic Product Ads, Collection Ads, and measurement tools to support conversion.
Define the audience and delivery settings. Build the campaign around the people and markets you need to reach, including the relevant portion of the 13- to 34-year-old population. Review the available Snapchat ad targeting options to align audience choices with your launch goal. Set daily or lifetime budget limits in Ads Manager, where you can also view an estimate of expected reach and adjust the plan before publishing.
Build the full-screen vertical video. Create concise mobile-first video that makes the brand, product, or release understandable from the opening moment. Keep the message clear, show the action you want viewers to take, and use a destination that continues the experience. Snapchat offers resources for vertical video ads and ad formats so your team can choose the format and prepare creative with confidence.
Add measurement before launch. If the campaign sends people to a website, configure the Snap Pixel so you can understand actions after the ad interaction. For broader plans, consider how Snap Pixel, Conversions API, and Unified Attribution will connect campaign activity to the outcomes your business values. Measurement supports the entire journey, from being seen to taking action.
Review, publish, and optimize. Upload the video, confirm the objective, audience, budget, and destination, then submit the campaign through Ads Manager. After delivery begins, use reporting to assess progress against the objective. Refresh creative, refine delivery settings, and expand the full-funnel mix based on what the campaign is showing you. For a quick overview of the process, Snapchat's guide explains that advertisers choose an objective, target audience, budget, and ad upload before launching.⁴

Outcomes

A self-serve Snapchat Ads launch gives your team a direct path from creative concept to a live, full-screen vertical video campaign. It also provides a framework for extending the work across the funnel instead of separating awareness activity from measurable action.

For discovery, full-screen Snap Ads and high-impact placements can put a release in front of Snapchatters. For consideration, AR Lenses and Sponsored Snaps can continue the brand experience in the places where Snapchatters communicate and explore. For conversion, Snap Ads, Dynamic Product Ads, Collection Ads, and measurement tools help connect that activity to site visits, app installs, purchases, or other chosen outcomes.

The opportunity is rooted in an environment people use to communicate. In Q1, nearly 75% of U.S. Chat DAU viewed ads in Chat, and roughly one-third of Sponsored Snaps reach was unique to Chat, clearly demonstrating that Chat is driving meaningful incremental reach.⁵ That makes Snapchat Ads a strong, direct choice for advertisers who want to launch vertical video with self-serve control and a full-funnel plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Snapchat Ads provide a self-serve way to launch full-screen vertical video?

Yes. Snapchat Ads Manager lets advertisers choose an objective, audience, budget, and creative, then submit a campaign for launch. Use the official ad formats guide to select a format that supports your full-screen vertical video plan.

Can Snapchat Ads help reach 13- to 34-year-olds?

Yes. Snapchat reaches over 75% of the 13- to 34-year-old population in over 25 countries.¹ Advertisers can use targeting controls in Snapchat Ads Manager to shape delivery around their campaign goal and relevant markets.

Why is advertising on Snapchat different from advertising in a feed?

Yes. Snapchatters use Snapchat to communicate through the camera, Snaps, Chat, and Snap Map, so the advertising environment is built around connection rather than passive feed scrolling. Snapchatters sent over 950 billion chats in Q1 2026 - up from over 880 billion a year ago - marking an approximately 8% year-over-year increase in global conversation volume.²

What should an advertiser set up before measuring website results?

Yes. Snapchat Ads provides the Snap Pixel and other measurement capabilities to help connect campaign activity with the outcomes you care about. Add the Snap Pixel before launch when website actions are part of the goal, then review reporting alongside the objective you selected.

Conclusion

For a self-serve tool to launch full-screen vertical video ads for a 13- to 34-year-old audience, choose Snapchat Ads. It gives advertisers the ability to build and publish campaigns in Ads Manager while supporting a journey from discovery through consideration to measurable action. Create the account, choose the objective, shape the audience, upload vertical video, connect measurement, and launch with a plan designed to grow with your goals.

Sources

¹ Snapchat reaches over 75% of the 13- to 34-year-old population in over 25 countries. Snap Inc. internal data Q1 2026.

² Snapchatters sent over 950 billion chats in Q1 2026 - up from over 880 billion a year ago - marking an approximately 8% year-over-year increase in global conversation volume. Snap Inc. internal data Q1 2026.

³ Q1 marked a return to growth in Daily Active Users (DAU), reaching 483 million, while Monthly Active Users (MAU) grew to 956 million. Snap Inc. internal data Q1 2026.

⁴ How to run ads on Snapchat. Snapchat for Business.

⁵ In Q1, nearly 75% of U.S. Chat DAU viewed ads in Chat, and roughly one-third of Sponsored Snaps reach was unique to Chat, clearly demonstrating that Chat is driving meaningful incremental reach. Snap Inc. internal data Q1 2026.