datawebotSnapchat Public Profile data: Stories, Spotlight and metrics
Map Snapchat Public Profile content and metrics. Separate public-subset API data from creator-shared insights; requests still require allowlisting, OAuth and an access token.
A Public Profile is the owner record; its Stories, Spotlights and Lenses are assets
Snap describes Public Profiles as homes for public brand and creator content. Its API documentation distinguishes standard and official profile tiers and person/business categories. Keep that profile identity apart from each content asset and its own lifecycle; an official profile tier is not proof that the creator has authorized access to private insights.
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| Source record | Snap's documented scope | Keep distinct |
|---|---|---|
| Public Profile | A public creator or business profile, with a category and public or public-official tier. | Profile category/tier describes the profile; it does not grant an API token or creator data-sharing consent. |
| Story | An ephemeral public Story; Snap's API introduction says Stories can be viewable for up to 24 hours. | Record the asset ID and creation/end times when returned. A Story view is not a profile visit. |
| Saved Story or Spotlight | Saved Stories remain on a profile; Spotlights are persistent video Snaps distributed in Spotlight. | Keep Saved Story and Spotlight asset types separate even when both remain available after posting. |
| Lens | An augmented-reality experience surfaced through Snapchat's camera. | Treat Lens plays, scans and play time as Lens measures, not video views or profile reach. |
Metric names and meaning depend on the asset and reporting surface
Snap's API metric reference assigns fields to supported profile or asset types, while Snapchat Support describes in-app Insights labels. Do not assume every UI metric is returned by every public endpoint, or that a metric with a similar name uses the same period or aggregation.
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| Asset and surface | Documented examples | Interpretation rule |
|---|---|---|
| Public Story Insights | Views, viewers, screenshots, replies, swipe-ups, interactions, average view time and total view time. | Snap groups past Public Story Snaps in 24-hour windows; preserve the Story/Snap and selected Insights range. |
| Spotlight Insights | Views, unique viewers, followers gained, favorites where enabled, reposts, comments, shares, clicks and view-time measures. | Some viewer, repost, comment and share counts may also appear publicly. Keep public display separate from account-only Insights. |
| Lens API statistics | `LENS_PLAYS`, `LENS_UNIQUES`, `PLAY_TIME_MILLIS` and Lens scan-related fields where supported. | A play, unique user, scan and duration are different events; check the selected Lens endpoint and field support. |
| Combined Spotlight reporting | The API reference distinguishes organic `SPOTLIGHT_VIEWS` from `SPOTLIGHT_PAID_VIEWS` and `SPOTLIGHT_COMBINED_VIEWS`. | Retain the exact metric label and paid/organic composition instead of treating combined views as organic performance. |
| Profile Insights | Profile subscriber counts and profile-level or audience summaries in the available UI/API view. | Keep profile-level totals separate from asset-level viewers and note the interface or endpoint that supplied them. |
A public API endpoint is still an authenticated, allowlisted API
Snap's Get Started guide says the Public Profile API is allowlist-only and every request requires an OAuth access token. Its public endpoints do not require profile-owner authorization, but return only a subset of public metadata and statistics. More detailed profile data uses creator OAuth or the creator's opt-in data-sharing path.
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| Access path | Authorization boundary | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Public Profile API public endpoints | An allowlisted Snap OAuth app and bearer token are still required; no per-profile owner authorization is required for the documented public subset. | Public endpoint does not mean anonymous browser access, unrestricted API use or full creator analytics. |
| Authorized creator insights | Snap documents creator OAuth or creator opt-in data sharing for additional creator data. | A public profile page or a different creator's consent does not authorize this profile's insights. |
| Content management | The API overview also describes partner actions to manage content, view analytics and promote content on a brand/creator's behalf. | A product description is not proof that an application has permission, allowlisting or creator approval for those actions. |
Preserve the query window, granularity and asset state with each statistic
Snap's stats reference supports `DAY`, `TOTAL` and `LIFETIME` granularity, date-window queries for applicable endpoints, optional breakdown dimensions and pagination for asset lists. It also notes that profile-level aggregates may not decrease when an underlying asset is deleted. These details affect whether two snapshots can be compared.
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| Context to retain | Why it matters | Validation before comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Profile ID, asset type and asset ID | Profile-wide aggregates and per-asset observations have different grains. | Keep the type and stable IDs alongside the returned metric; do not join using profile display name alone. |
| Granularity and UTC time window | Daily, total and lifetime values answer different questions; date filters are request parameters. | Store requested start/end times, granularity, and retrieval timestamp. |
| Metric field and breakdown | Not every metric is supported for every asset or breakdown; unsupported combinations can fail validation. | Use the current endpoint-specific field matrix and preserve dimensions such as country or age when returned. |
| Paging and request status | A paginated asset response or partial status is not a complete profile snapshot. | Record page/cursor completion and request/sub-request status. |
| Asset deletion and aggregate history | Snap documents that some profile-level lifetime totals can remain unchanged after an asset is deleted. | Do not infer current content visibility from a cumulative profile statistic alone. |
Snap's user terms and developer-data terms cover different boundaries
Snap's Terms of Service effective 21 September 2026 prohibit automated or semi-automated access, extraction or copying under the Snap Inc. terms. The separate Snap Group Limited terms contain a narrow exception for eligible researchers collecting publicly available data under the EU Digital Services Act. Snap Developer Terms separately require use of Business Services Data only as expressly permitted and restrict building or supplementing directories, databases, profiles, search or recommendation records from developer-program data.
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| Document | Reviewed scope | Do not overread |
|---|---|---|
| Snap Inc. Terms | The U.S. terms list robots, scrapers, scripts and other automated or semi-automated means to access, extract or copy Services data as prohibited. | Attribute this to the U.S. terms and effective date; do not describe it as the exact clause for every region or account. |
| Snap Group Limited Terms | The non-U.S. terms retain a stated eligible-researcher exception for public data under the EU Digital Services Act. | Do not extend the exception to any researcher, other regions, private data or API terms. |
| Snap Developer Terms | Developer-program Business Services Data may be used only as expressly permitted; §5 restricts deriving or supplementing certain directories, databases and profiles from that data. | API access does not grant a general media-republication license or blanket right to build a public profile directory. |
Use Snapchat Public Profiles for creator content, not shopping catalog fields
The Public Profile API is about brand and creator profiles, their content assets and metrics. It is not a public product-catalog API and does not expose private messages, friends or non-public account dashboards. For shoppable product records, use a source page that documents the product/catalog surface separately.
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| Research question | Source boundary | Next reference |
|---|---|---|
| Public creator or brand content metrics | Public Profile and asset statistics, subject to API access, field support and sharing state. | Keep profile/asset ID, metric name, period and authorization path. |
| Shopping product catalog | Product identifiers, offers and shoppable listing fields require a commerce source and its own evidence. | Compare Instagram Shopping's catalog scope separately from Snapchat creator analytics. |
| Collection or use permission | Public visibility and API documentation do not replace the terms or permissions for the actual collection route. | Review the crawler/access guide and verify reviewed coverage before planning a workflow. |
Content reviewed 2026-10-07.