Snapchat has launched a new “Shared Stories” option, enabling users to invite other Snapchatters to contribute to their stories, fueling more engagement and collaboration on the app. 

When a user creates a “Shared Story”, they will be able to choose people who will contribute to it. The story will then be viewable by both the user’s and the contributor’s connections, empowering a new type of collaboration within Snap content.

As explained by Snapchat: “Shared Stories is a new iteration of Custom Stories, a product that previously allowed Snapchatters to create a Story and add friends to view and contribute. Now, with our new and improved Shared Stories, Snapchatters who’ve been added to the group can add their friends as well, making it easier for the whole soccer team, camp squad, or group of new coworkers to get in on the fun.”

“Shared Stories” content will be moderated by a combination of automatic language detection and community review tools. Like regular Snapchat content, Snaps sent to a Shared Story will be deleted after 24 hours. Snapchat will also notify users if they’ve joined a Shared Story with someone they have blocked. 

“This gives Snapchatters the opportunity to leave the Shared Story, and ensures Snapchatters are always in complete control over who they share content with on our platform.”

This new feature is expected to empower a new form of collaboration between friends, as well as facilitate influencer collaboration and community engagement for brands by putting user-generated content front and center.