Although Snapchat has been around since 2011, it has recently become one of the top ways young people communicate. However, Snapchat is not exclusively used by YA tweens and it is time that publishing took note of the platform. The latest data reveals that 71% of Snapchat users are under 34, and Snapchat has potential to reach far more audiences than the YA market.

With new features such as live video and chat boxes, Snapchat has revolutionised the way hundreds of millions of people communicate with friends, and celebrities, every day.

The ability to share visual content through a Snapchat story, rather than directly to friends in your address book, allows it to be the perfect social platform for forward thinking brands and bloggers alike. Followers can view images and videos as many times as they like over 24 hours before it disappears. Snapchat can help you create a personal relationship with your followers while keeping content fun, fresh and interesting.

So, how can publishing use it?

1) Bloggers

Top bloggers become personalities, and even celebrities, in their online communities. Brands such as Kylie Jenner (@kylizzlemynizzle) and Zoella (@officialzoella) have made an art form of promoting themselves through their Snapchat accounts. Why not do the same? Posting video and picture content is an easy way to advertise your bookish lifestyle.

Posting images to your Snapchat story is a great way to announce the publication of a new post as it only lasts 24 hours. It is also a great way to forge connections to other bloggers by promoting other blogs and Snapchat accounts.

2) Publishing professionals

Already managed to create a hype around a new book? Intensify it by allowing fans to witness every stage of the publishing process: from the arrival of proof copies to publicity coverage and bookish events. This is particularly effective for sequels or books coming out as part of a series.

3) Recruitment

It makes sense to recruit dynamic, diverse and creative social media experts from their natural habitat – social media. Penguin Random House revolutionised publishing recruitment when they announced the introduction of ‘The Scheme’ an 18 month paid training programme via Tumblr.

The decision to launch ‘The Scheme’ was clearly designed to reach a more diverse, and younger, cohort to the entry-level scheme. Many publishers also use Facebook to advertise work experience placements. While some brands are clearly utilising social media to reach the talent they want, no publishing house has yet managed to create an entirely social recruitment process. Snapchat would be a perfect way to keep applicants up to date with the latest developments in the application process.

Demelza Griffiths is an English Literature finalist and social media enthusiast who can’t wait to escape the ivory towers of university to seek a career in book publicity. Her blog, Books feat. Politics covers the latest and greatest in political non-fiction and literary fiction. Find her on Twitter, Instagram and WordPress.