If you market to Saudi Arabia and plan your budget like you would for Egypt or Europe, you're probably underspending on the platform that matters most to young Saudis: Snapchat.
Why Snapchat is different in Saudi
The numbers are unusual for any market:
- Snapchat has passed 25 million monthly active users in Saudi Arabia, with people spending around 70 minutes a day on it, according to Snap's Saudi general manager (Gulf News).
- It reaches over 90% of 13–34-year-olds in the Kingdom, and users open the app more than 50 times a day on average (Arab News).
In many countries Snapchat is a side channel. In Saudi Arabia it's daily life.
Who you reach
Mostly young adults and teens, but "young" in Saudi Arabia is a huge share of the population and a big share of spending, especially in fashion, beauty, food, gaming, entertainment, telecom and e-commerce.
Ad formats worth knowing
- Single image or video ads between Stories: the workhorse
- Story ads: a branded tile in the Discover feed
- Collection ads: product catalog under a video, great for e-commerce
- AR Lenses: interactive filters, strong for brand awareness and launches
- Spotlight ads: in the short-video feed
Creative that works on Snapchat
- Vertical, full-screen, sound on
- Hook in the first second: Snaps get skipped fast
- Looks native: shot on a phone, a real person talking, Saudi dialect
- One clear message per ad
- Fast cuts and on-screen text
Polished TV-style ads with English voiceover usually underperform.
Working with Saudi creators
Saudi Snapchat has a strong creator culture, with big creators reaching national-TV-sized audiences every day. For launches, a mix of paid ads plus a few creator stories often beats either alone. Agree on clear deliverables and track with unique codes or links.
How to test Snapchat properly
- Install the Snap Pixel and conversions API before spending
- Run Snapchat alongside Meta and TikTok with the same offer and period
- Give it at least 2–3 weeks
- Compare cost per purchase or lead in your own backend, not just platform dashboards
- Move budget toward the winner
The bottom line
For brands targeting young Saudis, Snapchat isn't optional. It's often where attention actually is. Build native creative, test it fairly, and let the numbers decide.
Planning a Saudi campaign? Let's talk.