Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp · Strategy · Entry · 45 to 60 minutes

Should Snapchat add broadcast sharing?

Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp are mobile apps people use to share photos, videos, and messages with friends, with Snapchat centered on camera messaging, Instagram on social posting, and WhatsApp on chat. Answer this product management case and get it graded line by line against a weighted rubric.

user insight
product strategy
prioritization
metrics
experimentation

The situation

In 2013, a product director at Snapchat asks you for a recommendation. Snapchat is growing with teenagers because sending photos and videos feels quick, private, and low pressure. But the team keeps seeing the same pattern in research and product usage: users often send nearly identical snaps to multiple friends or groups when they want to share what is happening right now. Existing social apps are mostly built around permanent, polished posts, which many younger users say they avoid for everyday moments. You have one question to answer: should Snapchat expand beyond person to person and group messaging into a lightweight way to share a temporary update with a broader set of friends at once? Why now: this repeated behavior suggests unmet demand, but the move is risky. A broader sharing format could increase posting and viewing, or it could confuse users, weaken Snapchat's private feel, and make the app look more like the permanent social networks it wants to avoid. Assume the team can launch one major sharing experiment this cycle. You need to decide whether to pursue this opportunity, for whom, and how success should be judged.

What to produce

Write a 1 page product strategy memo, about 500 to 700 words.

Your answer must

State your recommendation clearly, build now, test first, or do not pursue, and name the core user problem you are solving.
Identify the primary target user and explain which observed behavior in the scenario matters most.
Describe the proposed experience at a high level, or explain what Snapchat should do instead, and why it fits Snapchat better than current alternatives.
Define 3 to 5 success metrics, including at least one creator metric, one viewer metric, and one guardrail metric.
List the biggest risks and assumptions, and propose a simple first experiment or rollout plan to reduce uncertainty.

Constraints

Your recommendation must build on Snapchat's existing camera and messaging product, not on brands, influencers, or public follower culture.
The solution should preserve a low pressure, temporary feel and should not depend on polished permanent profiles.
The team can support only one major experiment in this cycle, so scope must stay narrow and testable.

Format

A strong memo usually has five parts: decision, user insight, proposal, success metrics, and risks with next steps.

How Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp actually played it

Traces how Snapchat Stories was copied by Instagram and WhatsApp, and what product discovery led to the idea. Explains why the ephemeral format spread.

Copying a feature works when it fits an existing behavior
Casual formats lower the barrier to posting
Watch how an idea moves across platforms

Built from The Story of Stories: how a 10-second feature took over your feed by Sreerag Panat.