Leaked memo reveals the Republican campaign arm of the Senate thinks it's time for candidates to start taking Snapchat seriously

A leaked memo, obtained by Politico, shows that the Republican campaign arm of the Senate wants its candidates to get onto Snapchat. 

The National Republican Senate Committee issued the two-page memo explaining how Snapchat has crossed 8 billion video views a day, "another sign that we need to start considering Snapchat in the same league as Facebook, Twitter, and Google," the memo said. 

The NRSC has already been active on Snapchat, posting to both its own channel and buying political advertisements. The response to those ads was "impressive" and the NRSC plans to buy more, it said.

Of course, the decision to join should be left up to the strength of each individual campaign, but the memo also included five helpful suggestions on how candidates can get started using Snapchat on the campaign trail:

• "Use Snapchat to give a behind-the-scenes look at your candidate and the campaign. Where they go to eat, what they do before a speech/event, driving in the car from event to event – things people normally wouldn’t get to see."
• "Snapchat can also be used to allow people to attend events without being there. You can snap them speaking to volunteers, going on factory or plant tours, or walking in parades."
• "Let candidates be themselves. The more authentic, the better. Cheering for sports teams, visiting favorite local restaurants, and practicing interesting hobbies can all be good material for snap stories."
• "You can also use young volunteers in your snaps by snapping them making calls, knocking doors, or just working around the office."
• "Don’t make your snap story too long. Keep it to less than 45 seconds as best you can. The shorter the snap story, the more likely people are to watch the whole thing."

You can read the full memo here.