The Rise of BeReal
The new app BeReal is the talk of the internet lately. This photo-sharing app has been downloaded over 20 million times and has maintained top spots on the U.S. Apple Store in the free apps section. What is this new app? Do influencers and brands have a place on the app, or will they ever?
What is BeReal?
BeReal is a social media app that originated in France in 2020. All users are simultaneously prompted to share a live capture of their front and back cameras within two minutes. Once users share their photos, they will see a feed of photographs taken by those in their contacts.
Users can interact with their friends’ photos and even see a feed of all users on the app, not just those in their phone contacts. Users can opt to retake a picture, but others will be notified that their photo is not the original.
Recently, the app has gained popularity and has been deemed by users as an “anti-Instagram” app. This label likely comes from users being prompted to “be real” and share their life at a random time of day rather than polish themselves for an Instagram photo or video.
How have brands and creators been using the app?
With the growing popularity of BeReal, creators and brands have been posting relatable content regarding the app. It has become an ever-increasing TikTok trend to post about loving BeReal, not posting your pictures on time, or showing that your photos look the same day in and out.
Some brands have joined BeReal and used it for promotional reasons, like e.l.f. Makeup. In their TikTok, they prompt users to find them on the app for a chance to win a “surprise.”
Influencers cannot be as public with the content they post on BeReal. To better engage their followers, creators and brands have posted content related to their BeReal photos. Some companies post behind the scenes at the office videos while some make comedy content regarding the app. In doing so, brands and creators are keeping up to date with current trends while not being able to have as much of a public presence on the app itself.
BeReal is trending all over the internet right now. Brands and influencers would be crazy not to jump on the trend of using it and making related content. Moving forward, it isn’t possible to know if BeReal could become a spot for influencer marketing to shine, but for now, it remains a topic for discussion on social media.
