What is BeReal?
No filters, No followers, No Ads, No bullshit. Just your friends, for real.
The French social media apps tagline pretty much says it all.
Born out of a dire need for more authenticity and spontaneity online, BeReal encourages its users to take a glimpse into their friends’ real day-to-day lives.
The app sends out a “Time to BeReal” push notification once a day at a seemingly randomised time. This prompts a two-minute countdown for users to snap a pic of what they’re up to in that moment. The app then cleverly captures a photo from both front and back cameras, offering their friends an intimate insight into their daily movements.
BeReal & Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
We are seeing more and more businesses drive engagement to their BeReal accounts through tactics such as creating an exclusive discount code or offer within their BeReal snap from that day. Aside from this driving customers to their website or service, it also creates a sense of exclusivity and community for their customers.
With over 20 million daily users worldwide, it seems that people are resonating with this casual form of online interaction. Perhaps as a rebellion to Instagram’s heavy push on reels and e-tail. Having said that, it is unlikely that we will see BeReal have a similar promotional impact to other social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, unless they undergo a pretty significant restructure.
We have witnessed this over the past few years with similar apps like Clubhouse, Dispo and Poparazzi. Clearly, the idea of authenticity is captivating but there is no evidence to support this translating into long term growth and sustainability.
Our top BeReal tips
Consider your audience
With BeReal skewing largely to a Gen Z audience, it’s important to consider your target demographic before jumping on the app. If your audience is not likely to already be using BeReal on a daily basis, it may be a futile addition to your brand presence.
Australian fashion brand ‘Princess Polly’ is a great example of successfully using the platform for their key audiences. With a trendy office and fashion forward team, their BTS content is highly sought after by their customers, so the BeReal platform seamlessly slides into their brand presence. They are also modeling a great example of intentional cross-platform posting, through advertising their BeReal via TikTok for Gen Z audiences.
Stay true to the platform
The app’s popularity is largely due to the casual nature of the content. It’s important that you are platform aware and not posting overly polished content. A great example for BeReal best practice content is American fast-food giant ‘Chipotle’. Referenced below, Chipotle remained true to an informal posting style while still engaging with their audience in a unique way. Candice Beck, Chipotle’s director of social and influencer confirmed that, all available codes were claimed within minutes, and they successfully built a large community on the BeReal platform.
Consider your existing following
In order to build an audience on BeReal, users need to add the brand account as a friend and you must accept their request. Grow your following by promoting the account through your existing social channels, and on other marketing collateral such as your e-newsletter and any printed materials. If you’re a new business starting out or have a smaller, more niche following, we recommend focusing on platforms where you are more discoverable, such as Instagram.