In a world of predictable feeds and brand collaborations, BeReal is a breath of fresh air.
As the name suggests, this upcoming social media platform is focused on one thing—keeping it real. The user experience and interface of this app are something that has never been seen before in the world of social connectivity.
BeReal is going to change the face of brand marketing. “BeReal won’t make you famous; if you want to become an influencer, you can stay on TikTok and Instagram.”
This is what BeReal’s team said in an interview, and it pretty much captures the essence of the app and what makes it different.
In other words, it does not focus on you posting thought-out selfies and elaborate photoshoots. You need to post as and when the app prompts you to, and you cannot post aesthetic and edited pre-clicked pictures from your gallery.
Let’s see what sets this app apart from the established behemoths.
What is BeReal?
BeReal is a social media app that is entirely different from the ones that currently exist. It focuses on users portraying their real selves through time-limited posts that they must post at a specific time each day.
The user cannot post pre-clicked pictures and has to post a shot right at the time when the app prompts them to.
BeReal was launched in 2020 by French entrepreneur Alexis Barreyat. In the past few months, this app has gained much popularity, especially in the North American continent. The app has amassed a staggering 2.7 million downloads in May 2023 alone in the USA.
How is BeReal Different?
BeReal’s model is based on making its users show their candid selves every day. No filters, no editing, nothing. It is also called ‘Anti-Instagram’ for this reason.
It brings back the normalcy that is worth celebrating.
Secondly, most individuals want to steer away from the constant brand advertisements and the ‘influencer’ culture. This is why BeReal has been booming across the world. Its downloads have grown by 315% since the turn of 2021. However, it is not brand-friendly yet.
Here are a few UVPs of BeReal that make it markedly unique:
More Reality, Less Aesthetics
Everyone wants to show off the best moments of their lives. But what about the less dazzling and less aesthetic moments? They get lost in time as we forget to appreciate the little things in the race for the next big thing.
BeReal makes sure you share a single post every day. If it doesn’t turn out to be your best picture, fret not. The posts are deleted the next day automatically. So, there is no more pressure of color-coordinated, aesthetically appealing feeds.
Eliminates Negative Effects on Mental Health
Body image issues, envy, and jealousy are just some of the few things people have experienced on most social media apps. As everyone’s life looks picture-perfect, it is difficult to feel satisfied with your own.
“We’re in a cultural moment where people just seem to be getting tired of the aspirational, performative culture of Instagram,” says Cornell University’s professor Brooke Duffy in the New York Times in 2021.
Social media fatigue is real, and the desire to follow someone else’s lifestyle has become an unhealthy habit. BeReal’s model tackles this by eliminating the need to show off online.
Authenticity is the Priority
BeReal aims to introduce authenticity in every post. All of the app’s features focus on getting users involved rather than just simply dropping a laughing emoji or a straight face. BeReal has something known as ‘Realmojis.’ Interesting, right?
A realmoji is a replacement for the thumbs-up or heart icon and requires you to click and share a real-time selfie as a reaction to someone’s post. This increases authenticity and brings a personal factor to every post, which is not found in today’s mainstream social media.
People need a human connection, and BeReal meets this need amazingly.
How to Post on BeReal?
Before we get into the specifics of how to use BeReal, let us take you through the main features of the app:
- You can share pictures of yourself and your life on BeReal, but there is a catch. Everybody is required to post at the same time, once a day.
- The app alerts users that it’s ‘Time to Be Real’ at various times throughout the day.
- When a user opens the app, a two-minute timer begins, giving them a finite period to take a picture of whatever they’re doing at that particular moment.
- For other users to see how you look and where you are when you post on BeReal, the app takes a picture using both your front and back cameras.
With such a limited time to post, you have no choice but to show your friends the daily, real you.
Let’s see how the app works in real-time and how you can make your first post on BeReal.
Step 1: Download the BeReal app
Download the BeReal app from the Play Store or the App Store. On startup, you can see four pages of bite-sized information about the app’s features. Go through these and click on ‘Let’s get started.’
Step 2: Fill in Your Details
Fill in all the necessary details, such as your name, DOB, phone number, etc. Pick out a username to set up your profile.
Step 3: Let’s Get Real
With successful signup, a notification will pop up, ‘Time to BeReal.’ Allow access to the camera and microphone, and voila! You are now part of the BeReal community and ready to portray your real self to the world.
How Can Brands Leverage BeReal?
BeReal aims to provide its users with a clutter and ad-free experience. The app is not focused on amassing followers or brand collaborations.
Presently, BeReal is not brand-friendly like Instagram and others. However, BeReal offers different pathways for brands to work on the platform and provide content like never before.
Appeal to the Gen Z
Gen Z is one of the most diverse generations this world has seen. They are much more inclined toward social media platforms focused on community. Businesses on BeReal can leverage this by providing content that appeals to Gen Z.
Marketers can use BeReal to provide a brand’s customers with exclusive footage and behind-the-scenes pictures, as Gen Z is always curious to know more. This can also help businesses promote a completely different brand image.
A brand that connects personally to its customers has all the attention of today’s generation. In fact, Gen Z customers are more attracted to a brand with images of real customers in their marketing and ads.
Do Marketing Differently
BeReal can be the platform brands need to market their products in a completely different manner.
For example, Chipotle, a Mexican fast-food chain, posted an image of a code on its BeReal account. The first 100 customers could use the code and avail of a special discount on the app.
This is marketing done differently in a personal and humane manner that speaks to consumers. This differentiates BeReal’s brand accounts from the sponsored ads you see on Instagram and Facebook.
What Makes BeReal a Game-changer?
BeReal is everything you need a social media app to be and more. The app provides a new yet familiar meaning to being connected with your loved ones with innovative features.
Let’s see why BeReal deserves a chance:
1. No Sticking to Your Phone Unnecessarily
Social media used to be a place to simply catch up on how your friends and family were doing and log off. But since the inception of several features into them, we end up scrolling through the apps all day, switching from one to the other.
BeReal promotes a healthy culture of social connectivity and solves this problem. There is no endless feed filled with suggested content, ads, and explore tabs.
All you see on your feed are the people you’re friends with whose daily moments you are interested in looking at. The app finds a way around ‘doom scrolling’ through your feed for hours.
2. Promotes Healthy Body Image and Reduces FOMO
We live in a flashy world on social media, and it is bound to make us envious in one way or the other. You see elaborate photoshoots, one extremely good-looking picture out of a hundred clicked ones, and people always being happy. All of us know it’s not practical, but we still fall prey to social media traps.
Moving away from these trends, BeReal wants you to be real. All you have to do is click a random picture when the app prompts you and let the world see you as a normal person without filters and makeup. React to your friend’s posts with Realmojis and spread authenticity.
There is no pressure to look your best on BeReal. Ultimately, BeReal helps raise self-confidence and makes you feel comfortable in your skin as you are.
3. More socializing, less business
Social media apps are cluttered with ads and promotions in every form. People are more interested in the monetization aspects of social media rather than using it for what it is.
After a point of time, everyone gets fed up with pages and people advertising the same product, right?
Social media used to be a place where people connected. Now, it has become more business-oriented than pleasure-focused. With everyone running after the ‘influencer’ status and brand collaborations to mint money, people have forgotten what social media was all about.
For people who need some time away from repetitive content from every influencer, BeReal is the way to go.
We’re not saying BeReal is completely free of commercialization. For example, Chipotle and PacSun are two of the first runners to use BeReal for marketing.
However, influencer culture does not exist on BeReal, nor do business collaborations. This ensures your feed is filled with real-time pictures and videos of your loved ones, letting you focus on what’s important.
4. A string of memories of your everyday life
As humans, we tend to document only the best and most exciting parts of our lives. After all, who clicks a selfie of themselves while cleaning a room? But BeReal’s ‘memories’ feature makes you remember your everyday life rather than just the best parts.
All the posts you make on BeReal get deleted the next day. However, they are compiled into a ‘memories’ string visible only to you. This helps you look back on your day-to-day life, appreciate the little things, and relive the little moments.
Conclusion
BeReal is not your regular social media app, but it should be.
The app takes some getting used to as it has a different format, and you might feel it is too much of a hassle to post every day. However, once you get the hang of it, you are bound to be hooked to the app’s simplicity.
With the constant push of ads and promotions onto every social media platform, all we crave at times is just knowing what friends and family are up to at the moment. BeReal lets you truly connect.
