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BeReal is the next big social media platform that you’re not using yet… or maybe you are. 

Taking the world by storm in 2022, BeReal is a French social media app where users capture a candid photo of themselves within two minutes of being alerted and share it with their friends every day at a different time.

It works like this: Users receive one, and only one, daily notification stating, “Time to BeReal.” Users then post a photo within 2 minutes of the notice. The quick turnaround is supposed to foster authenticity and showcase real-life activities. If it’s beyond 2 minutes, the post carries a “not real” label.

Each BeReal moment has the same dual image format, capturing a standard photo and a selfie, showing the user’s view and their reaction to it. Again, the purpose is to convey real-life moments. You might be caught simply washing dishes, walking the dog or sitting at your desk doing nothing. The app shares the number of attempts of users to capture their BeReal moment. However, there are no filters, edit buttons, or follower count — a response to highly edited content and vanity metrics on Instagram and other networks. BeReal has even been dubbed the “anti-Instagram.” There’s also no “Like” option, although recipients can comment or insert a “RealMoji.” 

BeReal launched in late 2019, but remained relatively obscure until last year, when it exploded. It’s no surprise Gen Z really lit the fire for growth, with much of the early adoption happening on college campuses.

Some key stats:

• The app has 73.5 million monthly active users and 20 million access it daily. 

• BeReal has been downloaded 67 million times since launch, with the vast majority of those downloads happening in 2022.

• The app is most popular in the US, followed by the UK and France.

• Age demographics are split almost equally between 16 to 25 year olds (43.4%) and 25 to 44 year olds (55.1). Hardly anyone over the age of 45 uses the app (1.9%).

A great deal of the BeReal’s popularity can be attributed to fatigue and frustrations from other well-established social media platforms. Although the biggies, like Instagram and TikTok, aren’t going anywhere any time soon, newer apps are starting to make a breakthrough. Experts predict there will definitely be a shift in the coming year. 

People are tiring of the constant perfect facades seen on other social media apps and are craving smaller, more intimate and honest connections. BeReal easily facilitates this, as many users are only connecting with close family and friends. It’s not uncommon to only have 20-30 followers. Makes sense, because not everyone wants to share their everyday, caught-off-guard moments with the world. 

Though BeReal was valued at $600 million in the spring of 2022, the startup is currently not making any money. It is completely funded by external investors. The team at BeReal know they need to figure out ways to monetize, but they do face challenges considering the 2-minute window does not provide for much engagement time on the app. The platform would need to find ways to increase engagement and time spent on the app to effectively monetize its estimated 15 million daily active users. 

Paid features and subscriptions may be the direction in which they are moving. Things like animated profile pictures, unique stickers and reactions, verification badges in chats, etc. This seems to be the most likely way for BeReal to monetize.

But can businesses use BeReal in any way to promote their products or services? Well, the answer is both yes and no. BeReal has no advertising options and discourages commercial use, stating, “BeReal is not designed to promote any kind of goods or services. We want it to remain a safe place where you have fun.”

That hasn’t stopped brands from trying, however. Chipotle and e.l.f. Beauty were among the first, posting exclusive discount codes to entice users to follow their profiles. Both companies have reached the app’s friend limit, which is rumored to be 5,000. In contrast, Chipotle has 1.2 million followers on Instagram.

If you are a business that wants to try this, however, you just need to remember a few things. You need to understand that their user base is very young, there is a less-filtered, low-tech approach and also, staffing responds to alerts immediately. 

Influencers also need to realize that this is not the place for them to build a following. The app’s description explicitly says “BeReal won’t make you famous. If you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram.”

All this aside, BeReal does have the potential to hang around for the long run, but they also run the risk of being a flash in the pan. 

• It is still new, with no clear revenue model. 
• It can lose its uniqueness if other apps try to do the same thing. Instagram and TikTok have already tried to roll out copycat features. 
• Too many added features and trying to appease too many audiences can make it lose what made it appealing in the first place. 

Yet, Gen Z has made it clear time after time how much they value authenticity. They also are the group most able to adopt new apps and use them for different purposes. So even though they might still want to spend forever making their selfies look just right, there might be times when they just want to be real.