Quick Guide: How Can You Use BeReal For Business?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for most of 2022, there’s no doubt you’ve heard about BeReal.

As of October 2022, this app has been installed over 53 million times worldwide, and currently boasts over 10 million daily active users!

This latest obsession by Gen-Z is an app that encourages users to upload an unfiltered photo of themselves to the platform once a day.

BeReal: what’s it all about?

BeReal has been praised for the way it encourages people to capture their unfiltered side and post in the moment.

Here’s how it works:

1. Once a day, every user receives a notification to post a photo. This could be early in the morning or late at night – the times are entirely random.
2. Each user has up to two minutes to open the app and capture a photo of themselves – and whatever they are doing – before the countdown ends. Any photos taken past this time are deemed late.
3. BeReal doesn’t just capture selfies – in fact, it uses both the front and back cameras simultaneously.

This social media app is essentially what Instagram first set out to be. There are no hashtags or follower counts (at least, not in a way that’s public) and the best part is that there are no filters or edits. There’s a great benefit to this: it encourages people to care less about their looks or sharing a ‘cool’ lifestyle and forces them to share something a lot more natural and honest.

With the platform being geared to on-the-go use and click-and-go content, it may be difficult to see how brands can get involved and utilize BeReal from a B2C point of view.

Can brands see success on BeReal?

First of all: many companies are already getting creative with this app – but there are rules to follow. BeReal doesn’t allow any advertising on the app – and the platform doesn’t offer any subscriptions or in-app purchases. The way the creators make money is through investments at this current time.

But that doesn’t mean brands can’t use the app – or get creative with it.

For example, fast food brand Chipotle recently tapped into the app’s authentic side by sharing discount codes with its followers. They did this by scribbling a message onto a paper bag filled with food and snapping a photo. This didn’t require any email sign-ups or users jumping through hoops for benefits. The code could simply be typed into Chipotle’s own app to be used.

On the other hand, Tourism Fiji used the platform to share real and unedited photos of the country – a far cry from empty tourist spots and over-edited photos shared by travel content creators.

How to creatively utilise BeReal

Before anything else, analyse if your brand has an audience on BeReal. The app is notably popular amongst GenZ and, as it doesn’t allow advertising, not all companies will see success on the platform.

However – BeReal is consistently praised for its authenticity and informality. We would suggest that brands at least try and get on board with the app as it continues to grow. Just like TikTok, BeReal is taking the world by storm. It’s better to create an account and experiment with your content than not at all. If it doesn’t garner much ROI, it doesn’t matter as the photos disappear within 24 hours anyway!

Posting to BeReal uses no budget or props and a strategy can easily be created with simply a mobile phone and an open mind. Here’s how:

Analyse your audience and what they want to see

Behind-the-scenes photos and sneak peeks at new products work well. Get a feel for the app before you start a strategy.

Keep it authentic

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Ditch the formality and have fun with the short window of time you have to post.

Know what works well

The beauty of BeReal is that it’s not overrun with influencer partnerships and brand advertisements. Rather than thinking about how you can promote things via the app, focus on engaging and growing your presence on the platform first.

Expand your content past BeReal

From a trending song on TikTok to wordplay on Twitter – don’t be afraid to share your ‘BeReal’s’ across other platforms whilst jumping on trends.

Reward your audience

Follow in the footsteps of Chipotle and share discount codes or exclusive rewards – in a way that echoes your tone of voice. Think outside of the box: could you release a discount code across three days, encouraging followers to check your daily posts for each letter? Or offer rewards to the first ten people that react with a shocked face selfie? There are plenty of ways to stand out and do what other companies aren’t.

If you want some friendly advice or to incorporate BeReal into your social media strategy, get in touch with our expert social media team today!