The Anti-Instagram

Inside the buzziest new social app

Author

Hannah Doyle
June 26, 2022

Illustration by Garrett Golightly

Breaking Down BeReal

Have you downloaded it yet? You may have heard a quick explainer of the BeReal app from one of your friends, read about it on Twitter, or are a few months into regular use yourself.

It’s easy to see the appeal—friends share photos with no ads, no algorithm, no filters, no celebrities.

How it works —

You friend people, and those people are the only ones whose content you see on the app. Every day, the app sends a notification at a random time that gives users two minutes to make a post. The picture can’t be edited, and is taken using the front and back camera simultaneously. You can only see others' pictures once you post yourself. And you can respond to posts with likes and “realmojis”—images using your own face.

It’s uncontrived, spontaneous, fun. The zig to Instagram’s convoluted zag.

Within the first four months of this year, BeReal’s monthly users grew 315% and the app has stayed in the top 10 on Apple’s free social media app chart, up there with WhatsApp and Messenger. According to SensorTower, the app received 3 million downloads in May alone.

A new social app hasn’t created as much buzz since TikTok came on the scene in 2016. How did it become so popular? Who made it? And how long will it last till it’s monetized? Let’s break down the phenomenon.

WHO

BeReal was founded by former GoPro employee Alexis Barreyat and French entrepreneur KĂ©vin Perreau in January 2020. The company, based in France, became popular in Europe last year and took off on US college campuses this year thanks to a grassroots marketing program that hired student brand ambassadors.

Like TikTok and Bumble before it, the app targeted college students with initiatives like a free slice of pizza for a download, and sponsored fraternity parties where the Greeks who threw the party received a $5-8 donation to their house for each new user signup.

The program worked—word spread like wildfire, and at time of publication, it’s #3 on Apple’s Social Networking chart.

WHAT

"BeReal won't make you famous," reads the description of BeReal in the App Store, "if you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram."

BeReal puts emphasis on being authentic and non performative. While the app is positioning itself as the anti-Instagram, and is becoming popular for its lo-fi, close-knit feel, some investors want it to be the next big thing—the same venture capitalists that backed Instagram and Twitter are funding BeReal. The app raised $30 million in Series A last year, and it’s still unclear when and how it will monetize.

WHY

Similar apps like Frontback and Vero have seen flash-in-the-pan growth, then fizzled. However BeReal’s growth has progressed at a relatively steady pace, according to data by Apptopia.

Like most viral hits, timing is everything. BeReal entered the picture when trying to be interesting became boring. Instagram is in its flop era and people are longing for a more scaled-back social experience.

And with increasing health concerns from endless scrolling and performative posting online, BeReal feels healthier—a breather from the relentless scroll, likes, and forced interest we deal with elsewhere online.

Meredith Mueller, a sophomore at the University of Kansas told NPR, "Snapchat is more like you're sending this to one person, if you post on your story, you're trying to look good," she said. "Whereas [BeReal] is like ... wherever you're at, whatever you're doing, you stop in the moment and all your friends can see it. It's more like a down-to-earth app. I would say it's like a judgment-free zone."

Our Take

Right now BeReal feels like leisure, not labor. Intimate, not inundated. Many apps felt that way in their early days, including Facebook and Instagram.

Being an app that’s liked more for what it doesn’t have than what it does makes it questionable whether BeReal can save itself from the pitfalls of other apps as it grows. Maybe it can function more like a free, ad-free game like Wordle than a social app? Or maybe creators can create BeReals by allowing their closest followers from other apps to friend them as a way to utilize the app without feeling disingenuous?

If BeReal can keep itself as a relatively minimal, authentic space, we think its backers and creators can find a way to foster community—whether that pays off directly or not.

Sponsored by vidIQ

You’re Not Alone

…or at least, you don’t have to be.

Being a creator can get lonely. And since there’s no playbook for it, things can get difficult and confusing fast. If you’re not at a place where you can scale your team, you can still outsource and free up your time with tools like vidIQ.

vidIQ is like your “analytics guy”—their full suite of tools is complete with an AI title generator, daily video ideas, and real-time competitor analysis.

And now, vidIQ has even more. With vidIQ MAX you get access to all of the above PLUS a growth expert: a real-life human who acts as your coach. In biweekly group coaching calls, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other talented creators and swap notes, share ideas and give each other feedback.

Over 200 creators are using vidIQ MAX. Join them today.

🤝 CREATOR SUPPORT

Publish Press readers share a problem they're facing and creators Colin & Samir respond with their advice.

Q: I’m a summer social media intern for a minor league baseball team! I was hired here to make more viral TikTok content for the team’s official (verified) account, but it’s all getting fewer views than the stuff my boss posted before I got here.

The stuff I've posted has been awesome in my opinion (great camera quality and engaging) but has done really bad numbers online. What should I do since the content I like isn't doing well?

–Jackie

A: First, determine with your boss what success looks like. Are you looking to grow a more engaged audience or create higher quality videos? Maybe it’s both—but determine which is more important.

Here are some tips for growing community and engagement:

Listen to the audience. What do they want to see? What is the audience on competitors’ accounts responding to? Success doesn’t have to be polished. With Ryan Trahan’s latest vlogs, they’re stripped down to him filming on a phone and they’re getting millions of views because of the quality of the personal connection and access to the creator. Could you let one of the players take over the account during a practice? Or the bat boy? Utilize your team resources.

Use a distribution mindset. Could you collaborate with someone in that area who already has a built-in audience? Can you invite someone to the games to make a TikTok with? Is there a universal moment you could share from the fan cam or mascot in the stand? What are the America’s Home Videos-type of moments you could capture at the game that could translate to a mass audience?

Once you’re in the audience game, especially on TikTok, you’re competing with every other post on TikTok. So you have to think about what’s universally appealing, and find ways to distribute your posts or collaborate with people who already have an audience.

–Colin & Samir

Facing a creator problem you want help with? Share it here→

🔥 PRESS WORTHY

*This is sponsored advertising content.