TikTok owner ByteDance has quietly launched a new app called Lemon8 in the UK and the US, and is paying creators to post on it, according to industry insiders.
ByteDance has been paying creators in the UK to post on the app in recent weeks, three influencers told Insider.
The photo-based app describes itself as a “lifestyle community,” and its main feed, like TikTok, is divided into “Following” and “For You,” but it can also be sorted by content categories such as “Beauty,” “Fashion,” and “Food.” Another page, similar to Instagram’s Explore tab, organises content by hashtags. The app store description also mentions that trending content can be found by “searching keywords.”
Reuters previously reported that Lemon8 appeared to be an attempt to replicate the success of China’s Xiaohongshu, a “shopping and lifestyle recommendations app.”
A good Lemon8 post, according to seven influencers who spoke with Insider, includes a high-quality photo carousel and a lengthy caption with lots of specific details about a topic — for example, a step-by-step makeup tutorial or recipe, or a guide on how to style a piece of clothing.
Lemon8, according to creator Ese Nuesiri, reminded them of “Pinterest and Instagram when they were just getting started.” Shantania Beckford, another creator, described it as a cross between Instagram and Pinterest, adding that it was more detail-oriented than other social-media platforms.
