BeReal is drowning in its own death. As a desperate attempt to stay relevant, it is adding more and more features. In August of 2022, arguably its hype month, the photo app saw over 7 million users and was heralded as the app of the moment. Yet it was nothing but a passing trend…
Hate to say I told you so but I called this at the time. The app never capitalised on advertising abilities and the likelihood that multiple pictures of laptops and WFH expressions would maintain interest in the long term is slim. It just wasn’t… engaging enough – arguably the whole point of social media, no?
Its excitement came from its format itself which was a novelty at conception. Once the audience had climatised to that however, the content itself wasn’t interactive enough to maintain interest and therefore make money.
That’s the difference between BeReal and TikTok – TikTok’s format was new and exciting but the content itself made you want to keep scrolling.
BeReal’s 2022 impact cannot be underestimated, sparking copycats among the big boys; TikTok, Instagram and others, and since that August peak, downloads of BeReal have cratered. Now, BeReal’s testing out new functionalities, like Spotify integration and multiple photos, to expand on its offering. But mostly, it feels like the ship has sailed, and it’s swimming frantically to catch up.
A similar app history can be compared to Clubhouse which in April 2021 had 10 million weekly users, and was valued at $4 billion, but since then, usage of the app has declined significantly, as audiences lose interest in social audio elements.
It’s always worth experimenting, and familiarising yourself with the latest tools, and considering their potential for your business. But not every fad will become an actual, sustainable trend.
