In the social media world, imitation is a huge compliment, and the new BeReal app is taking this world for a wild ride. The first to try and imitate its features is Instagram.
For those new to the latest buzzy platform, BeReal, here’s a quick overview: Every day, the app sends a random prompt to all its users asking what they’re doing. Users then have exactly two minutes to share their updates. BeReal has been dubbed the “anti-Instagram” because quick, digestible life-updates are where social media is heading, and it’s heading there fast. Brands that want to try out the app are also subject to the two-minute notification. This article dives a little deeper into a user’s experience and perspective as to what exactly this trending app is while looking through the eyes of BeReal’s key demographic: Gen Z.
What it means for brands: As its name suggests, BeReal essentially promotes a “be yourself” mantra and filter-free reality which is what Gen Z is all about. They want real, raw, authentic content. As with other new apps, BeReal is an opportunity for brands to play and test new content.
Gen Z and millennials make up half of Chipotle’s consumer base, so the chain figured it would give BeReal a try. Chipotle has been on BeReal since April, posting promo codes in their photos. The first 100 customers to use the codes in the app or online receive a free entree.
The company now has 2,000 “friends” on the platform. To put that in perspective, Chipotle has 1.7+ million followers on TikTok, where it says it sees the highest engagement. Other brands that have hopped on BeReal include PacSun, e.l.f Beauty and Trident Gum.
What it means for brands: BeReal is changing the way consumers interact with social media. The objective is very simple: create a space where your followers can see unfiltered content. But it’s also a space to promote your brand, experiment with new ways to grow your audience and drive business.
In order to remain up to date on the latest trends, and avoid mistakes of the past (cough dismissing TikTok cough), Instagram has tried to step up to the occasion and launch a new feature with dual camera mode, enabling users to capture content and their reactions at the same time, using the phone’s front and back cameras simultaneously.
What it means for brands: BeReal is clearly another muse for Instagram’s product team—and we’ll need to find creative ways to leverage it. For brands, immersing ourselves into these new features gives our audience the best experience across platforms.
You can now schedule your Reels via Meta’s Creator Studio app, which will provide more capacity to post your short clips at the best times to maximize audience response. This new feature is now available to all users in Creator Studio, with various formatting tools and features to help customize your content and schedule your posts.
Meta also added a new video editing tool within the app, making it easier to cut your longer clips into Reels, providing another avenue into short-form content.
What it means for brands: From a legal standpoint, Reels have been a challenge due to audio rights. By posting content through Creator Studio, the access to remix a Reel or create a new Reel using the music feature is turned off automatically—meaning brands don’t have to worry about copyright issues. Reels are an important part to consider in your brand’s Instagram strategy, so it’s exciting to see an option that eases the minds of our lawyers.
YouTube adds option to turn existing long-form videos into ShortsYouTube creators can now convert their existing long-form videos into (up to) minute-long Shorts variations. The conversion process will allow creators to take clip(s) from one or more existing YouTube videos on their page and create a new video. These Shorts will then link back to the original long-form video(s).
What it means for brands: This is a big deal for one primary reason: YouTube has a solid monetization framework for their long-form videos (in contrast, creators are unhappy with the TikTok Creator Fund). Short-form content has the mass appeal, but long-form originals are the money-makers for creators. This update may have them rethinking their primary platform.
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