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BeReal is the new kid on the block of social media apps. While the French mobile-first app may have started in 2019, it’s now a top downloaded app worldwide.
What makes the app different is its in-the-moment structure. Instead of sharing highly edited images during your life’s high moments, users receive notifications of when to capture moments in real-time using their phone’s front and back cameras. Followers then respond using images of their facial expressions rather than emojis.
So far, the app has seen steady growth since its inception. However, the company has yet to see whether it can keep up with big-name competitors like Instagram and TikTok.
Marketers can use these statistics to learn about the app and decide whether it has future potential as a strategic marketing channel in their industry.
As of January 2023, the app does not allow advertising, commercial solicitations, and business accounts. However, that may change as its popularity continues to grow.
How many people are using BeReal?
While BeReal hasn’t reached the total user count of social media giants like Instagram and Facebook, it has topped the download charts in 2022. Check out these usage statistics showing the considerable mark BeReal is making in the social media industry, making it an app worth monitoring.
In August 2022, BeReal reached 73.5 million active users. Additionally, 20 million of those users access the app daily. That was a significant jump from July when the app had 21 million monthly active users.
BeReal had 13.89 million downloads in the Apple App store in September 2022. This is nearly double the runner-up, TikTok, which had 7.51 million downloads in the same month.
The BeReal app sends out notifications to all users simultaneously, prompting them to take a picture of what they’re doing. The catch is that the notification can occur anytime, and users have two minutes to snap a photo.
The app accesses the front and back cameras to get a complete picture of the user’s surroundings. It also doesn’t allow for filters and tells viewers how many retakes you took before posting the photo.
The app brands itself as an authentic look at people’s lives without the filters and edits of other social media platforms. This removes what many say makes social media toxic.
Because the app only sends out notifications once a day, it also limits how much time people spend scrolling through it.
This app is drastically different from other platforms since only 9% of social media users post about their daily lives and over half of them say their accounts don’t reflect their real lives.
In December 2022, BeReal had 4.8 out of 5 stars and 568,675 user ratings in the Apple App Store.
In the Google Play app store, BeReal has a 4.6-star rating out of five stars and 108,000 reviews.
BeReal targets middle-aged or younger users, so 98% are under 45.
While most of the BeReal marketing campaigns targeted college students, the 16–25-year-old age bracket is 43.3% of US users. Meanwhile, 55.1% of users are between 26–44-year-olds. The remaining 1.9% are over 45 years old.
The app requires users to be over twelve years old to sign up for the platform.
Other countries like France and the UK have a much higher Gen Z user base than the US.
In 2021, 58% of US users were female, while 42% were male. However, in other countries, female users make up a far more significant percentage. Countries like the UK and Australia have the highest female user ratio, with females making up 99% of users in the country.
BeReal’s audience differs significantly from other social platforms and varies widely between France and the US. In the US, 12% of BeReal users also use Facebook, and 10% use Messenger.
However, in France:
BeReal is popular worldwide, with the US dominating the market.
France was the primary user base when BeReal first came out since that was where the co-founders were.
Since the BeReal app originated in France, it has led the market for the first two years. However, by July 2022, the US and UK surpassed France in downloads.
While the US is the leader in Apple Store downloads, Japan had the most downloads in the Google Play Store in 2022. Turkey had the second most downloads, and Brazil was third with 76,000 downloads.
How fast is BeReal growing?
BeReal is still in its infancy but has seen tremendous growth over the past year, which may soon make it a contender in social media.
Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau co-founded BeReal in 2019 as a way for social media users to be more authentic on social media. It reached 500,000 active users in 2021, with most users coming from France, where the app originated.
Despite its initial popularity, by July 2022, 82% of US respondents said they had never heard of the app.
BeReal reached UK and US markets in 2022 through marketing campaigns targeting college students. The campaigns resulted in usage increasing by 315%.
By September 2022, it hit the #1 spot in Apple’s App store.
BeReal is in the Series B stage of investing. The site hasn’t monetized yet and does not support ads since ads don’t align with the company’s goal of being an authentic social media platform. Its only revenue comes from investments.
Initially, BeReal raised $30 million in a Series A funding round from Accel and a16z.
BeReal raised $60 million in August 2022 in a Series B funding round. The primary investor from Series B was DST Global.
The owners raised a total of $90 million in funding.
How much is BeReal worth?
After both series of funding, the app’s valuation reached $587 million.
BeReal doesn’t pay for ads to promote their app. Instead, it grew in popularity through word of mouth. However, the company did run paid college ambassador programs.
The Brown Daily Herald reported on one campaign on their campus. The college ambassador told students they would receive $30 for every app referral and $50 for downloading the app and submitting a review.
The BeReal company is still small but steadily growing as its popularity rises.
Their LinkedIn page has 120 employees and 13,384 followers as of December 2022. However, their website says their core team is less than 30 people.
The company website shows 12 open positions, which hints that it is preparing to grow and keep up with its expanding user base.
BeReal is a fully remote business. Even though the founders and headquarters are in Paris, France, the company has team members all across the globe.
Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau co-founded the app using knowledge from their past work.
Alexis Barreyat was a video producer for GoPro. As a result, he had extensive experience with influencer marketing and filming. His work with GoPro also inspired the idea for BeReal to show life off-camera that he got to see when interacting with influencers.
BeReal is off to a strong start as it captures the interest of millions around the world. However, only time will tell if it can compete with the current social media giants. Marketers will also have to wait to see what future marketing and advertising opportunities will arrive.
Until then, stay on top of BeReal trends to see what new ripples this emerging app will make in the social industry.
