BeReal · B2C · photo sharing app for friends
Show only friends' posts in a feed that ends, with no algorithm, filters or AI
Credited for users sticking 2-3 years after the viral peak; no retention numbers
Workedpositioning-nicheretention
What they did
Positioning 'human-first, AI-free': no ranking algorithm, no uploads or filters, only content from people you know. The feed is finite and ends with a message: 'Hey, enough screen time for today. Go enjoy your real life.' The company refuses to copy features from bigger platforms or to become an everything app, and markets itself as the healthier social media.
What happened
Users stuck with the app two to three years after the viral moment; press describes it as the healthier alternative. 41M MAU.
- Stage
- Exit (from launch; reinforced after the Voodoo acquisition)
“We don't have any algorithm. We don't have any ability for users to upload or filter anything, which makes it by nature the only authentic social platform overall.”
“we have this message that say, "Hey, enough screen time for today. Go enjoy your real life."”
“the way we've been able to validate the the the uniqueness, the the beauty of BeReal is by having those people stick with us even, you know, two, three years later after the the viral moment”
Related topics
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New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from this episode
- BeReal: Send users a monthly recap of their own past postsCalled one of the app's most successful and acclaimed features; no numbers
- BeReal: Let users post short videos using both front and back camerasOne of the fastest-adopted and fastest-growing features; no numbers
- BeReal: Send one push a day at a random time asking everyone to post nowKept as the core feature; drove 70M people posting at once at the viral peak
- BeReal: Hide friends' posts until the user posts their own70% of users post; almost no passive users
- BeReal: Have the CEO ask users for ideas in comments on his own posts
- BeReal: Test each new feature on a small slice of users before releasing it to all
- BeReal: Show up on college campuses, in coffee shops and at mental health events
- BeReal: Sponsor local community groups and throw parties for creators and users
- BeReal: Recruit creators losing reach on other apps and bring their fans over
- BeReal: Show only a few ads a day, styled like friends' posts, and sell full-day takeoversAd click-through 5-10x other platforms; the only revenue source
- BeReal: Let brands sponsor the app's signature daily notification
- BeReal: Have creators and users make the ads brands run in the appSays UGC ads are the best-performing ads; no numbers
- BeReal: Sell optional paid extras to users of a free social appDidn't work; shut down quickly, and ads became the only revenue
- Take the free option off the paywall so only paid plans showRevenue doubled
- Make a separate Google Play store listing for each keyword or featureHost says it worked pretty well; no numbers
- Target keywords with popularity 5-20 until the app gets steady downloadsApp Masters reports pretty good results internally; no numbers