How to authentically market music using BeReal
With social media app BeReal gaining popularity, it’s time artists rethink their approach to engaging fans online.
by James Shotwell of Haulix
What if social media was simple? No filters, no videos, and definitely no ads—just you and the people you want to see sharing content with one another. If that sounds like something you want, then BeReal is for you.
As our friends at Hypebot succinctly explain, BeReal is a photo-sharing app that prompts users to post one unfiltered photo daily.
The app sends a push notification [ Time to BeReal.] to all users at a random time daily. Users in the same time zone get it simultaneously and have two minutes to take a picture and share it with their followers.
BeReal uses the front and back cameras of the user’s phone to chronicle the user and what they are doing simultaneously.
In addition to the two-minute window, the app has no filters, thus forcing you to—you guessed it—BeReal.
You can find BeReal on the AppStore.
Why does this app matter?
New social media platforms rarely garner global attention, so that alone warrants giving BeReal a moment of consideration. Beyond that, the app has garnered more than 30 million downloads worldwide, many of which are Gen Z users. Analysts suspect this is due to an underlying need for genuine personal connection in an increasingly fragmented and filtered world.
How can BeReal help me?
BeReal offers all users the simplest path to recurring content creation.
Users do not worry about lighting, filters, or trending sounds. The only thing that matters is capturing the present moment.
For artists, that means a once-daily opportunity to share your activity with fans. No more, no less. The two minutes you have to capture a photo is all the effort you must put into remaining active on BeReal.
Compare that to expert suggestions that people on TikTok post multiple times daily, and BeReal suddenly likes far more appealing.
Let’s talk strategy. How do I maximize the impact of my presence?
To be clear: BeReal does not have native advertising.
There are no promoted posts or explore pages packed with influencer content meant to sell false ideas of high-quality fast food or overnight weight loss.
To succeed on BeReal, you must play by the rules.
In other words, be real. Be as real as humanly possible. Share your journey, warts and all, anytime the opportunity presents itself.
Chipotle is a great example. Most people wouldn’t suspect a fast-casual chain to participate in a filter-free social media world, but the burrito company is one of the biggest brands on BeReal.
Don’t you have any tips and tricks?
Serendipity is the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
BeReal may seek to capture the mundane, but your life is not mundane! Depending on when the prompt arrives, you may be able to capture tour life, studio life, the writing process, video shoots, or any one of a hundred important but small moments in your career. Those microdoses of your life and career will help your fans feel closer to you, and that bond will strengthen your community.
The best BeReal strategy is essentially no strategy. Be yourself. Be vulnerable like you are through your craft, and people will respond.
