How to Use BeReal As an Author and Why You Need to Jump On the Trend
I’m 100% positive you are scouring the internet looking for an idea of how to use BeReal as a writer and author…
…oh wait…you aren’t yet?
Well, well, well…
*cracks knuckles*
Let me make a case for why and how to use BeReal as an author!
BeReal is skyrocketing in downloads
Between the months of July and August of 2022, BeReal had 2 million more downloads than Instagram. Which means that it has become one of the upcoming most popular social apps on the market.
This has been such a threat to Instagram, in their mind, that they are creating a similar feature to be rolled in with Instagram.
But why should you care?
For one…
…it is quickly becoming one of the most downloaded apps month-over-month, which is exactly what started happening with TikTok.
And we all know that TikTok is now a worthwhile venture for anyone who wants to seriously grow a following.
So BeReal should, at the very least, be on our radar. Now, before diving into the second reason you need to be on BeReal, let’s briefly explain what the heck it is.
What is BeReal?
BeReal is simply a social media app that focuses on picture sharing.
The twist they offer? You have two minutes to post your pic, so they can hopefully catch you “being real” since you have so little time to set up a “scene” or get dressed up or change locations, etc.
Now, yes, you can still post after the two minute mark, but that is called “a late” and…basically nothing happens, but people will flock to post within those two minutes and it feels like you have somehow missed out on something if you miss the window.
Another twist is the layout of the social app.
You cannot view other BeReal posts until you have posted your own. So you can only “doom scroll” when you are engaging with the platform.
All the posts require two pictures (and you can’t upload a picture for these either): one with the front camera and one with the main camera.
This means that the idea is to always have your face shown in each post.
The process of captioning, commenting, and reacting to posts is a little bit more difficult. It requires a level of intentionality.
For example, you can only caption AFTER the post has gone live.
And you have to view the post to comment, not just hit the comment box and start typing before you have even looked at the post.
The reaction options are where the app shines, in my humble opinion, because you can capture a “Realmoji” and use that as a reaction to a post. Which means you will use the front camera on your smartphone to make a face as your reaction and share that for the poster (and others) to see.
Hopefully that has answered your question, “what is BeReal?” so that you can dive in a little more prepared.
Now, let’s talk about how to use BeReal as an author specifically…
Like I said above, there are really two main reasons an author should jump on the BeReal train. Number one was because it is gaining popularity and the last social media to jump Instagram in downloads was TikTok…so it’s worth paying attention to.
For numero dos…
…it offers a truly candid way to interact with your audience.
BeReal offers a glimpse into the life of an author, a writer, a person who people want to connect with and are looking for ways to do so.
They get to see your face, see what the day in the life of a writer looks like, peek into habits and routines…they will see that you are a real life human being just like them.
Not just some professional photo in the back of a book.
With the ability to catch you when you may be writing (or not writing!) maybe you can intentionally tease out some details of what you are working on.
BeReal has some marketing opportunities built in just with the way things work if you take advantage of them! Build some interest and mystique around what you do and how you live your life.
Even if it is a “late” you are posting, it still grants you the ability to give your audience a small taste of what you might be creating for them in the future.
There are a dozen other ways you could take advantage of BeReal, get in while it is still growing, and position yourself for success later on.
Give me a follow while you’re at it 😉
Listen…
…I can’t write about a social media platform and NOT plug myself, yeah!? So give me a follow, won’t ya??
I love the CONCEPT behind BeReal and I think it has a lot of potential to be raw, authentic, and a vehicle for building authority and trust with an audience.
So I hope you have learned how to use BeReal as an author and why you need to be jumping on this bandwagon…just to see what happens.
The great news is that you can always bail later and BeReal has such a low-effort cost to post and interact it shouldn’t be too much of a burden on your time and energy.
If you are reading this and thinking to yourself, “Daaaang. Dylan kinda knows his stuff about book marketing,” then 1) thank you! and 2) shoot me an email and let’s see if I can help YOU out even more! I love chatting with authors and writers.
On the other hand, maybe you are reading this expecting to learn some content marketing secrets and now you are bummed that it was for authors and then got to this sentence (and the sheer irony of it being a run-on sentence and not written super well has hopefully not escaped you) and now you’re like, “Dang. Dylan is a pretty great blog writer,” then I have good news for you, too 🙂
Email me or fill out this goofy contact form (I’m not a fan of contact forms…can ya tell?) and let’s talk about having me sling some ink for your business or brand. I’m pretty good at what I do.
Until next time, my friends–please know that I appreciate you!
