Lemon8: The Rising TikTok-Inspired Lifestyle App from ByteDance

Written by Chase Varga

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has been aggressively promoting its Instagram-like app, Lemon8, to US social media users. Released originally in Asia, Lemon8 has recently gained massive popularity, securing the top spot in the App Store's lifestyle apps category (April 2023). TechCrunch reports that the app had never reached the Top 200 Overall Charts in the US before this surge.

Social media influencers describe Lemon8 as a fusion of "Instagram and Pinterest." ByteDance has been reported to have paid influencers to post on the app and promote it on TikTok, contributing to its growing user base.

What Sets Lemon8 Apart?

Lemon8 is a video and photo-sharing social media platform focusing on specific topics such as fashion, beauty, food, wellness, and travel. Like Instagram, influencers on Lemon8 can "tag" where they bought their clothes and their cost, aiming to influence users' purchasing decisions.

Owned by ByteDance, the same company that owns TikTok, Lemon8 competes with US-based Instagram and hopes to leverage TikTok's popularity to attract users away from its competitor.

Lemon8's Popularity and Expansion

Lemon8 aims to replicate Xiaohongshu's (Little Red Book) success in China, where it holds a significant social networking and e-commerce market share. The platform is already popular in Japan and Thailand, particularly among micro-influencers with 900-3,000 followers on Instagram or TikTok.

The app relies on influencers posting with the hashtag #Lemon8partner, indicating that Lemon8 pays creators to manufacture its popularity. The platform's creator culture emphasizes "aesthetic" content, portraying a curated and edited view of life.

Monetization and Potential

Despite its rapid growth, Lemon8's monetization policy remains uncertain, and marketers may be hesitant due to ByteDance's contentious relationship with the US government. Still, early adopters hope to gain an advantage in potential monetization opportunities.

With Lemon8’s global download numbers topping 17 million, its popularity and potential impact in the US social media market are undeniable, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the coming months. As creators flock to the platform and users engage with its unique content, Lemon8 could become a significant contender in the ever-competitive social media landscape.

Has your brand taken the Lemon8 plunge yet, or are you waiting to see what fruits the ByteDance tree drops before you go all in??