BeReal is set to make its first marketing hire — but experts say it could be too late for the app to recapture its early buzz

• BeReal recently posted a job ad for its first-ever communications and marketing lead.
• The ad states the hire will ‘develop a global strategy across all forms of communication.’
• Social-media experts said it’s probably too late for BeReal to recapture its early buzz.

BeReal, a French photo-sharing app startup, is about to make its first marketing hire, but social-media experts say it may be too late to recapture the initial buzz.

In a recently removed job posting on BeReal’s website, the company stated that it was looking for a communications and marketing lead who would work with leadership to “develop a global strategy across all forms of communication.” (A version of the ad is still available on a third-party careers website.)

According to the ad, the person would be in charge of managing external agency relationships across different geographies as well as developing and maintaining relationships with “key reporters.” According to the report, the executive could be based in either the United States or Europe.

Requests for comment were not returned by BeReal.

BeReal, which was founded in 2020, appeared to have a breakthrough moment in 2022, when it shot to the top of the US App Stores and the internet was flooded with BeReal memes.

Every day, the app sends a notification at a random time, giving users two minutes to take a photo with their front and back cameras. After they’ve published their own BeReals, users can only see images posted by their friends. The app aimed to be an antidote to fake, feature-heavy, clout-chasing, ad-filled social media apps.

However, experts believe BeReal missed an opportunity to capitalize on its surge in popularity in 2022. According to Apptopia data, the mobile app’s daily active users were down 35.4% year on year in July.

The company has raised more than $89 million in venture capital while maintaining a small staff of 40 to 50 people. (The company is also looking for a vice president of engineering and a senior iOS engineer.)

Some critics have claimed that BeReal was too slow to introduce new features to keep users interested, giving competitors such as Instagram and TikTok plenty of time to launch copycat offerings. The low-profile company has also yet to provide a clear indication of how it plans to generate revenue.

According to Colin Kennedy, digital strategy and partnerships business director for channels and solutions at media agency Mindshare, for BeReal to regain the momentum it had in 2022, it will need to reinforce why users should want to create and engage with content on the app.

“To gain traction, add legitimacy, and create a more holistic user influence similar to what Instagram and TikTok offer their users,” Kennedy said.

Experts believe that without a significant pivot, it may be too late for BeReal to turn things around. The unique element of BeReal, according to Paul Armstrong, founder of the technology advisory firm TBD Group, is not sticky enough in its current form to keep people coming back — and is easily copied by bigger players.

“There’s no marketing or communications professional who can turn that around without exorbitant ad spend and a meteoric influencer hawking program,” Armstrong added.