Everything You Need To Know About Lemon8 — ByteDance’s Newest Lifestyle App

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ByteDance, the company that brought TikTok to the world, has now launched another lifestyle app called Lemon8, which is now gaining popularity on social media platforms. It is a photo and video sharing app that caters to users’ interests in beauty, food, wellness, travel, and fashion, which is similar to Instagram.

What is Lemon8?

According to Axios, Lemon8 has been installed 17 million times globally since its launch in March 2020 – but it’s been installed in the U.S. 650,000 times in a week and a half (from 10 April 2023), sending it to the top of the lifestyle app charts on the App Store. It also has more than 5 million downloads in the Google Play Store.

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The creators’ culture focuses on sharing aesthetically pleasing content that is highly curated and focuses on a specific theme. Fashion influencers on the platform can tag their clothes and prices, making it more of a direct shopping destination than Instagram.

Lemon8 vs. Instagram

While Instagram is known for staged photos and contrived spontaneity, Lemon8 has become a popular alternative that showcases content that is visually stunning and free from the pressures of Instagram’s editing and staging culture.

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ByteDance’s goal is to compete with Instagram, which is slowly losing its relevance in the US market. ByteDance hopes that Lemon8, along with TikTok’s popularity, can encourage users to shift from Instagram to Lemon8.

Lemon8’s popularity is growing

The app is also already popular in Japan and Thailand, with influencers linking their Instagram and TikTok accounts to increase their reach. While there are no popular influencers on Lemon8 yet, many micro-influencers have already joined the app.

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Creators on are paid to post content on the app, which has contributed to its rapid growth. Influencers have taken to TikTok to urge their followers to join Lemon8, as the app also competes with the Chinese app Xiaohongshu or Little Red Book.

Lemon8 vs. TikTok

Compared to TikTok, Lemon8 is more focused on influencer marketing and paid promotions, while TikTok’s focus is more on content creation and engagement with the audience. Lemon8 influencers are more likely to be paid by a brand to promote a specific lifestyle, while TikTok creators have a broader range of topics that they explore with their followers.

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What is more, as U.S. lawmakers debate whether ByteDance needs to divest from TikTok, the popularity of Lemon8 is rising. While some see promoting the new app as a competitive move to expand into new markets, U.S. regulators are likely to scrutinize the app’s links to TikTok. However, Lemon8 could serve as an alternative for content creators if TikTok gets banned in the U.S.

How do I gain popularity on Lemon8?

To make your posts popular, interact with its For You page and like the posts you enjoy to train your account’s algorithm. Lemon8 recommends creating aesthetic collage-style posts and avoiding generic-looking ads or lengthy captions. 

Does Lemon8 collect or share my data?

Like other social media apps, Lemon8 collects and shares user data, including profile information and data from interactions with posts to personalize the algorithm and target ads. The app’s privacy policy states that user data may be stored outside the US and shared with affiliates of ByteDance.

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To sum it up

In conclusion, Lemon8 is a lifestyle app that is gaining traction in the US market, with ByteDance hoping to compete with Instagram’s popularity. The app’s curated and aesthetically pleasing content is a stark contrast to the editing and staging culture on Instagram, which has contributed to its rapid growth. Despite its similarities to Instagram, Lemon8’s paid promotion strategies, and influencer marketing make it stand out among the many social media platforms.

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