You heard right; There is another social media app in the city. TikTok’s sister app, Lemon8, launched worldwide in early 2023, giving social media marketers another platform to learn from.
This article will teach you all about what the app is, whether it’s worth the investment, and how you can start using it for business.
Lets start.
What is Lemon8?
Lemon8 is a new social media app created by ByteDance, creators of the hugely popular TikTok app.
Designed as a lifestyle app, Lemon8 is like a mix of Instagram and Pinterest. It is photo-heavy but allows users to share recipes, clothing, travel guides, and more.
Popular categories in Lemon8 include:
- Fashion
- make up
- Skin care
- Trip
- health and wellness
- fitness
- Food
This means Lemon8 could be the go-to place for visual brands in these industries.
But will it stay here?
While Lemon8 got off to a hugely successful start, its momentum has slowed. Lemon8 was one of the most downloaded lifestyle apps in the United States in its first few months, reaching 4.1 million users in just a few months. First launched in Japan in 2020, the app had over 17 million users as of mid-2023.
These days, this activity seems to be decreasing. The data shows that the number of daily active users of the app has almost halved, rising from around 12,000 to just over 6,000 in just a few months.
Regardless, Lemon8 seems to have gained popularity among many of the creators of TikTok, which initially had a young user base, mostly generation Z.
All visual brands appealing to Gen Z should consider adding Lemon8 to their social media strategy, as it may be wise for brands to consolidate their position on a platform before it becomes oversaturated.
How can you use Lemon8 for business?
If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, it’s a good idea to start thinking about whether Lemon8 is right for your business and how to use it strategically. Here are some tips based on popular content we’ve seen that can get you started with your Lemon8 marketing strategy.
Create photo carousels
The photo carousel is a post with multiple scrollable photos, just like any other platform. Here is an example of what this looks like in Lemon8:
Photo carousels are one of the most popular post types on Lemon8, so they should be a key element of your strategy if you want to see success on the platform.
Find a subject for your photo carousel. The above focuses on meal planning, with the creator sharing the recipes and photos of each dish alongside the menu he plans for the week.
Other options include:
- weekly outfit inspiration
- nail art
- New product releases
- Top 5-10 lists
- life tips
- Skin care/beauty tips
- exercise routines
Since Lemon8 is predominantly lifestyle focused, you will want to mention your brand/products in a way that sounds like life advice rather than a promotion.
Take advantage of Lemon8’s editing tools
Make your cover photo stand out. This is one of the best ways to grab attention and get people to click on your post to view more. This Lemon8 post shares some great tips for editing your cover photos.
But let’s look at a few well-designed examples that can help you grab your audience’s attention.
Different types of text, shapes, arrows and doodles can help draw attention to parts of your cover photo and create an eye-catching design. There are even templates to help you find a starting point for your cover photo design.
Also, similar to TikTok, using Lemon8’s built-in editing tools will likely cause the algorithm to want to improve your content. It makes your content look native as if it belongs to the platform.
Editing tools available on the platform include:
- Templates
- Image retouching
- Product labeling
- Text overlays
- stickers
- cutting tool
Be relatable
Develop a relatable sound for your Lemon8 posts. You’ll see lots of emojis, creators saying “girly” to each other, exclamation points, and more.
Build a personality that wants to see others succeed by supporting people in your audience and ideally helping them find better solutions through your business, products or services.
Combine your Instagram and Pinterest strategies
Lemon8 is actually a combination of Instagram and Pinterest. Think Instagram’s photo carousels and captions with Pinterest’s content.
Combine these two strategies (or at least the strategy you use for Instagram content creation and your Pinterest strategy for content calendaring) to create the perfect content for Lemon8.
Use engaging captions
As far as we can see at the moment, there is no character limit for Lemon8’s subtitles, but the recommended amount seems to be around 150 words. This means you have enough room to further expand the content you share.
Here’s a great example of a well-used Lemon8 header:
The post includes images of how the creator uses Notion, and the title explains each in more detail. Almost like a micro blog; Another great way to think about your Lemon8 strategy.
Make sure you take advantage of the space you have in your Lemon8 headers. Use them to truly show your voice, describe what your followers see in each image, and more.
Lemon8 even offers a “subtitle ideas” popup to help you get started with your first few posts.
How to start using Lemon8?
Ready to use Lemon8 for your business? Follow our five-step guide to create your account, build your strategy, and start interacting.
1. Create an account
Start by downloading the Lemon8 app from the app store to your smartphone. Create an account by choosing your username and password.
Pro tip: Make sure your username matches your brand name and your username/identifier name on your other social media accounts.
After completing this step, you will be asked to select your interests from a list similar to the following:
Make sure you choose the areas of interest that are most relevant to your business. This will help you find creators in your niche that you can follow and interact with.
2. Optimize your profile
Next, you’ll want to optimize your profile, as you would with any social media platform you create an account with.
This means:
- Make sure once again that your username/identifier name matches your brand and other social accounts.
- Create a bio that clearly states what your brand does; You only have 80 characters.
- Add your logo as your profile photo.
- Connect your other social media accounts; You can add information to your Lemon8 profile for TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and your website.
3. Follow related accounts
Once you’ve selected your top interests, start browsing the “For You” feed to see what’s on. If you come across posts related to your business, don’t forget to follow the creator.
There are two main posts: “For You” and “Follows”. This means that if you build your watch list enough, you can get inspired and engage with all users under that feed.
Also, the more people you follow when you first create your account, the more likely people interested in your products will discover your account and start following you.
4. Create your first Lemon8 post
Shortly after creating your account and following a large number of users, you want to start creating content so that they too have a reason to follow you. Create your first Lemon8 post by setting your topic, creating images, editing them using Lemon8’s tools, and creating a helpful headline.
5. Interact with other users
Finally, start interacting regularly with other users on the platform. Comment on posts using this fun and relatable sound. Like and follow posts from users who are similar to your target audience. Take time throughout the day (each day, especially when you first create your account) to reopen the app and engage with as many users as possible.
Frequently asked questions about Lemon8
How is Lemon8 different from TikTok?
Lemon8 is owned by the same company as TikTok but has a different purpose. It is more photo-heavy than video content, aiming to be a lifestyle app similar to Instagram and Pinterest. Lemon8 users often share photo carousels with posts surrounding lifestyle topics like food, fitness, and fashion.
What is Lemon8 used for?
Used to share Lemon8 lifestyle content. Photos and videos showing how to make things like recipes, styling homes and clothes, creating DIY projects, and more.
How can you be successful in Lemon8?
Choose a niche, create engaging and useful content, interact with other users, and leverage Lemon8 editing tools to see success in Lemon8.
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