BeReal, a social photo-sharing app, is introducing advertising in the U.S. after being acquired by French mobile publisher Voodoo for €500 million, as the company seeks to turn a profit.
Its initial ad formats include in-feed ads designed to mimic BeReal’s dual-camera posting style and full-day brand takeovers. The app has already tested ads with major companies like Levi’s, Nike, Netflix, and Amazon, indicating a strategic approach to its advertising rollout. BeReal will now launch a full U.S. advertising platform, signaling a significant step in its monetization strategy.
To lead its U.S. efforts, BeReal has appointed Ben Moore, previously of TikTok, to head a team focused on sales, partnerships, and growth. This appointment underscores BeReal’s commitment to leveraging experienced professionals to drive its advertising business forward.
BeReal claims to have 40 million monthly active users globally, with 5 million of those users in the U.S. The company also states that 85% of its user base is Gen Z, a demographic highly prized by advertisers. Additionally, BeReal asserts that in its top markets, including the U.S., France, and Japan, 50% of users are active six days a week. However, these user engagement figures have not been independently verified by TechCrunch.
Founded in 2019, BeReal gained significant popularity in 2022 following a $30 million Series A funding round from prominent investors a16z and Accel. The app’s ephemeral nature and unique features captured the attention of not only users but also major players like Meta and TikTok, which sought to capitalize on its virality.
By October 2022, Sensor Tower estimated that BeReal had been downloaded 53 million times, although daily active usage was relatively low, with only about 9% of active Android users opening the app daily. Despite this, BeReal achieved a cultural milestone when it was parodied on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the same month.
According to data from Appfigures, BeReal has been downloaded 115 million times on iOS and Android to date, with 33% of those downloads originating from the U.S. However, the app’s download numbers have slowed significantly since its peak. Worldwide downloads decreased by 60% year-over-year from an estimated 31.5 million in 2023 to 12.7 million in 2024, indicating a decline in the app’s growth trajectory.
