TikTok maker ByteDance lately launched a brand new social app to Western audiences, known as Lemon8. This video and photo-sharing app appears to be making an attempt to draw the Instagram viewers with visible life-style content material.
The discharge of this app comes alongside the latest congressional listening to of TikTok within the US, as lawmakers resolve whether or not to ban the applying. ByteDance is undeterred, it appears, and is clearly taking motion to additional its progress within the US.
How Does Lemon8 Work?
Lemon8 is basically a cross between TikTok and Instagram with a little bit of Pinterest as effectively. It has movies, in addition to nonetheless photos. The aesthetic is colourful and energetic, and it has a For You feed in addition to a Following feed. In contrast to TikTok’s vertical scrolling movies, Lemon8’s feed is much more much like Instagram’s Discover web page, displaying you a grid of content material.
What Sort of Content material is on Lemon8?
Whereas theoretically almost any kind of content material could possibly be posted to Lemon8, within the early days it’s primarily centered on well being and sweetness, seemingly making an attempt to draw a younger feminine viewers. If you first join, you might be requested on your birthday and gender identification, after which to select from an inventory of pursuits:
- Trend
- Skincare
- Meals
- Journey
- Wellness
- Fragrance
- House
- Pet
In your For You web page, you may see all content material, or filter by the above classes. When you open a photograph, the interface feels similar to Instagram. In the meantime, movies play fullscreen, very similar to TikTok. Whereas TikTok encourages customers to scroll by way of content material endlessly, Lemon8 really makes you return to the house web page – making an attempt to swipe up or down on a publish does nothing.
At present, many posts are tagged #Lemon8partner, indicating that Lemon8 is paying creators and micro-influencers to advertise the app. It doesn’t seem like many main influencers have joined but, but it surely’s solely a matter of time. The app actually has the potential to be enormous for influencers, as it’s already getting used to advertise and share life-style merchandise. So not less than for now, Lemon8 feels extra like a buying discovery app, whereas TikTok has a greater variety of content material that features comedy and relatable posts in addition to life-style movies.
What’s Heliophilia Pte. Ltd.?
If you go to the app retailer, you’ll see that whereas TikTok is printed by TikTok Pte. Ltd., Lemon8 is printed by Heliophilia Pte. Ltd. To start with “Pte. Ltd.” is a enterprise designation in Singapore which implies it’s a Personal Restricted firm, much like one thing like an LLC. Heliophilia shares an tackle with ByteDance and TikTok, so it’s clear that that is simply one other sub-brand. ByteDance common counsel Erich Andersen additionally confirmed Lemon8 is from ByteDance in an interview with The Related Press. It’s attainable the transfer was purely for branding, but it surely’s additionally attainable that the title was chosen to keep away from any adverse connotations with the TikTok title from potential customers.
Regardless, the affiliation with ByteDance and TikTok makes Lemon8’s future unsure. It’s no marvel that influencers and entrepreneurs haven’t flocked to it but, as there is no such thing as a assure that the app will nonetheless be round within the West if US lawmakers take motion.
