What you need to know about Lemon8 – the new social media platform taking America by storm

There’s a new kid on the block, and yes that means another app to download. We know what you’re thinking: ‘Not another one!’ But we think this one has potential.

Introducing Lemon8, the love child of Instagram and Pinterest - owned by ByteDance.

Lemon-who?

Introducing the photo-based app designed to inspire you that has been downloaded over 17 million times since its initial launch in 2020. Originally the platform was launched in Asian markets with great headway made in the likes of Thailand and Japan. In more recent months, it’s gained traction in the US and eventually has made its way to the UK.

The layout is reminiscent of Pinterest, with the visuals taken straight out of an Instagram baddies feed. Along with beautiful photos, there is a sprinkling of short-form video as you would expect with any modern social media platform.

Unlike other platforms, Lemon8 is very interest-based. When signing up, you’re asked to pick the topics that interest you - much like Pinterest - and it’s these topics that feature on your ‘for you’ page.

Who is it for?

We are so used to social media being for the many with opportunities to grow and perhaps even monetise, but Lemon8 is different, or that’s how it appears. The need to stick in a niche, such as fashion or food, may make it harder for us mere mortals to gain any traction on the app, as we try to post the same way we would on Instagram or TikTok.

I think we will soon see a divide between creators and consumers, much in the way we have seen on TikTok. Influencers, publications and brands will be the ones to curate inspirational content while the general public will use it to discover the latest fashions or seasonal recipes. It’s these people who will be able to stick to one topic with ease, as it is, for the most part, what they have been doing their entire social media lives.

So where should you start?

Once you have your niche sorted, it’s time to explore how to create your posts the Lemon8 way!

Here’s our top tips for nailing the platform…

Always create a bespoke cover

Carousels are king on this platform, and like any book you want to be judged in the most positive way with your posts’ cover image. Lemon8 offers full design abilities within the app, including templates to suit each topic, retouch filters, a wide range of fonts along with stickers and the ability to cut out objects and people to create editorial style images. Canva who?

This cover should ultimately tell the viewer exactly what to expect from your post without telling them everything.

Let’s talk about that caption

So here is where it really differs from other platforms. You’re limited to a maximum of 10 hashtags, you can’t tag anyone else and you can’t repost anyone else’s content. Once you’ve gotten your head around that it’s time to figure out your headline. This is the first bit of copy anyone will see and works exactly like that first line on other platforms.

Next you have the actual caption, and lemon8 have a range of templates available that you can use to maximise your potential within each topic. These templates are separated into ‘quick’ and ‘detailed’. This gives you the chance to easily communicate where your new shoes are from or give a full in-depth recipe. While we are so used to social copy getting shorter and shorter, it's refreshing to see a platform disrupting the trend and actively encouraging users to write up to and beyond 150-word captions.

So what about analytics and ads?

Currently there isn’t the facility to run paid ads on the platform. There isn’t much in the way of analytics either. On each post you’re able to see the number of likes, comments and saves, but that’s currently as far as it goes. No doubt like its sibling TikTok, these features will make an appearance in the future as it increases in popularity and brands want more from the platform.

10 Yetis thoughts

“Lemon8 is reminiscent of the good ol’ blogging days, where images were heavily curated and captions were in depth and full of interest. The opportunity to be able to tell the full story without being directed here, there and everywhere will be beneficial to brands who often experience a loss of interest as soon as the consumer reads ‘link in our bio’. It will be great to see how brands take advantage of this platform and conform to its needs instead of just sticking to what they have always done or what the CEO (often with little marketing or social media understanding) says is to be done.”

Hayley Malsom, Social Media Account Executive

“Similar to Pinterest, the platform is dominated by inspiration for nail art, outfits, food and fitness, but give it time and Lemon8 will undoubtedly expand as more users, and in-turn brands, find their way onto the channel. The lack of ability to monetise or offer users insights from analytics won’t do them many favours, but given how fast TikTok has grown to provide this information, it will likely only be a matter of time.
“I can see this one growing for brands that find their niche already on the platform, where visually pleasing recipe inspiration can come to life, but will it be another Google Plus, Vine or BeReal? Only time will tell…”

Steph Searle, Head of Social Media

“Although in its infancy, the platform has already gained huge traction in the US social space. Every new social media platform presents an opportunity for creators to ride the wave of early adopters and gain momentum before the app becomes saturated. My only concern is, could this be another BeReal? The concept is there, but longevity for brands and creators is yet to be decided. The fusion of Instagram and Pinterest, however, could be an effective space for lifestyle-led creators and brands wanting to access and build new communities, authentically. Micro-influencers and brands with a unique niche could identify a space on this platform, but equally not all trends and the 'new' are there to be explored - and it brings about the debate whether it's more competitive to master one platform, rather than attempting a presence on all channels.”

Lucy Parish, Social Media Account Executive