When life gives you Lemon8…

Whenever a new social media app takes off, marketers everywhere tend to toe the line between excitement and dread. Naturally any new opportunity for marketing sparks creativity and fresh ideas, but there’s also the question of resource and budget. It’s imperative that marketers are in the know about socials on the horizon so they can forecast trends while assessing when it’s worth investing.

Bytedance’s latest launch, Lemon8, has been the focus of my attention for the past few months. If you’re looking to get the scoop but can’t dedicate time to scrolling in the app, I’m here to give you the insight you need while the platform is still in its infancy.

My experience is that it’s a super user-friendly photo and video-sharing space. Described endlessly as "Instagram meets Pinterest", Lemon8 is all about aesthetically pleasing, easily digestible media.

To date, #booksoflemon8 has 45.9k views and #bookaesthetic has 38.3k views. Though small right now, the space is incredibly unsaturated with a total lack of paid media presence either via advertising or influencer partnerships.

The content circulating in the book communities on Lemon8 is something that combines qualities of BookTok and Bookstagram. The titles that I’m seeing are the big BookTok hitters like Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover and Sarah J Maas. The content itself is however completely different.

Described endlessly as "Instagram meets Pinterest", Lemon8 is all about aesthetically pleasing, easily digestible media

Back in 2020, TikTok took off within publishing like nothing else, and so far it’s been unmatched. Its real, unpolished content prioritises feelings, reactions and above all a call and response relationship with the audience. This combination has resulted in stories with shocking twists, big love stories or devastating losses to be huge on the app and in the industry.

Lemon8 is the opposite with curated flat lays, gorgeous annotations and review-based messaging; it’s not an aggressive conversation driver. The platform hasn’t kept me in-app with the feverish addictive nature that TikTok fosters.

Some popular book creators from competing platforms are beginning to emerge on Lemon8. Still, I’m yet to see anyone with a monumental following that would warrant an entirely new channel focus. Bytedance are best in class when it comes to caring for their creators, as seen in efforts like the TikTok Creator Fund and if they apply this approach to Lemon8 perhaps we’ll see a new generation of digital influencer rise almost overnight.

Publishers and creators alike are already stretched among so many channels. With each channel possessing its own personality and purpose, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to have a meaningful and strategic presence on each.

While I enjoy my time on Lemon8, I doubt it will become a true focus for marketers unless there’s a significant move away from Instagram. Yet, with the progressively negative sentiment associated with Instagram, we could indeed find ourselves in a market where social media users are spending less and less time here.

For the moment there is no immediate need for publishers to drop everything and become Lemon8 literate. It’s unlikely that another social media app will replicate the gravitas of TikTok on the publishing industry when BookTok is still sitting firmly in the lead in terms of digital influence.

My overall message to my publishing clients would be to have an eye over Lemon8 and other emerging social media platforms so you can be quick to react should a trend or conversation begin that can help uncover a new community for your title or brand.