TikTok-Owned ByteDance Is Paying Creators To Use Its New App

TikTok-owner ByteDance has launched a new app called Lemon8 that is helping some content creators monetize their work.

What is Lemon8? 

Lemon8 is a social media app centered around lifestyle and community. The content-sharing platform has been designed to help creators monetize their work and reach a wider audience.

The picture-based app, described as a fusion of Instagram and Pinterest, first launched in Japan in 2020 and is now available to download in several countries. 

To help the platform’s expansion, ByteDance has decided to start paying creators to post on the app. 

The app’s main feed is a direct replica of TikTok’s “For You” and “Following” pages, meaning creators can keep up to date with the content they are most passionate about, which can be sorted into subgenres like beauty, fashion, and food. 

The app also showcases high-quality photo carousels and extended captions sharing insight into particular subjects from step-by-step makeup tutorials, recipes, or a guide to styling clothes. 

Will this benefit Black content creators?

According to documents obtained by Insider, three influencers showed they were getting paid to post on the app. Two others disclosed emails they had received from Lemon8 outlining the payment agreement.  

Content creators Ese Nuesiri and Shantania Beckford are among the many influencers who have already signed up to use the platform.

Lemon8’s approach of paying creators to post their content and launch their new app could be crucial in closing the insta-race gap. The influencer pay gap has made many Black and brown influencers more prone to receiving significantly less than their white creators for posting content. 

As more social platforms choose to pay creators to launch their apps – especially underrepresented ones – more Black and brown creators will begin to be credited for their work rightfully.