What is Byte? Everything You Need to Know About the New Video App
Byte is the latest short-form video app to hit the market. Here is everything you need to know about it.
Another day, another social media app that causes everyone to ask: should I invest in this platform? Is it worth it to start a profile? Will this one last?
Today, we are breaking down Byte and everything we know about the new video app.
What is Byte?
Byte is a video-sharing app that allows users to share 6-second looping videos. If that sounds awfully familiar to the now-defunct Vine, that’s because Byte hails from Vine cofounder Dom Hofmann, leading many people to refer to Byte as “Vine 2.0”.
The homepage of Byte features popular content on the app, allowing you to discover new creators. You can also browse through the Explore page to see highlighted content, as well as search different content categories.
As of now, the Create mode in Byte is fairly simple: you can hold down the center button to film clips on the app, or you can upload and trim videos that you’ve taken elsewhere. Currently there is only 1 “filter” to edit with, unlike the many effects and filters that Instagram Stories and TikTok feature. You can then tag your video with a content category (such as “Pets” or “Music”) and share it to your feed. Users can also “rebyte” videos that they like, increasing the potential reach of videos.
Byte vs. the Competition
Byte has entered an already-crowded landscape of video apps. In order to escape Vine’s fate, the app will need to make a big splash with creators and advertisers.
Byte hopes to set itself apart from competitors by focusing on opportunities for creators. Users can join Byte’s official Partner Program, which will facilitate the growth of creator accounts on the app. The program promises email resources with tips and news, creator meet-ups, and early access to new features, including analytics breakdowns.
In addition to educational resources, the app is aiming to launch monetization options for popular creators soon, starting with a revenue share model similar to YouTube. Competitor apps like TikTok and Snapchat do not provide creators with options to monetize directly through their apps, so this is a big draw for creators looking to diversify their income opportunities. During the pilot Partner Program, Byte is promising 100% of ad revenue to creators in the hopes of incentivizing creators to join and develop content for the app.
Marketing on Byte
Byte’s focus right now is on facilitating creators, but brands should pay attention to this app in the coming weeks. The app topped 1 million downloads in the first week alone and will continue to grow. As the app lures creators with its Partner Program, they will need advertisers for the proposed revenue share program.
As detailed in their Partner Program outline, Byte will not feature pre-roll advertising, ads in your following feed, and will not run retargeting ads. Instead, the app will feature organically woven-in content, like branded cards on the app’s Explore page.
Just like with TikTok, we also anticipate brands who are targeting Gen Z audiences to start developing content for Byte. The 6-second limitation will encourage brands to get very creative with video content, but when done right, the possibilities for amplification through the app’s Explore page are promising, especially for early adopters of the app.