Initially envisioned as a "TikTok-fied Instagram," TikTok Notes ultimately met its end.
Launched in April 2024 in regions like Canada and Australia, this image-centric social app aimed to disrupt the established photo and text-based social media landscape. However, the outcome was swift: TikTok Notes is scheduled to shut down on May 8, 2025.
The official statement was restrained: "This decision was not easy... Thank you for being a part of our community." However, the underlying issues warrant consideration for all content-based products: why are users not retained? And why couldn't even TikTok's brand halo save it?
👇 Let's delve into the details of this "social flanking maneuver" and explore which strategies can reignite growth for image-and-text-based apps.
Although the official statement didn't explicitly state the reasons for the shutdown, the lack of user growth is likely the final straw for TikTok Notes, based on various indicators.
Recent data from FoxData reveals that in the initial launch markets of Canada and Australia, TikTok Notes' rankings on the App Store's social free charts have fallen out of the top 100, even dropping below 150. With declining platform attention and difficulty in boosting user engagement, the outcome is clear.
Interestingly, concurrent with the "retreat" announcement, TikTok Notes didn't redirect users back to the main TikTok app. Instead, it "gently transitioned" them to Lemon8, another photo and text-based product from the same parent company.
"To continue your creative journey, we’re excited to introduce you to Lemon8," the official message stated.
In terms of product format, Lemon8 indeed follows the photo and text-based content recommendation approach of TikTok Notes, with its concept of a "lifestyle inspiration community" seamlessly aligning with the latter.
However, the intention behind this recommendation goes beyond a simple "user migration." Lemon8 is seen as one of ByteDance's key strategic assets in betting on the global content recommendation market—a more powerful "photo and text-based growth vehicle."
Simultaneously, Lemon8, long dubbed the "overseas version of RedNote," is facing new pressures as RedNote itself begins to test the waters in overseas markets. A deep game of "content recommendation globalization" seems to have just begun.
When TikTok Notes entered the photo and text-based social media arena with much fanfare, it faced a highly saturated yet stable market.
Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest not only dominate user awareness but also deeply associate with keywords like "sharing daily life," "visual inspiration," and "photo-based recommendations," where TikTok Notes appeared to be at a disadvantage.
In the Canadian and Australian markets, TikTok Notes' related search suggestions in the Apple App Store were nearly absent.
Core search terms like "red note" and "social media" are almost entirely monopolized by Instagram or Pinterest.
👁🗨 Leveraging FoxData's keyword exploration feature, a comparative analysis of keyword coverage between Notes and its competitors can be conducted through "Competitive Analysis."
For instance, FoxData data indicates that on the Canadian App Store, the keyword "Tiktok" has a correlation score of 100 (the highest score), signifying that this keyword drives significant organic traffic.
However, despite incorporating the "Tiktok" prefix, TikTok Notes' ranking (16) for this keyword lags considerably behind Instagram (2).
Let's analyze your keyword rankings relative to your competitors
The TikTok Notes app store metadata (including the subtitle and description) largely fails to establish differentiated selling points.
The descriptions excessively rely on the brand name "TikTok" itself, lacking an expression of independent product value.
In contrast, consider Meta's Threads and Lemon8: Threads leverages Twitter's attributes for topic-based dissemination, while Lemon8 emphasizes a "creativity + community" tone. Notes' copy appears thin in comparison.
🔍 Leveraging FoxData's App Profile module, we can dissect the store copy and visual presentation strategies of Notes, Lemon8, and Threads, providing valuable insights for optimizing your own app's storefront.
According to FoxData data, TikTok Notes' 7-day downloads fluctuate around 200, significantly lower than comparable apps.
The one-star review rate has reached 18.75%. Keyword analysis indicates that a significant portion of users are still searching for "TikTok."
✅ Leveraging FoxData's AI Review Summary module allows for the rapid categorization of positive and negative keywords within reviews.
For instance, the presence of "Lack of Feature" in negative reviews indicates that users generally perceive the product as lacking unique features, thus questioning its necessity.
Interestingly, Lemon8, a lifestyle-focused community app from ByteDance, has bucked the trend and experienced growth in markets like Japan and Southeast Asia.
📈 According to FoxData, from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, Lemon8 saw a 66% increase in active users in Japan and surpassed 1 million downloads in Thailand, becoming one of the fastest-growing apps in the image and text category.
1）Highly localized keywords:
In the Japanese market, Lemon8 strategically targeted the core search interests of female users by utilizing keywords such as "ライフスタイル (lifestyle)," "アットコスメ (@cosme beauty awards)," and "おしゃれ (fashion)."
According to the FoxData keyword trend module, Lemon8 consistently ranked within the top 10 for these keywords.
This strategy, characterized by high potential and relatively low competition, has been instrumental in driving significant organic traffic to the platform.
2）Content Presentation: "Light Operation + Heavy Guidance"
Lemon8 employs an operational strategy that prioritizes official accounts to set the content pace.
It features daily recommendations such as "Today's Hot List" and "Style Collection Guide," which aid in search functionality and drive user-generated content (UGC) traffic.
The platform showcases content through visually appealing, compact card-style displays, a clear departure from Pinterest's dense, mosaic-like layout and Instagram's social feed structure.
3）Enhance Content Density with Category Segmentation
By segmenting content pages into niche categories like travel, beauty, fashion, and campus life, and allowing users to select their preferred topics, we can effectively implement the "Content Type A = Targeted Audience = Keyword Package" strategy.
Lemon8 further encourages creators to incorporate keywords in their titles, achieving high precision in "content titles = SEO."
Clearly, Lemon8’s rise offers valuable lessons in visibility, positioning, and keyword alignment. So how can other visual-first apps follow through? Here’s a to-do list to help you get there—step by step.
❶ Double down on Scenario-Based Keywords
Prioritize keywords by scenario > behavior > brand for better user resonance.
Examples:
📘 Use FoxData’s Keyword Explorer to generate scene-based keyword packs, segmented by gender and region. This is especially effective for apps in the lifestyle, journaling, or aesthetic community space (like RedNote clones).
❷ Leverage release event keywords to trigger algorithm boosts
Use version-driven trigger phrases to tap into App Store algorithm momentum. Hot terms include:
📈 With FoxData’s Rank Jump Tracker, visualize chains of influence from feature release → keyword spike → rank uplift. Combine with keyword velocity graphs to find early signals of market interest.
❸ Review keywords ≠ noise — they’re a goldmine for ASO
Reviews reveal user sentiment and expectation gaps — if you know how to extract them.
Best practices:
📌 FoxData’s AI Review Summary automatically generates word clouds based on sentiment trends, and exports keyword reports for growth, marketing, or copywriting teams to act on immediately.
The failure of TikTok Notes doesn’t mean the visual content app category is done.
Instead, it underscores one essential truth for global apps:It’s not about having a great product.
It’s about whether you show up — in the right keywords, rankings, copywriting, and content feeds — before users even know they want you.
Search → Click → Download → Review → Retain
That growth loop only works when your strategy is tracked, optimized, and refined continuously.
🌟 Want to discover the best-performing keyword path for your own app?
🧠 Curious about what your users really love — and want AI to summarize it for you?
📈 Need 24-hour keyword monitoring right after your version update?FoxData covers it all.
🎯 Try FoxData free today 👉
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