Coffee N° 5 with Lara Schmoisman

Episode: The Authenticity Shift: Rethinking Social Media with Susanah Zeffiro

Air Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Lara Schmoisman
Guest: Susanah Zeffiro (Head of Brand Partnerships at BeReal, Former Spotify/Gaming Industry Expert)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the evolving landscape of social media, specifically focusing on the cultural and business implications of the shift toward authenticity. Guest Susanah Zeffiro shares her journey through digital media, the intersection of creativity and data in campaigns, and her current work at BeReal—a platform championing unfiltered, real-time content amid a market saturated with algorithm-driven, high-production social media. The conversation highlights how authenticity is being redefined, what it means for brands and creators, and how platforms like BeReal are innovating beyond the influencer playbook.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Relationships in the Industry

• [01:27] Lara and Susanah highlight the importance of maintaining authentic professional relationships.
  • "There are a lot of people that they don't know about that. And that's one of the things that I think is so important in the industry, that when you make relationships, keep in touch, don't...wait until the next event." — Lara Schmoisman

2. Susanah’s Career as a ‘Futurist’

• [02:06] Susanah describes her path from TV ad agencies in 2012, recognizing early shifts to mobile, then joining Spotify before podcasts and the audio revolution.
• Her forte: Spotting emerging trends, helping with early adoption, and bridging creativity with data.

3. Creativity and Data: Bridging the Divide

• [02:52/03:14]
  • Susana is celebrated for her ability to unite creativity with data—an increasingly rare skill as these realms grow apart in marketing.

    "Every time that I see it, it's getting more separated when you need to be creating, becoming more one thing." — Lara Schmoisman [02:52]

  • At Spotify, she worked to bring the beauty industry into the audio space, highlighting unexplored synergies.
• Beauty’s audio potential: "No one had really cracked or touched beauty within the audio space. Even though, kind of beauty and audio in the getting ready moment, it's so complementary to that moment." — Susanah Zeffiro [03:14]

4. The BeReal Philosophy – Authenticity in Action

• [05:07 - 06:07]
  • Susanah explains BeReal’s ‘everyday authenticity’ and zero algorithm approach:

    "With the proliferation of AI...content is inherently non human...At BeReal...it's rooted in everyday authenticity. No filtering, no algorithmic kind of driven content." — Susanah Zeffiro

• BeReal’s Gen Z focus: 71% of daily usage is by 18-27 year olds.

5. Brand Partnerships and Monetization on BeReal

• [06:07 - 09:31]
  • BeReal’s monetization: Native in-feed paid media, working with long-term creators (“streak” creators), and facilitating UGC campaigns.
  • The challenge: Getting brands to diversify spend amid a crowded platform landscape.

    "It's a hard job yours to convince someone...if you diversify your budget for a new opportunity, you can win a lot more." — Lara [09:31]

  • Early traction with beauty brands (Elf Cosmetics, Dior): high engagement, tight-knit audiences.

6. Creative Strategy: Realness Over Perfection

• [16:03 - 17:55]
  • Best-performing creatives on BeReal are low-fi, casual, and phone-shot—disrupting the high-production norm.

    "The more pixelated, rough, real iPhone-looking creatives perform the best on BeReal." — Susanah [16:03]

  • Notable case: Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle campaign used only raw, behind-the-scenes iPhone media for paid placements.

7. Platform Differentiation: Not Search, Not Algorithm

• [19:14 - 21:05]
  • “Instagram just feels now like a shopping catalog. ...My for you page is all not even friends anymore, it's more of like my news now." — Susanah [19:14]
  • BeReal is intentionally not a search engine; preserves spontaneous, non-addictive sharing.

    "I think the essence and the beauty of BeReal is that it is...a really kind of healthy part of your digital diet." — Susanah [20:03]

8. User Experience: Moments, Not ‘Latergrams’

• [14:46 - 15:33]
  • BeReal’s signature: A once-daily, randomly timed notification, prompting real-time sharing (and “photo-journaling”).

    "When I go through my BeReals, you almost have this photo journal...all these moments that at the time seem mundane but they add up to your life." — Susanah [15:11]

9. Social Commerce and Future Growth

• [10:53 - 12:25]
  • Social commerce is coming, but for now, focus is on upper-funnel brand awareness versus direct ROI.
  • Highly engaged daily posting (70% daily activity) despite a comparatively small, but intimate, user base.

10. Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Intergenerational Use

• [13:08 - 24:46]
  • College campuses and Gen Z are core, but teen (Gen Alpha) adoption is growing.
  • Unique use-cases: Parent/child daily check-ins via the app.

11. Platform Safety and Education for Young Users

• [24:46 - 26:41]
  • Strong moderation tools (content must be captured natively, phone-number linked accounts, human moderation).
  • Focus on building “better for you” social experience for users and parental peace-of-mind.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Industry Evolution:

  "I do self describe myself as a futurist, because I have been good in my career...at seeing where things are going and percolating and being really drawn to getting there first." — Susanah [02:06]

• On the Creative/Data Divide:

  "Combining creativity with data...is something that I see in the industry that now...it's getting more separated, when you need to be creating, becoming more one thing." — Lara [02:52]

• On BeReal’s Difference:

  "It is a really kind of healthy part of your digital diet...You know it’s 100% human, which is certainly not what other platforms can say." — Susanah [20:03]

• On Content Production:

  "Our creators...literally take their capture on their iPhone and that's because that's what the platform...the brands that lean into that...are the ones that are winning." — Susanah [16:03]

• Parent-Child Use:

  "It's my one thing I do every day with my dad. We always kind of jump in and it's like hey, like I'm good." — Susanah [22:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:12] Susanah’s introduction, industry relationships
• [02:06] Career journey & “futurist” approach
• [03:14] Creativity with data, early days of beauty+audio
• [05:07] BeReal’s authenticity ethos, anti-algorithm positioning
• [06:24] Monetization strategies for BeReal, Gen Z audience focus
• [09:31] Challenges in pitching new platforms to brands
• [10:59] Social commerce’s future on BeReal; brand success stories
• [13:35] Creating real-life, real-time cultural moments
• [16:03] The value of raw, unfiltered creative content
• [17:59] Music integration, static content performance
• [19:14] Social as search/shopping vs. BeReal’s unique space
• [20:03] “Digital diet,” audience comfort posting on BeReal
• [22:46] Intergenerational (parent/kid) use cases
• [24:46] Safety, education for young/parent users

Episode Wrap: Light and Candid Touch

• Coffee Rituals: [26:47] Susanah shares her favorite ways to enjoy coffee—cortado at home, cold brew with whole milk and honey in NYC.

  "I love all formats of coffee. If I'm at home, I make a cortado...when I'm out, I always get a cold brew." — Susanah

Summary Takeaway

This conversation delivers a nuanced look at how authenticity is shaping the next era of social media and brand engagement. For those considering new platforms, it’s a must-listen snapshot on carving out real connection, why rough is the new polished—and why the days of highly manufactured influencer content may be numbered. BeReal isn’t just a reaction to Gen Z’s craving for “real,” but a playbook for future-forward marketing that values trust, moment-to-moment presence, and digital well-being.