In Real Life

What In Real Life does

In Real Life is a Malaysian digital content platform headquartered in Selangor, Malaysia, founded in 2018, that publishes user-submitted personal stories targeted at a Malaysian audience. The platform organizes content into five editorial verticals: Real People, Real Relationships, Real Mental Health, Real Skills, and Videos, with a clear focus on lived-experience narratives rather than professional journalism. It operates as a non-profit media organization with an editorial roster exceeding 80 listed contributors, suggesting a community-led, user-generated content model rather than a traditional staffed newsroom.

The platform is built on WordPress CMS, indicating a low-capex, content-first architecture with no proprietary technology stack disclosed. There are no integrations, recommendation engines, or technology partnerships referenced in the input. Distribution appears to be driven by organic search and social sharing of stories rather than paid acquisition or platform partnerships. The technology profile is best characterized as a standard editorial publishing site without differentiated infrastructure.

Commercially, In Real Life is described as advertising-supported. There are no disclosed pricing tiers, subscription products, sponsorship structures, named advertisers, or financial figures. No funding rounds, leadership bios, or revenue metrics are visible in the input, and headcount is reported in the 51-100 range. The absence of any monetization disclosures combined with the non-profit framing means the business model is best described as ad-dependent with unverified revenue scale.

Name

In Real Life

Website

https://inreallife.my

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

In Real Life is a Malaysian non-profit digital content platform, founded in 2018 and based in Selangor, that publishes user-submitted personal stories across verticals including mental health, relationships, and skills for a Malaysian audience, supported by advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media Publishing

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

akta.pro primary industry

Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted) (MPADADAO)

Keywords

• User-generated content
• Digital storytelling platform
• Online media publishing
• Personal narrative content
• Community content platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Selangor

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The platform offers an 'Advertise' option in its navigation, indicating that advertising is a revenue stream. Businesses can advertise to reach the platform's audience of readers interested in personal stories and real-life experiences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

In Real Life is a Malaysian digital content platform that publishes and aggregates user-submitted personal stories across five categories: Real People, Real Relationships, Real Mental Health, Real Skills, and Videos. The platform enables community members to register, submit their own narratives, and browse authentic real-life experiences shared by other users. The platform operates as a non-profit media entity targeting Malaysian audiences.

Product overview

In Real Life is a single unified content platform built around personal storytelling and community-driven narratives. The core offering consists of a centralized publishing platform that aggregates user-submitted stories organized into five main content verticals: Real People (personal experiences), Real Relationships, Real Mental Health, Real Skills, and Videos. The platform serves as both a content repository and a community engagement space where visitors can browse, search, and submit personal stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In Real Life Platform A unified content publishing and storytelling platform that aggregates user-submitted personal narratives across five main content verticals: Real People, Real Relationships, Real Mental Health, Real Skills, and Videos. The platform serves both as a content repository and as a community engagement space where visitors can browse, search, and submit personal stories.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Says.com: Malaysian social news and lifestyle content platform publishing viral, relatable, UGC-driven stories about everyday Malaysian life. Direct geographic and product overlap with In Real Life.
• The Moth: Storytelling organization and platform dedicated to true, personal stories told live and republished online. Highly comparable content format (authentic first-person narratives) and community-led model.
• Humans of New York: Globally recognized UGC personal-storytelling brand built around authentic portraits and first-person narratives from everyday people. The closest functional and tonal analog to In Real Life's model of curated, user-sourced real-life stories.
• Narratively: Digital publication dedicated to untold, authentic human stories and personal narratives. Comparable UGC-adjacent, story-first editorial approach targeting a general consumer audience.
• RICE Media: Southeast Asian digital media company publishing relatable, lifestyle and human-interest content across the region. Comparable audience demographic, regional scope, and ad-supported story-led content model.

Broad incumbents

• Bernama: Malaysian national news agency operating a wide digital publishing footprint across news and human-interest stories. A broad incumbent competitor in the Malaysian content and advertising market.
• The Star: One of Malaysia's largest mainstream English-language news outlets, operating a broad content platform with editorial coverage spanning news, lifestyle, and personal stories. An incumbent media competitor for audience attention and ad budgets in Malaysia.
• The Rakyat Post: Malaysian digital news and lifestyle publication covering news, opinion, and human-interest stories. Competes for Malaysian audience attention and digital advertising share, with a broader portfolio than In Real Life's niche.
• VICE: Global digital media brand built around unscripted, on-the-ground, personal storytelling aimed at younger audiences. Overlaps thematically and tonally with In Real Life's authentic-real-life content positioning, though at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• Zafigo: Malaysia/SEA-based digital content platform focused on lifestyle, travel, and personal stories targeted at a regional audience. Comparable UGC-adjacent editorial model with similar geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inreallifemy
• Facebookfacebook.com/inreallifemy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about In Real Life