How to consistently go viral: Nikita Bier’s playbook for winning at consumer apps
26 Aug 2024 (23 days ago)
Nikita’s background
- The speaker looked at the App Store and noticed that the number one app in the United States was in Arabic, which indicated a strong demand for that type of app.
- The speaker believes that product managers at large tech companies do very little product management and instead spend their time writing documents and getting approvals.
- The speaker believes that if you are good at your job, you can make an app go viral, and has accumulated many growth hacks over the years.
Nikita’s early ventures: Politify and Outline
- Politify was created to show users how voting for specific political policies would impact them financially.
- Politify went viral during an election season, garnering around 4 million users and leading to government entities reaching out to the creators.
- The creators of Politify used it to launch a company called Outline, which focused on building similar tools for government budgets.
Transition to consumer apps
- A decision was made to stop selling software to governments and instead focus on building consumer apps, even after receiving funding for a policy simulation tool.
- After pivoting to consumer apps, a personality analysis app called Five Labs, which used Facebook posts to determine personality traits, gained significant traction with tens of millions of profiles.
- Through building various consumer apps, a focus on targeting teenagers emerged due to their adaptability, openness to new products, and tendency to invite others to join apps.
The birth of TBH
- It was challenging to transition from building web apps to mobile apps because mobile apps have a lower margin for error in design due to users' tendency to quickly switch between apps.
- After pivoting to consumer apps and experimenting with various app types and target audiences, it was discovered that it was difficult to engage users over the age of 22.
- Over a period of four to five years, 15 different apps were built, with a focus on teenagers, before finding success with TBH.
Building for teens vs. adults
- People older than 22 are the target demographic for most consumer apps, despite the potential of targeting younger demographics.
- The number of people an individual texts peaks around the age of 21, highlighting the high communication needs and potential of this demographic for communication tool apps.
- A robust and reproducible testing process is crucial for the success of consumer product ideas, as it allows for multiple attempts and reduces risk.
TBH’s viral success
- TBH, a polling app, was launched and quickly gained popularity in a high school in Georgia, achieving 40% penetration within 24 hours.
- The app's rapid growth led to server crashes and a surge in the app's ranking in the U.S. App Store, reaching the number one spot within days.
- The app's viral spread was fueled by a strategy of targeting specific schools, leveraging social media to reach students, and creating a positive user experience focused on receiving compliments.
Leveraging live chat
- To determine if an app provides value, even in its ideal form, it is recommended to test it with a large, focused group, such as an entire school.
- It is recommended that companies implement 24/7 live chat customer support in their apps to provide a high-quality user experience and eliminate variables that could affect user satisfaction.
- Live chat serves as a valuable tool for gathering user feedback and conducting user research, as users directly communicate their problems and experiences.
Lasting lessons from TBH
- Rapid growth creates constant challenges, requiring frequent system replacements and highlighting the need for robust infrastructure.
- Prioritization is crucial during rapid scaling, addressing the most critical issues first to maintain functionality.
- Achieving product-market fit is evident when user demand is overwhelming, requiring measures like geofencing to manage growth and prevent system crashes.
Selling TBH to Facebook
- TBH was acquired nine weeks after its launch.
- The acquisition process was described as draining, with Facebook dedicating 80 people to the deal compared to TBH's one-person team.
- Working at Facebook was likened to an academic environment for social network development, with a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making and a clear separation between product management and design.
Big-tech product management
- Large companies, while having distribution advantages, often struggle to launch innovative products due to risk aversion and difficulty in identifying and articulating user needs.
- Individuals primarily download apps for financial gain, finding companionship, or escapism, with additional utilitarian subcategories.
- Large companies face challenges in responding to market trends due to bureaucratic processes, often taking 12-24 months to address competitive threats.
Nikita on why “product management is not real”
- Product management in large tech companies like Facebook differs significantly from that in startups. In these large organizations, product managers often find themselves distanced from the actual product development process. Their roles tend to be more administrative, involving tasks like writing documentation and obtaining approvals from various teams.
- A contrasting approach is observed in companies like Snapchat and Apple, where designers hold a more central role in product development. This designer-led approach can foster innovation and lead to the creation of unique products. However, it also presents challenges, particularly in large organizations where product rollout necessitates navigating regulatory hurdles and scaling complexities.
- For early-stage initiatives, especially in consumer-facing products, a deep involvement in design is crucial. Product managers should be actively engaged in shaping the user experience, from the overall hierarchy to the finer details of pixels and user flows. The success of consumer products hinges on these design elements, making it essential for product managers to be deeply invested in this aspect.
The Tim Cook painting story
- A team relocated their office to a space near Mark Zuckerberg's desk and brought a pop art painting of Tim Cook from their old office.
- An executive assistant asked for the painting to be removed, suggesting it was inappropriate to have a painting of another tech executive overlooking their workspace.
- The painting was purchased because it symbolized Apple's influence and control in the tech industry.
Leaving Facebook and starting a new venture
- The speaker left Facebook and was considering starting a new venture-backed company.
- The speaker's idea for a new app went viral before it was even built, leading to humorous memes about its supposed life-changing effects.
- The speaker decided to pursue the app idea after a market crash impacted their portfolio, aiming to create a monetized version of their previous app, TBH.
Rebuilding TBH and overcoming challenges
- TBH initially gained popularity in 2017 through users sharing messages on Snapchat and sending text invites using Twilio.
- Due to changes in regulations, sending text invites directly from the server was no longer permitted, requiring a shift to sending from the user's device.
- Rebuilding the app, Gas, necessitated reinventing growth systems, including a name change and introducing new features, resulting in a development process akin to starting from scratch.
Addressing criticism
- It is important to operate within legal and compliance frameworks, especially when it comes to user data and growth hacking.
- Some founders use user data in unethical ways, such as inviting people on a user's behalf without consent.
- Designing products and growth systems ethically is crucial for long-term success and avoiding negative consequences.
The human trafficking hoax
- A hoax claiming the app was used for human trafficking spread rapidly, despite the app's lack of private messaging features.
- The hoax, a common occurrence with viral apps, was fueled by teenagers seeking attention and followers.
- To combat the hoax, the app creators engaged in various strategies, including collaborating with journalists, contacting schools and police stations spreading misinformation, and working with TikTok to remove misleading videos.
Selling to Discord and lessons learned
- An app was created that achieved significant success, garnering 10 million downloads.
- The app's financial success was achieved with minimal expenses, primarily utilizing startup credits for services like AWS and Mixpanel.
- The app was not initially intended for sale, but the decision to sell was made after it gained significant traction and attention on Twitter.
Lasting lessons from Gas
- A key lesson learned from developing the Gas app was the importance of validating product features in a sequential manner.
- This sequential validation process involves focusing on one key aspect at a time, such as user engagement with the core flow, the app's ability to spread within peer groups, and its capacity to gain traction across multiple peer groups.
- A crucial takeaway is to prioritize and execute flawlessly on the specific element being validated at each stage of product development, while other aspects can be addressed with less intensity to maintain focus and obtain clear signals on the primary validation goal.
Building durable consumer apps
- It can be challenging to create a lasting social media or communication app due to the established market dominance of existing platforms and the unpredictable nature of consumer preferences in this domain.
- Achieving virality in an app can be accomplished through strategic product development and marketing efforts.
- The speaker finds immense satisfaction in the process of creating a product and witnessing its widespread adoption, likening the experience to a highly addictive sensation.
The VC route
- The decision to seek venture capital funding is not solely based on targeting a mainstream audience over 22 years old.
- It is acknowledged that some founders achieve significant scale with lean teams, citing Elon Musk as a prime example.
- If the speaker were to pursue venture capital, it would be under a specific set of operating principles, potentially prioritizing a lean team structure.
Contact permissions in iOS 18
- The contact permission screen in iOS 18 has about a 65% approval rate across all apps, with higher rates for teens and lower rates for adults.
- The new iOS 18 contact permission flow requires users to individually select contacts from an alphabetical list, making it difficult to find and add friends who may not already be using the app.
- This change is expected to make it harder for new apps to build social graphs and may entrench incumbent apps that already have established user bases.
The success of Dupe
- Dupe, a shopping app, found success by allowing users to quickly find the cheapest version of a product online.
- The app's creator purchased the domain dp.com and encouraged users to type "dp.com/" before a product URL to find the best deals.
- This simple and memorable approach quickly went viral, leading to millions in revenue within 60 days of launch.
Advice for startup founders
- It is important to have marketing and product growth aligned. This includes aligning advertisements, the in-app experience, and all other aspects to create a cohesive user acquisition and flywheel spin.
- When working with companies, a deep dive into analytics is crucial. This includes analyzing user distribution methods, identifying milestones for user activation, and pinpointing any obstacles hindering that activation.
- Many founders make the mistake of separating marketing and product growth, treating them as distinct entities. However, it is essential to recognize that both are integral parts of the same process and should be approached with a unified strategy.
Work with Nikita
- Companies of any stage can work with Nikita, but venture-backed companies are recommended.
- Nikita aims to provide advice that will help companies make 10 times their investment within the first 30 days.
- Nikita works with companies to identify and implement fundamental changes to their product to improve growth.