Hily · B2C · dating app
Put most ad spend on Snapchat with creator videos made for Snapchat
Much lower CAC than other channels; 1-1.5M downloads a month until rivals copied
Workedpaid-socialugc-creators
What they did
While also running Facebook, Google Ads and Apple Search Ads, spotted (from non-dating apps) that working with content creators to reach a younger audience worked on Snapchat, which few dating apps used. Built Snapchat-specific UGC/creator creatives and made it the primary channel; once it worked, expanded from California/Texas to the whole US. After COVID, competitors copied the approach, CAC rose with flat LTV, and budgets were cut.
What happened
Snapchat CAC much lower than other channels and its users converted better; drove growth to 1-1.5M downloads/month and a Gen Z-heavy user base. Advantage eroded post-COVID as rivals copied it.
- Stage
- Scale (first 1-3 years)
“eventually, we found Snapchat. And Snapchat really was our unique channel to grow, because Snapchat wasn't so saturated in terms of dating apps right there”
“one of those ideas came from from other apps not related to dating, and then we saw this idea, like working with this content creators and this younger audience”
“most of our competitors find found out that we were running those Snapchat ads, and they were tried to copy our approaches”
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More from Hily
All 24 Hily tacticsMore from this episode
- Hily: Launch a dating app in California only, then add Texas, to keep users closeCAC ran about 3x LTV for 6-9 months; didn't fix economics alone
- Hily: Launch a test every day and review yesterday's results together each morningCredited with finding the winning channel and reaching positive unit economics
- Hily: Let people into the app only after they pay
- Hily: Use a long quiz-style onboarding that personalizes the app, then sellGuest says it still works eight years later; lifted early LTV
- Hily: Ask dating users to sign up first instead of pitching or letting them browsePitch screens and account-free browsing both converted worse than plain signup
- Hily: Add short 'Nice to meet you' and 'Awesome' cheers between onboarding stepsRaised the share of users finishing onboarding; no numbers
- Hily: Add livestreaming to a dating app after paid growth stallsWeak traction and lost focus; dropped after about 1-1.5 years
- Hily: Cut side features and focus everything on better matches and dates20-40% yearly growth in daily users and revenue; top 3 US dating downloads
- Hily: Sell a cheap one-time 'be seen 10x more' boost right after onboardingWorked better than folding the boost into the subscription; no numbers
- Hily: Show a 'visibility: low' badge on the home screen that opens a boost offerGuest says intent-matched offers convert much better than generic 'buy' screens
- Hily: Change the app icon now and then for seasons and holidaysBrings extra organic installs and spikes in returning users each time
- Hily: Draw a notification badge on the app icon (no longer allowed)Raised conversion 'like crazy'; now prohibited by the stores
- Hily: Add invite-a-friend and sharing features to a dating appDidn't work; people won't share dating apps via links
- Hily: Work on when and how you ask for push permission, and explain the benefitHigher opt-in drove retention, guest says; no numbers
- Hily: Pause pushes after 4 ignored in a row; tailor over 30 push rules
- Hily: Send pushes about real events like 'someone liked you', not generic come-back offersGeneric promotional pushes did 4-5x worse than real-event pushes
- Hily: Show lapsed users to more people so real likes bring them backGuest says matching tweaks drive retention; no numbers
- Hily: Add a Discover tab of themed profile collections and push them daily
- Hily: Hide extra profile details until users add their own photos and infoGuest says it works fine; no numbers
- Hily: Make separate store pages for each ad channel, gender and search keyword
- Hily: Ask for a rating only after someone sends a like or a messageWorks well for them, guest says; no numbers
- Run Google Play in-app events to show up twice in search resultsGot a second search placement besides the organic listing