BeReal · B2C · photo sharing app for friends
Sell optional paid extras to users of a free social app
Didn't work; shut down quickly, and ads became the only revenue
Failedpricingpaywall
What they did
Optional subscription add-ons / perks for users were explored a few years ago (before the Voodoo acquisition). No details on what was offered.
What happened
Did not really work and was sunset quickly; no in-app subscriptions or purchases since the acquisition.
- Stage
- Exit (pre-acquisition)
- Effort
- Explored a few years ago, sunset quickly
“It has been, yes, explored a few years ago. I don't think it really worked, so that's been sunset real quick.”
Related topics
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New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from this episode
- BeReal: Send users a monthly recap of their own past postsCalled one of the app's most successful and acclaimed features; no numbers
- BeReal: Let users post short videos using both front and back camerasOne of the fastest-adopted and fastest-growing features; no numbers
- BeReal: Send one push a day at a random time asking everyone to post nowKept as the core feature; drove 70M people posting at once at the viral peak
- BeReal: Hide friends' posts until the user posts their own70% of users post; almost no passive users
- BeReal: Show only friends' posts in a feed that ends, with no algorithm, filters or AICredited for users sticking 2-3 years after the viral peak; no retention numbers
- BeReal: Have the CEO ask users for ideas in comments on his own posts
- BeReal: Test each new feature on a small slice of users before releasing it to all
- BeReal: Show up on college campuses, in coffee shops and at mental health events
- BeReal: Sponsor local community groups and throw parties for creators and users
- BeReal: Recruit creators losing reach on other apps and bring their fans over
- BeReal: Show only a few ads a day, styled like friends' posts, and sell full-day takeoversAd click-through 5-10x other platforms; the only revenue source
- BeReal: Let brands sponsor the app's signature daily notification
- BeReal: Have creators and users make the ads brands run in the appSays UGC ads are the best-performing ads; no numbers
- Take the free option off the paywall so only paid plans showRevenue doubled
- Make a separate Google Play store listing for each keyword or featureHost says it worked pretty well; no numbers
- Target keywords with popularity 5-20 until the app gets steady downloadsApp Masters reports pretty good results internally; no numbers