GlamUp · B2C · AI makeup glow-up app
Post the same before/after makeup slideshow with one fixed hook, caption and audio
First post hit 10M views; millions of views a day at peak
Workedorganic-short-videougc-creators
What they did
Faceless TikTok slideshow: girl without makeup -> girl with makeup with GlamUp branding -> app screenshot of the personalized routine. Hundreds to thousands of posts used the identical on-screen hook ('never saw myself with the / right makeup routine' + two crying-face emojis on a third line), identical caption ('I will be unstoppable' + exhausted emoji), same hashtags and one of ~10 proven audios. On-screen text kept small and off-center, 'Gen Z Insta-girly' style. Hook wording, line count and text size were tested; other audios did not go viral. Earlier formats that failed: Latina makeup slideshows, color theory, celebrities, makeup tutorials. Posted across ~20 UGC creators' accounts.
What happened
Very first slideshow got ~10M views; at peak 'millions of views every single day'; drove GlamUp to 1M users in 6 months.
- Stage
- Scale (launch to 1M users)
In their words
The Superwall Podcast · Nicole Cheung - she makes $400k/mo from ai apps (while in college)“we use the same caption on the video and the same caption below the video and the same hashtags. And for some reason, this combo just worked. And the same audio.”
“It's, "never saw myself with the," next line, "right makeup routine," crying face, crying face.”
“So, we have tested a bunch. Latina makeup slideshows, all that stuff, didn't really work. We tested color theory, celebrities, all that stuff, didn't really work.”
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More from GlamUp
All 20 GlamUp tactics- Build the women's version of a hit looksmaxing app for men1M users in 6 months; peak $150K MRR
- Post faceless slideshows and videos on TikTok and InstagramPeak month: 40-50M TikTok and ~200M Instagram views; 1M users in 6 months
- Run the same creator playbook on each new app you launchTwo new apps at ~$200K MRR combined within 3 months
- Swap text makeup tips for a face scan showing your before and afterStarted going viral on TikTok; founder gives no numbers
- Try each social format for 2-3 weeks, then pour everything into the winnerFounder credits it for all four apps; no per-format numbers
- Push a text-only feature through influencers, faceless accounts, own UGC, Reddit and DiscordDidn't work over 3-4 months; the feature itself was the problem
More from this episode
- GlamUp: Strip makeup off Pinterest photos, then add it back in-app for big contrastContrast made the slideshows go viral; founder claim
- GlamUp: Find a viral format on your own accounts first, then hire creators to copy itFounder went viral first on all four apps; scaled GlamUp to 30-40 creators
- GlamUp: Let users skip paying by inviting 3 friends with a code1.6M share/code requests; codes flooded TikTok comments; conversion barely dropped
- GlamUp: Put the app name in the copy-paste referral message so TikTok search ranks itSearching 'GlamUp' on TikTok shows only their content; founder claim
- GlamUp: Triple the weekly price from $3 to $9Conversion rate went up despite the 3x price
- Raise monthly and annual prices 20%, then test another 20%Conversion and revenue per download both rose; second +20% in test
- GlamUp: When people close the paywall, show the same plans at 50% off
- GlamUp: Limit scans per week by plan, and offer a bigger plan when they run out
- GlamUp: Show a fake 'analyzing' scan with blurred results, and run the AI only after payment
- GlamUp: Ask for a rating mid-onboarding; make users tap 'I rated' to continueOther founders who copied it say ratings improved; softer version still works
- GlamUp: After each onboarding question, show a screen on how the app beats the alternativesFounder says it primes users to convert; no numbers
- Sprout: Skip the annual plan for a job-search app; sell weekly and monthly via Stripe
- Sprout: Show the paywall right after onboarding, before users can open the app+50% conversion vs letting users try features first
- Sprout: Put every new creator through a video course with a quiz after each moduleOver half go viral within 2 weeks; 100M monthly views at 200+ active creators
- Sprout: Recruit creators in influencer-run Discords and on Handshake, then vibe-check them in 15 minutesMany top creators had no experience; founder claim
- Sprout: Pay creators $10-30 per post plus view bonuses that shrink per view at scaleFounder says the decreasing tiers work best; no numbers
- Sprout: Give creators line-by-line scripts with the emotion and camera shot for each lineTrained creators averaged hundreds of thousands to millions of views per video
- Sprout: Film a 6.7-second 'War is over' clip flipping a job tracker cell to 'Accepted'Hundreds of millions of views and many conversions (not attributable)
- GlamUp: Rebuild a hit men's looks app for women, launching a rough MVP in a month1M users in 6 months; ~$150K MRR peak