GlowUp · B2C · AI makeup try-on app
Set up a US TikTok account on a new iPhone and scroll your niche for 3 days first
Part of the playbook behind ~$800K; no separate numbers
Workedorganic-short-video
What they did
Use a new iPhone with a US SIM card and a VPN set to the US 24/7 (if outside the US). Create the TikTok account, then spend 15-30 minutes a day watching, liking and commenting on videos in your niche for about 3 days so the algorithm treats you as a normal user, not a bot, and you learn the niche's trends.
What happened
Founder presents it as step one of the playbook that grew the app; no isolated result
- Stage
- Before posting
“So step one is really just warming up a TikTok account in the USA with a new iPhone. You just buy a USA SIM card.”
“Scroll and like some videos, comment on things for 15 to 30 minutes per day. And it set up your algorithm to think you're not a bot, and you're just someone normal. You do that for around 3 days.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- GlowUp: Read TikTok comments in a big niche, post about the idea, then buildContent went viral; MVP hit 100K users in about 3 days. ~10 build-first apps had failed
- GlowUp: Copy a trending TikTok format with your app, once a day, then 4-6 times a dayMain acquisition engine; marketing cost can be $0
- GlowUp: Run 2-3 TikTok accounts per phone, up to 7 accounts at the peakFounder says more videos meant more money; no per-account numbers
- GlowUp: Add a download button to TikToks only after they pass 1,000 viewsMost downloads came through the link; adding it too early kills the video
- GlowUp: Give a free makeup look for 3 invites, so users post codes under your TikTokViral video hit ~48M views; ~$12.5K sales and 60K downloads in a day
- GlowUp: Ask for an App Store rating during onboarding, right before showing resultsUsers usually leave 5 stars, keeping ratings high; no numbers
- GlowUp: Charge $9.99 a week or $39.99 a year for unlimited use~70K paying customers; ~$800K in year one; no pricing test reported