NGL · B2C · anonymous messaging app
Redesign, rename to a short slang word, and buy a matching .link domain
Came before the breakout; no separate result reported
Unknownpositioning-niche
What they did
In the slow six months, first redesigned the app, then renamed it NGL (teen slang for 'not gonna lie') and bought ngl.link, the domain shown in every shared Story link.
- Stage
- Pre-launch (pre-traction)
This shipped together with other changes, so the result can't be credited to this alone.
“You know, we rebranded the app first, just design-wise, then I changed the name. I came up with the name NGL. We got a sick domain, ngl.link.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- NGL: When Instagram opens Story links to everyone, rebuild an old viral idea on it150M monthly users; more downloads than YOLO, Yik Yak and ask.fm
- NGL: Pay influencers about $100 each to post your link to their StoryOne small blip after ~4 months: a school cluster in one country
- NGL: Build Android fast when your first users come from a poorer countryNext marketing round after Android went viral worldwide within a week
- NGL: Post TikToks of someone reacting to a shocking anonymous message they got~1M views fast; first 1,000 users in a day, then global in a week
- NGL: Have every user post their link, so friends who quit see it and returnChurn offset by a very high redownload rate; still popular 3 years on
- NGL: Charge power users $1-$7 a week, priced by country wealth; keep the rest freeMulti-eight-figure yearly revenue from a small share of users
- NGL: Say 'Get your own messages' instead of 'Download this app' after someone sends oneVery high share of new visitors go straight to the App Store
- NGL: Get users to a 'copy link, share' screen in 20 seconds with GIF instructionsCore loop behind 150M monthly users; no step-level numbers
- NGL: Track users who post a link and get 2+ replies; don't add feedsProduct barely changed since going viral; outlasted rivals that overcomplicated
- Zoom University: Name the app after a trending meme; post jokes in every college Facebook group40,000-person waitlist, 7 women per man; top 10 in Social
- Zoom University: Let women bring their best friend to video dates; both pairs must agree7 women per man on the waitlist, unheard of in dating
- Zoom University: Run the first version by hand over Zoom, sending meeting codes, before buildingThen built the real app very quickly; no separate result
- Wink: Let people swipe to add strangers on Snapchat, which lacked good friend suggestions70M downloads
- PopStream: Have celebrities post a Story link to a web queue for short video callsEarly tests went well, but ~$20K per influencer post killed the economics
- Faves: Put your app in the share menu, then show a step-by-step setup guideWent close to #1 in the App Store
- Bags: Give most of the 1% trading fee to whoever invited or tipped off buyers
- Bags: Pay token creators 1% of every trade, not just the launch
- Bags: Let users deposit with Apple Pay through MoonPay
- NGL: Add invite screens to every app so paid users bring friendsFounder says it works; no numbers
- Spend 2.5 years and a paid agency perfecting a complex social appNever left TestFlight; shut down in 2020