Pushcroll · B2C · push-ups to unlock social media
DM 2,000 influencers and pay $800 flat for 4 videos
Didn't work: ~138K views drove only 200-500 downloads; lost ~$2K
Failedinfluencercreator-ops
What they did
Sent one templated Instagram DM (a hook, a quick app explanation, 'let me know if you're interested') about 2,000 times, then booked calls. Deal: 4 videos priced at their average views times a ~$2-3 CPM (100K avg views -> $200/video -> $800), flat retainer, no view bonus, 50% upfront and 50% after the last video. Signed 5-6 influencers, mostly calisthenics creators, plus a Chef Mac-style collab post copied from a format that worked for Quitter (shout-out in caption, co-posted).
What happened
Views came but downloads did not: one video got ~138K views and only ~200-500 downloads. Calisthenics demos lacked the creators' usual wow moves. Lost about $2K, later made back with organic.
- Stage
- Launch (right after launch)
- Effort
- ~2,000 DMs, 5-6 influencers, ~$2K lost
“Pretty much just sent like this DM, probably like 2,000 times.”
“And the idea is, we we book a call with them, and we sort of negotiate a deal where it's for 4 videos.”
“I think the main problem why it failed, it's just download rate wasn't that good.”
“the problem with calisthenics is the appeal from many of these calisthenics influencers is you know, they do these crazy movements, and when they sort of demo the app like this, it doesn't really include the crazy movement, right?”
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More from this episode
- Pushcroll: Post a 'Should I build this?' video about the app before building itBlew up on TikTok; MVP shipped 2 weeks later to a waiting audience
- Pushcroll: Launch with a video giving free lifetime premium to anyone who installs this week~20K downloads from ~175K views (~10%); only ~$1-2K revenue afterward
- Pushcroll: Move your launch followers into a Discord for feedback, bug reports and videos3-4K members; best feature ideas and user videos came from it
- Pushcroll: Let your community vote on designs, and build what they ask for 20+ timesPicked a better logo and shaped features; 'minute debt' was asked for 50+ times
- Pushcroll: Rebuild push-up tracking to work from the front so faces show on video
- Pushcroll: Film a stranger-style 'what is this guy doing?' clip, then demo the appKept going viral; the main driver of $30K/month profit
- Pushcroll: End videos with 'comment app' and auto-DM the download linkUp to 62K comments on one video; ~90K DMs sent, 33% clicked
- Pushcroll: Sell the app openly in videos instead of hiding the adFull-ad videos converted far better than a cinematic version
- Pushcroll: Put 80% of effort into the hook; aim for under ~18% skippingTheir breakout video had a ~19% skip rate; 30% means switch format
- Pushcroll: Build onboarding as a conversation: goals, pain, past attempts, then your fixConversion rose from ~7% to ~16%; paywall reach ~70%
- Pushcroll: Let people try push-up counting and pick workout times before the paywallFounders say it builds trust and lifts paywall conversion; no numbers
- Pushcroll: Pay founders you admire to review your onboardingFounders call it their highest-ROI spend; 'completely changed our trajectory'
- Pushcroll: Test a 7-day free trial against a 3-day one7-day trial won clearly
- Pushcroll: Test a weekly plan against a monthly oneWeekly won, but only slightly more ARPU
- Pushcroll: Put a short video of someone using the app on the paywallWon its test, but by a small margin
- Pushcroll: Offer about 80% off when someone closes the paywallCalled one of their two biggest tests; no result given
- Pushcroll: Build an Android version if most of your viewers are in EuropeAndroid earns as much as iOS or more; 120K vs 40K users
- Pushcroll: Post from a remote-controlled US phone to reach American viewersDidn't work; shadowbanned even with the remote US phone
- Pushcroll: Pay US students about $1,000 a month to post your winning formatJust started; no results shared
- Pushcroll: Let people close the paywall, then charge when they want more scroll time