Glow AI: $0 to $10k MRR in 3 days

Glow AI went from $0 to $10k MRR in just 3 days of launch.

Aditya, a Stanford freshman, started with zero coding skills. In just 4 months, he taught himself programming.

Together with his friend Savio, he created Glow, an app that analyzes faces and recommends cosmetic products.

Targeted Marketing Using Influencers

They launched on November 7th, reached $10K MRR by November 9th and accumulated 32,000 downloads in just 3 days.

Aditya didn't rely on traditional advertising. Instead, he used a clever influencer strategy.

He partnered with TikTok and Instagram creators and offered them equity instead of cash. This approach allowed them to gain significant exposure without spending money on marketing.

They made the influencers create viral, targeted content showing the app's unique face-scanning feature.

The influencer @summerfarage has 974.9k followers.

Her video for Glow AI got 2.8M+ views, 166.6k+ likes, and 335+ comments.

Similarly, the influencer @fakeify.yt has 1.2m followers.

His video for Glow AI got 3.7M+ views, 204.9k+ likes, and 657+ comments.

Both videos are exactly the same except the roles are reversed.

The video starts with a clear problem and shows the app as a solution. It demonstrates specific features and uses TikTok's direct app download feature.

The #1 rule of an ad is not to look like an ad and the influencer videos pass the test.

This is bonkers execution and a masterclass in targeting done right.

Crafting Effective Creatives

They created targeted creatives that resonated with the audience. Instead of focusing on visibility alone, they prioritized content that would drive conversions.

For example, they used TikTok videos showing how Glow AI scans users' faces and recommends products.

Distribution Trumps Features

The Glow AI team discovered that finding the right marketing channel matters more than building feature-rich products. They compare it to selling jerseys in a crowded arena versus on a quiet street.

Glow AI's success came from getting the product in front of the right audience. So they focused on hyper-targeted creative content, platform-specific strategies, and conversion-driven marketing.

Paywall and Pricing Tactics

Here's how Glow AI works:

1. Users scan their face

2. They answer 4 quick questions

3. Hit a strategic paywall. It adds a teaser screen before the paywall that shows blurred product recommendations.

4. Receive personalized skincare recommendations

They implemented a hard paywall strategy. It has:

• No free trials

• Longer 5-page onboarding flow (7-10 minutes) creates commitment

• Psychological techniques to increase user commitment. For example, blurred preview screens build anticipation.

Hard paywall makes users pay before accessing full features.

They believe this approach works well for mobile apps because it leverages the "sunken cost" principle. Once users have invested time in scanning their face and answering questions, they are more likely to pay for recommendations.

The paywall placement is critical for conversion.

Glow AI tested different pricing plans, including weekly, monthly, and annual subscriptions. They focused on Revenue Per Install (RPI) as a key metric for growth. By experimenting with pricing structures, they aimed to find the best balance between user affordability and maximizing revenue.

They focused on launching fast with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and iterated quickly based on user feedback. They constantly tested new ideas, such as adding teaser screens before the paywall or changing the onboarding flow to increase user commitment.

Tools Used To Build Glow AI

Glow AI leveraged several tools to streamline development and marketing:

• Cursor AI: Assisted with coding.

• RevenueCat: Managed subscriptions.

• Superwall: Helped test different paywall variations and optimize conversion rates.

• TikTok: Used for influencer marketing and direct app downloads.

• AILabTools.com: Powered the face-scanning functionality. It provides hosted APIs cheaply so you can focus on just building a wrapper.

Glow AI's quick success highlights the importance of focusing on distribution, leveraging influencer partnerships, and continuously testing strategies. They are currently sitting at $17k MRR within 6 days of launch.

Hat Tip to Arib Khan for hosting the X space with Glow AI team.

Top Tweets of the day

1/

Smart thing to hire genius undergrads.

2/

Copy first. Design next.

Words should fit the design, not the other way around.

You do have to change a few words later on for alignment but this works better in my experience as well.

3/

Decent way to start your account from a few thousand instead of 0.

Sometimes, it works out best.

Rabbit Holes

1. Mistral's FREE Coding Canvas, Search & Image Gen by AICodeKing

2. I was just informed from my boss and HR that my entire profession is being automated away. by /r/ChatGPT

3. The definitive SaaS homepage framework by Growth Unhinged

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More Startup Spells 🪄

1. GummySearch's $10 Day Pass (LINK)

2. Josh Richards TikTok Growth Strategy (LINK)

3. $1.5m Text-To-Music AI SaaS Growth Playbook (LINK)