How a Virtual Haircut Site Turned Lockdown Boredom into Revenue — YouProbablyNeedaHaircut.com

During the 2020 pandemic, Greg Isenberg transformed a personal need into a viral platform. The origin story of YouProbablyNeedaHaircut.com began when his girlfriend, a data scientist, wanted to cut his hair.

His solution: connect her with his Brooklyn-based stylist, JaBarie Anderson, for virtual guidance. This simple interaction sparked the creation of a platform that would revolutionize remote haircut guidance.

The service addressed a critical market gap through a straightforward value proposition: connecting homebound individuals with professional stylists for virtual coaching sessions.

Users could book appointments, specify their haircut type (men's or women's), and receive real-time guidance from vetted professionals.

You Probably Need a Haircut gives most of the $18 fee to barbers but takes a $3.60 cut to help cover the costs of running the website. There's also an option to leave a $5 tip for the barber.

Strategic Framework for Viral Growth

The platform's success stemmed from a deliberate combination of creative positioning and systematic execution:

Creative Elements (The Art)

The name selection was genius. YouProbablyNeedaHaircut.com served as both a brand and a call-to-action. The site featured a prominent TV host with hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers.

The brand positioning struck a delicate balance between humor and practical necessity, acknowledging the universal challenge of maintaining personal grooming during unprecedented circumstances.

This resonance drove organic sharing across social networks.

Technical Execution (The Science)

The technical execution leveraged data-driven outreach strategies. The team implemented systematic media engagement through targeted Twitter outreach to journalists while continuously monitoring social conversations about haircut needs during lockdown.

Each interaction received personalized attention, creating authentic connections that drove platform adoption.

Growth Strategy Implementation

Twitter Campaign Mechanics

The team dedicated 1-2 hours (sometimes 5-6 hours) daily to Twitter engagement:

• Identified users expressing frustration about long hair

• Crafted personalized responses addressing specific concerns

• Tracked response rates and refined messaging

• Built genuine connections through authentic interactions

Media Outreach Framework

Their journalist outreach followed a precise methodology:

• Identified relevant journalists covering pandemic lifestyle changes

• Developed compelling story angles emphasizing human connection

• Highlighted unique cases like JaBarie Anderson's cross-cultural impact

• Secured features on major outlets, including Today Show, NPR, ABC, and Fox

Marketing Channel Development

The team approached marketing as a research and development process:

• Allocated daily time slots for testing different engagement methods

• Measured response rates across various outreach styles

• Refined messaging based on real-time feedback

• Built relationships with key influencers and media personalities

Measurable Impact and Unexpected Opportunities

The systematic approach generated significant results:

• Millions of website visitors during the initial launch

• Thousands of completed virtual haircut sessions

• National media coverage across major networks

• Strategic partnership opportunities, including Philips Electronics

A notable success story emerged when a Philips Electronics vice president used the service through his personal email.

His positive experience led to corporate discussions, resulting in an unexpected growth opportunity.

Strategic Insights from YouProbablyNeedaHaircut

The success of YouProbablyNeedaHaircut.com reveals key principles for viral growth:

• Creative positioning must align with genuine user needs

• Sometimes a brand name is enough to go viral, even if it's too long

• Systematic outreach requires persistent, measured execution

• Direct user engagement creates compound growth effects

• Marketing deserves the same R&D approach as product development

YouProbablyNeedaHaircut demonstrates that viral success stems from the intersection of creative positioning and methodical distribution. Through strategic planning and consistent execution, a personal solution evolved into a scalable platform, proving that viral growth can come from intention rather than chance.

Full credits to the Indie Hackers podcast with Greg Isenberg.

Top Tweets of the day

1/

Don't sleep on Reddit. It has ~750 million visitors right now that you can send to your site for free.

2/

The more new apps I sign up on, the more I use Google Auth more than new email/password flow even though I use a Password Manager.

Reminder, most of the world doesn't use the Password Manager. Observe a normie.

3/

I've observed this a lot while using apps. There are certain kinds of patterns that go viral once for 3-4 months and then they crash but you can exploit them when they are going viral.

For example, Twitter Threads that started with "Twitter is a FREE UNIVERSITY" used to go viral a lot. Many cringed (I did) and didn't make those threads but those who did are influencers now.

In the past few months, being a Elon fanboy made you go viral on X. And those who did became bigger influencers and got an Elon reply which meant a fatter payout from X.

On LinkedIn, slideshows used to go viral. And the same happened with TikTok too for a long time.

Nowadays, AI-generated videos are going viral. They don't even have to be exceptional. Just good enough and they'll pop off.

Always remember, most of the world around you is mediocre.

So go make that post or launch that product. It only needs to be good enough. As everyone is an expert for someone.

Rabbit Holes

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