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How did the founders of After School app market to teens?

The founders of the After School app, Michael Callahan and Cory Levy, employed several strategies to market their app to teenagers, although their approach was marked by both rapid growth and significant challenges.

Initial Launch and Viral Growth

When the app launched in late 2014, it quickly gained traction without much pre-launch marketing. The app's anonymous nature allowed teens to share their thoughts, feelings, and secrets, which led to rapid adoption. Within two weeks, the app was used in 50% of all US high schools24.

Word-of-Mouth and Social Networks

The app's popularity was largely driven by word-of-mouth among teenagers. The anonymous and social aspects of the app made it appealing for teens to share their experiences and engage with their peers24.

Lack of Initial Safety Measures

Initially, the app did not have adequate safety measures in place, which led to issues such as cyberbullying and school-shooting threats. This resulted in the app being temporarily banned from the App Store. However, after implementing new safety features, including human moderators and a Safety Board, the app was reinstated24.

Funding and Expansion

After addressing the safety concerns, the app secured significant funding, including a $16.4 million Series A round in February 2016. This funding helped in further developing the app and expanding its reach24.

Community Engagement

Although not explicitly stated in the sources, the app's success among teens can be attributed to its ability to create a community where teenagers felt they could express themselves freely. However, this also raised criticisms about enabling cyberbullying due to its anonymous nature24.

In summary, the founders of After School app leveraged the app's unique features, such as anonymity and social sharing, to attract teenagers rapidly. However, they had to navigate significant challenges related to safety and moderation to sustain the app's popularity.

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