Startup lessons and bitcoin
The full interview on The Final Round, on building a startup and the lessons behind Explosive Growth.
December 7, 2017Original source ↗: Startup lessons and bitcoin
Explosive Growth
A Few Things I Learned While Growing To 100 Million Users - And Losing $78 Million
“Top Growth-Hacking Business Book”
“Best Growth Hacking Books”
The story
Less than a month of money left
So we put our dating app, AreYouInterested?, on Facebook, then an unknown platform. No plan B. Then it exploded: 100,000 new users in a single day. Then came the hard part: staying on top.
- 120M
- users signed up
- $100M+
- total revenue
- 2,000%
- stock price climb
On screen
See it on CNBC and Bloomberg
Cliff was on his way to the office when CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo called. The stock had just gone up 1,100% in a single week.
Stock explodes 1,100% in one week
Bloomberg on the day Snap Interactive’s stock blew up after AreYouInterested? went viral. Watch the clip, then read the book.
6 lessons from inside the startup
Your product probably sucks. Here’s why.
“Pretty good” gets ignored. If your users aren’t selling it for you, it isn’t good enough yet.
“A marginally better product is worthless. It needs to be at least ten times better.”
The playbook: 100,000 users in a day
The viral loops that got our dating app, AreYouInterested?, to 100,000 new users in a day, for free.
Inside the chapter “The Growth Rocket”
Your metrics are lying to you
You’re tracking vanity numbers that feel good and mean nothing. We’ll tell you the only 3 that matter.
“Building product without robust analytics is like driving blindfolded. It won’t end well.”
Your data is gold
How to turn your data into stories reporters can’t ignore, with our 5-step playbook for endless viral press.
The tactics behind coverage in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times
How Tinder cracked the code
Tinder didn’t make online dating better. It made it fun. See what it spotted that every competitor missed, and how to find your own 10X edge.
What founders don’t post on LinkedIn
The constant fires, the wild highs, the gut-punch lows: what running a startup really looks like.
“When a billionaire wants to work with you, never say no.”
Founder playbooks
All playbooks →How other founders grew
- How to Get Your First 100 Users
Find reachable people with a relevant problem, invite them to try your product, help them complete a task, and track users separately from prospects.
9 sources · Read the playbook → - How to Validate a Startup Idea Before Building
Validate a startup idea before building by investigating recent problems, testing a specific offer, and checking whether a manually delivered outcome is useful.
10 sources · Read the playbook → - Product-Market Fit Examples: How Founders Knew
See the signals founders used to judge product-market fit, from starting and delivered value to repeat use, and record the evidence for your own product.
10 sources · Read the playbook → - How to Choose a Marketing Channel for a Startup
Choose a first startup marketing channel by tracing how buyers seek help, comparing routes you can reach, and identifying the product proof each route needs.
9 sources · Read the playbook → - SEO for Startups: How Founders Get Organic Traffic
A founder playbook for finding useful Google searches, choosing pages or tools, earning relevant links, and measuring organic visits and product actions.
9 sources · Read the playbook → - Can a Non-Technical Founder Vibe Code an MVP?
A playbook for non-technical founders to scope, build and test an AI-built MVP, check account access, and decide what needs review before wider use.
12 sources · Read the playbook →
Loved by founders, investors, and operators
Brutally honest, often very funny, and reads like a thriller.
“An incredible and entertaining story with invaluable lessons for startups and CEOs on growth hacking, marketing, management, and innovation from one of the smartest founders I know.”
Andrew WeinreichInventor of social networking · Founder of SixDegrees“Cliff Lerner takes you along on the journey of one of the biggest early success stories in the Facebook App ecosystem.”
Michael LazerowFounder of Buddy Media, sold to Salesforce for $700M+
About the author
Cliff Lerner
Founder, investor, and author. A Cornell graduate who started as an equity analyst at Lehman Brothers, Cliff co-founded Snap Interactive with his brother Darrell, and later served on the board of Bumble’s parent company. Today Cliff usually has five or more companies in flight across consumer social, dating, and fintech.
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Finalist, New YorkDeloitte Technology Fast 500 #36 overall · 4,412% revenue growthCo-founder, Snap Interactive First social media company to go publicAreYouInterested? 120 million users · viral Facebook breakoutAuthor, Explosive Growth Published in 6 countries
Full bio, videos, and press →