4 ways to scale your app organically to a million users in just four weeks

Photo credit: sozialhelden .

I first wrote about video chat app Rounds in September, noting that it’s fairly frictionless and comes with a bunch of great features. The fact that most of its 22 million users were acquired by organic channels is another important aspect. If you’re capable of building a product that people really need, then they’ll tell their friends and families about it and you won’t need to spend tons of money to drive downloads.

It’s not like the startup didn’t have money to burn. It has raised US$22 million in VC funding which certainly isn’t chump change.

A few weeks ago, Rounds came up with an ever sleeker video messaging app, Booyah. Its UX is great, minimalistic, simple, and with a minimum of fuss. All you do is download the app, click on “start video call,” and generate a link that you can share on WhatsApp, Line, Twitter, Facebook Messenger, or through a simple text message.

All your friends have to do is click on the link and they’ll be automatically added to the call. You can minimize the app whilst you’re waiting – it’ll prompt you when they’re online. There’s nothing more. No social logins, no usernames, and no need to scroll through a list of contacts.

I find it an excellent alternative to clunky apps like Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facetime.

Booyah has over a million downloads since it was launched. “We haven’t spent a single dollar on marketing it,” notes Natasha Shine-Zirkel, head of marketing for Rounds.

So what’s the startup’s secret to achieving such viral marketing and scale? Here are four key takeaways from my chat with Natasha.

Photo credit: aehdeschaine

1. Focus on what users really want

This term is now becoming borderline cliché, but its importance cannot be overstated. Rounds has several million downloads and the startup could have focused on this user base alone, but the team realized the need for an even more seamless experience.

“We understood that our users had a need for a one-screen, one-tap, no registration, instant group video chat experience,” explains Natasha.

The need was validated after the app reached one million downloads within 4 weeks.

Despite the fact that both Rounds and Booyah offer group video chats, their interface and experience are wholly different. Rounds also integrates photos, snapshots, games, and music, while Booyah is simply about instant connections. They’re catering to different needs.

2. Incorporate an element of virality

3. Spend time in the product development process

4. Growth hacking