How Dating App The League Got Thousands of Signups Before Launch – Amanda Bradford @ Hustle Con 2016

About this video

Amanda Bradford, founder and CEO of The League dating app, uses the analogy of throwing a great party to explain product launches. She argues that the key to a successful launch is not the launch event itself, but the extensive “pregame”—building a core community of invested early users through in-person events and relationship-building before opening the product to the public.

Key takeaways

• Amanda Bradford emphasizes that pregaming (building community before launch) is more important than the launch event itself; her team did five months of events and parties before launching the product to 419 beta users, 83% of whom showed up on day one.
• The most effective way to build an invite list is the VIP approach: spending months meeting people in person, getting to know them without pitching, and using door-to-door invitations to events that offer real value (exclusive access, networking, free experiences) rather than asking for signups.
• Amanda Bradford advises founders to invest in themselves early—a $20,000 development cost is cheap compared to college tuition or lifestyle spending—and to avoid the trap of collecting email lists on websites; instead, get people to download the app in person so you only ask once.
• Pregamers become ambassadors because they feel special, have input on the product, arrive with a community, and feel commitment to the founder’s vision; this core group then invites others and drives organic growth once the product launches.

Episode details: published June 15, 2016 · 22K views · 28:02 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The business ideas, figures and results discussed are the hosts’ and guests’ own claims, shared as brainstorming and entertainment — not verified facts and not investment advice.

← Previous: Le Tote Founder Brett Northart on Building First Version of Your Product – Hustle Con 2016 · Next: How Men’s Wearhouse and Chubbies Built Iconic Brands – George Zimmer & Tom Montgomery @ Hustle Con →

All My First Million videos · My First Million profile · My First Million (official site)