Podcast
Levels Podcast - presented by Trophy
GrowthHow Teuida Tripled Their LTV in One Year
Ji Woong from Teuida shares how the Korean and Japanese language learning app with 500,000+ MAUs transformed their revenue model by refining their subscription strategy and monetization approach, achieving a rare 3x increase in lifetime value.
Charlie Hopkins-Brinicombe
How Lifesum is Building an Unfair Competitive Advantage in Wellness
With 65 million users and 13 years of nutrition data, Lifesum is expanding into supplements and biomarkers. Marcus Gners explains their platform strategy and why owning the audience creates cheaper customer acquisition than traditional wellness companies.
Zero to Profitable in 30 Days: Journable's Bootstrap-Friendly Google Ads Playbook
Learn how Journable achieves 30-day profitability with Google Ads while bootstrapped. From install campaigns to ROAS targeting, plus localized pricing strategy.
How Journable Plans to Add Gamification to a Weight Loss App Without Sacrificing Simplicity
Journable is adding streaks, badges, and social features to boost retention in their weight loss app. Learn how they're implementing gamification carefully.
Other Posts
PodcastBootstrapping an AI Calorie Tracker To 600K Users
Journable grew to 600K users while bootstrapped by monetizing from day one. Learn how they achieved 30-day profitability and compete without VC funding.
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Gamification Psychology and DesignWhy Your Users Feel Alone (Even When You Have Millions)
Programiz had 6 million users, but each one felt completely isolated. This insight transformed their entire product strategy, leading them to add challenges, leaderboards, and Discord communities. Learn why aggregate metrics can blind you to individual user experience.
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PodcastWhy Programiz Built a YouTube Channel Before Launching Their SaaS
Programiz had millions of users but zero brand recognition. Discover why they spent a year putting faces to their content before launching their paid product, and what this reveals about the evolution from utility to community.
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PodcastWhy YouTube Long-Form Videos Are the Evergreen Asset Your App Needs
While short-form videos drove initial growth, Coddy is now investing in YouTube long-form content as a long-term acquisition channel. Barak explains why these videos act like SEO, delivering users for years after publication.
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PodcastBuilding a Mobile App as a Web-First Platform: Coddy's Strategy
After a year of delays, Coddy is finally launching their mobile app with a unique approach: creating mobile-friendly versions of every desktop lesson. This post covers their cross-platform strategy and the challenges of adapting coding lessons for mobile.
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PodcastThe Mascot Advantage: How Character-Driven Marketing Improves Retention
From Duolingo's owl to Coddy's "Beats" (half-ant, half-robot), mascots give B2C brands a personality that drives engagement. Barak shares how they use their mascot in passive-aggressive retention emails that actually work.
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PodcastBuilding AI That Cooks: How Chefadora Created a Context-Aware Recipe Assistant
You're halfway through a recipe when you realize you're out of soy sauce. Panic sets in. You frantically Google "soy sauce substitute" and get bombarded with generic listicles that don't account for what you're actually making. Should you use Worcestershire sauce? Tamari? Will it ruin the dish?
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PodcastHow Chefadora Solved the Two-Sided Marketplace Problem: From Mom's Kitchen to 100K Users
Starting a two-sided marketplace is notoriously difficult. You need creators to attract users, but you need users to attract creators. It's a chicken-and-egg problem that has killed countless startups. Read how Chefadora, a recipe-sharing platform made it through.
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PodcastWhy Buen Provecho Refused Investment from Grocery Chains (And How It Saved Their Business)
Guillermo Martinez explains why Buen Provecho turned down strategic investment from major supermarket chains and how that decision protected their ability to become the dominant platform in their market.
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PodcastThe Franchise Model That Didn't Work: Lessons from Entering New Markets
Guillermo Martinez explains why Buen Provecho's franchise approach to Colombia failed and why they'll never use that model again for marketplace expansion.
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PodcastPush Notifications Without Annoying Users: Buen Provecho's Location-Based Strategy
How do you keep users engaged when you don't always have products available? Guillermo reveals their approach to personalized push notifications based on the last purchase location and a 48-72 hour cooling period.
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PodcastHow One 67-Year-Old User Became Buen Provecho's Biggest Customer
While most users are young professionals or families, Buen Provecho's top user is a 67-year-old woman who orders 2-3 times daily as her walking exercise. Guillermo discusses unexpected user personas and the power of user stories.
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GrowthWhy Physical Cookbooks and Digital Subscriptions Actually Complement Each Other
When CKBK launched, many publishers worried that digital cookbook access would cannibalize print sales. But founder Matthew Cockerill discovered the opposite: his subscription platform actually drives physical cookbook purchases while serving different user needs
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GrowthBuilding Cooking Habits: Gamification Ideas for Recipe Apps
Getting users to download a recipe app is one challenge. Getting them to actually cook regularly is another entirely. CKBK founder Matthew Cockerill is tackling this engagement problem by building gamification features that encourage users to develop consistent cooking habits
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CommunityThe Psychology Behind 'Bloop Is for Everyone': Democratizing Influencer Marketing
In a recent conversation on the Levels Podcast, João explained how Bloop's "for everyone" philosophy challenges traditional influencer marketing assumptions and creates a more authentic, accessible system for earning through recommendations.
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DesignThe 'Shake to Report' Feature That Generated 500+ User Feedback Points in Weeks
Getting meaningful feedback from users is one of the biggest challenges facing early-stage product teams. Most startups struggle with low response rates to surveys, generic feedback that's hard to act on, or users who simply don't bother sharing their thoughts at all.
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CommunityHow Bloop Raised €400K from 126 Investors Using Word-of-Mouth Crowdfunding
When most startups think about crowdfunding, they picture polished campaigns on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, complete with professional videos and stretch goals. João Neves, co-founder and CTO of Bloop, took a completely different approach: the power of word-of-mouth.
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PodcastWhen Viral Content Doesn't Convert: The Disconnect Between Views and Downloads
Speaking on the Levels Podcast, Amy shared specific examples of how viral moments failed to drive app installs while unexpected content generated their highest conversion days—offering crucial insights for startups chasing the wrong metrics.
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PodcastThe Attribution Challenge: How to Track Organic Growth When Users Don't Click Links
Speaking on the Levels Podcast, Amy shared practical approaches to attribution that any startup can implement, even without sophisticated tracking infrastructure.
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Gamification GuidesThe Psychology of Streaks: How Sylvi Weaponized Duolingo's Best Feature Against Them
Speaking on the Levels Podcast, Amy shared how understanding streak psychology helped Sylvi capitalize on market disruption and create a retention system that actually serves user goals rather than just app engagement.
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GrowthFrom Happy Accident to 1,000 Paying Customers: How Sylvi AI Built Their Founding Community
Sylvi AI, a language learning app that helps users practice conversations with AI pen pals, launched in April 2024 and has already reached over 1,000 paying customers. But their path to building a loyal user base started with a simple question: "How did you find us?"
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DesignHow to Design Gamification That Actually Retains Users
Sylvi AI's approach offers valuable lessons for any B2C startup looking to implement gamification that enhances rather than detracts from their core value proposition.
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Gamification GuidesWhy Your B2C App Needs a WhatsApp Group: The Retention Strategy You're Missing
Amy Cameron, Head of Marketing at Sylvi AI, discovered a surprisingly powerful retention strategy that any B2C app can implement immediately: adding new users to a WhatsApp group during onboarding.
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PodcastThe Creator Equity Strategy: When to Give Away Ownership to Build Your Community
Most B2C startups approach creator partnerships with a simple playbook: offer affiliate commissions and hope for the best. But according to Tim Johnson, who's managed creator communities at three major consumer apps including Wattpad (acquired for $600M), this approach is fundamentally flawed.
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PodcastWhy 70% of Blossom's Revenue Comes from Brand Partnerships (Not Subscriptions)
Most consumer app founders assume subscriptions are the holy grail of monetization. After all, recurring revenue is predictable, scalable, and the foundation of many successful SaaS businesses. But what if there's a better way?
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PodcastThe Creator Economy Playbook: Managing 125+ Creators Without Losing Your Mind
Building a creator community that actually drives growth is one of the most challenging aspects of scaling a B2C app. While most founders understand the potential power of creator partnerships, few know how to execute them effectively at scale.
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