Ask HN: How did Snapchat gain initial traction?

4 pointsfrankphilips2 comments

How did an app like Snapchat gain initial traction? I understand the viral loops, great UI/UX, and overall appeal to the app. However, they must have done something to generate that initial buzz of kids using it.

Did they hit up every high school and get some kids using it? Did they pay for mobile ads?

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This Inc. article (and the quoted NYT article) describes the initial scene very well. It started as a friends and family word-of-mouth viral loop that got into one particular SoCal high school of a founder's cousin and then quickly propagated to other SoCal high schools big time (3,000 to 30,000 DAU in a month) as a way for passing notes. They hired a community manager after they hit a critical mass. http://www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/real-origins-of-snapcha...

Wow I didn't read this article. Awesome. Thanks!

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