Jun 11, 2025
This weeks newsletter includes
Shelf App’s TikTok strategy + Toolkit overview ✅
Are you running your own UGC campaigns with multiple creators? We created a software to track all of our 150+ creators. Out now to the public here.
Exclusive access to 10K MRR handbook. If you’ve been looking to understand the basics of social media & figure out the right strategy to grow your consumer app to 10K MRR organically this is a must read ✅
+ discount code for premium subscribers ✅
Strategy overview 📚
Shelf is a personalized media tracking and sharing app that transforms your entertainment habits into a dynamic digital showcase. By connecting with platforms like Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, Goodreads, and YouTube, Shelf automatically curates a visual "storefront" reflecting your current media consumption.
If this sounds close to home, it is because this was backed by the creators of Pinterest. This also allows you to share your interests and discover new content through a community of like-minded users.
Their strategy is a masterclass in selling the life rather than the product.
Here are some of their most successful videos and how they did it 👇:
🎬 WDYM I Can use Spotify to find my Soulmate?!!
1.6M+ Views, 320K+ Likes, 5.2K+ Saves
Hook: WDYM I Can use Spotify to find my Soulmate
Format: Monologue + text overlay narration
Why this video worked:
Hook addresses a latent need that many people especially in their TG have voiced ample times.
The novelty of the featured promise makes users stick around.
The feature hovers between a digital app that has real-life impacts that are big, like finding soulmates.
Drama added by the protagonist is a nice segway between hook and feature.
The content is fuel for the comment section to go wild.
🎬 Finally saying goodbye to Goodreads
4.3M+ Views, 250K+ Likes, 70K+ Saves
Hook: Finally saying goodbye to Goodreads after finding the Gen-Z version
Format: Text overlay + Feature demo + Intro video
Why this video worked:
Cuts through the clutter by directly addressing the TG in the hook.
The text is beautifully paired with emotions displayed by the creator to hook them till the end.
The video actually shows the creator deleting Goodreads from their personal device.
The video then goes to show how Shelf app is designed and better suited than Goodreads, thus completing the loop of promise.
🎬 Creator of Pinterest made a new app?!?
7.1M+ Views, 1.2M+ Likes, 2.8K+ Saves
Hook: Creator of Pinterest made a new app?!?
Format: Text Overlay + UGC video + App Demo
Why this video worked:
Fomo hook, people want to use products made by established players, name-dropping works in the digital space as well.
Raw UGC intro video works well to give it an unpolished view which makes the user see it through.
People don’t wanna see content from brands, they wanna see content about brands.
Show the user-story of an ideal user on the app instead of a freshly onboarded user.
They could’ve chosen to show how to add media to the app and use it but that is uncool, rather they showed how your life will look once you start using the app.
Key Takeaways from this Content Strategy ⭐
Brag points: Not all brands will have a Pintrest founder backing them, but the idea is to identify a strong trustmarker and brag point about your brand and doubling down on it. This fills in lot of gaps in the viewers mind and instantly convinces them to try out the product.
Compare and Show: It is much easier to tell about your product by comparing it with established players, this is true with fundraising as much as it is for putting out content to get users. Especially showing your users deleting alternate apps gets the message loud and clear, substituting for hours of explainers about your product.
Call out your TG: If your app is centric to a age, gender, geography, etc demographic, you should call it out in the start of the video. This not only ensures high stickiness from the relevant TG but also from people who want to see which apps people of a particular TG are using.
Pros: High engagement from relevant people
Cons: High scroll off from unfit TGComments are king: Comments section is the new play-store description paragraph. Users, if they like the content, will skip to the comment section to see what actual users are speaking about the app to make up their mind on whether to download the app or not.
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