Tech for Non-Techies · May 20 · 31 min

304. How one founder went from zero to 6 million users with no ad spend

Can you build a B2C app to 6 million users with no advertising? Colin Hodge did it when he co-founded Bang with Friends — a dating app that went viral purely through word of mouth — because he understood the psychology of his users so precisely that they couldn't help but share it. In this episode, Sophia Matveeva speaks with Colin Hodge — entrepreneur, growth expert, and author who has scaled businesses to over 100 million users. He co-founded a viral dating app, served as Chief Growth Officer for 17Live, Asia's leading live-streaming app, and re-acquired his own startup after selling it, growing it into a top 5 US dating app. But this episode is not really about dating apps. It is about the one thing that separates products that grow from products that stagnate: understanding your users deeply enough to build something they cannot stop sharing. You'll learn: The overnight pivot that took a failing startup to a million users in three months Three practical techniques for getting inside the mind of your user, even if you are nothing like them Why the best user interviews feel like anthropology rather than sales Why critiquing your own product before user interviews makes you a dramatically better listener Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: How Bang with Friends went from zero to 1 million users 04:51 - How a bad date launched Colin's biggest business success 08:48 - The pivot: From friends of friends to "Who has a crush on me?" 11:07 - Reaching 1 million users in 3 months with zero ad spend 14:36 - Lessons for boring businesses from a scandalous dating app 18:35 - Three methods to understand users who aren't like you 20:59 - Method 1: The method acting technique - Live your user's life 22:50 - Method 2: Build detailed personas beyond demographics 26:55 - Method 3: User research as an anthropologist, not a salesperson 27:52 - How to suppress your founder instinct and actually listen Free AI Mini-Workshop for Non-Technical Founders: Learn how to go from idea to a tested product using AI — in under 30 minutes. Get free access here: techfornontechies.co/aiclass Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Listen to our podcast on: Apple Spotify YouTube Audible Pandora Transcript: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/304-how-one-founder-went-from-zero-to-6-million-users-with-no-ad-spend

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Can you build a B2C app to 6 million users with no advertising?

Colin Hodge did it when he co-founded Bang with Friends — a dating app that went viral purely through word of mouth — because he understood the psychology of his users so precisely that they couldn't help but share it.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva speaks with Colin Hodge — entrepreneur, growth expert, and author who has scaled businesses to over 100 million users.

He co-founded a viral dating app, served as Chief Growth Officer for 17Live, Asia's leading live-streaming app, and re-acquired his own startup after selling it, growing it into a top 5 US dating app.

But this episode is not really about dating apps.

It is about the one thing that separates products that grow from products that stagnate: understanding your users deeply enough to build something they cannot stop sharing.

You'll learn:

The overnight pivot that took a failing startup to a million users in three months
Three practical techniques for getting inside the mind of your user, even if you are nothing like them
Why the best user interviews feel like anthropology rather than sales
Why critiquing your own product before user interviews makes you a dramatically better listener

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction: How Bang with Friends went from zero to 1 million users
04:51 - How a bad date launched Colin's biggest business success
08:48 - The pivot: From friends of friends to "Who has a crush on me?"
11:07 - Reaching 1 million users in 3 months with zero ad spend
14:36 - Lessons for boring businesses from a scandalous dating app
18:35 - Three methods to understand users who aren't like you
20:59 - Method 1: The method acting technique - Live your user's life
22:50 - Method 2: Build detailed personas beyond demographics
26:55 - Method 3: User research as an anthropologist, not a salesperson
27:52 - How to suppress your founder instinct and actually listen

Free AI Mini-Workshop for Non-Technical Founders:

Learn how to go from idea to a tested product using AI — in under 30 minutes.

Get free access here: techfornontechies.co/aiclass

Follow and Review:

We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Listen to our podcast on: