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Catherine Connelly is an entrepreneur, engaging speaker, and author of Designing Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tech Entrepreneur. Catherine co-founded The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed social dating and livestreaming company connecting millions of active users globally. The Meet Group was acquired in a $500 million sale in 2020. Catherine's nearly two decades of entrepreneurial experience include co-founding myYearbook at fifteen, creating what would eventually become The Meet Group, and leading brand strategy and marketing for The Meet Group through a series of mergers, acquisitions, and rebrands. Catherine graduated from Georgetown University and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner for the Philadelphia Region. Catherine has been featured on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, MTV, ABC News, Fox News, CosmoGIRL, BusinessWeek, the San Francisco Chronicle, and CBS. Catherine writes the newsletter Growing Up Startup, sharing lessons inspired by her entrepreneurial journey. Key Moments [06:10] Early Exposure to Entrepreneurship [09:31] "Yearbook: My High School Lifeline" [12:44] "Viral Quizzes Boost Early Social Media" [14:22] "Setting Boundaries for Personal Identity" [17:02] Encouraging Young Entrepreneurship [21:58] Balancing Public and Private Business [25:07] "Building Products with Personal Impact" [28:23] Consistent Efforts Lead to Success [30:09] "Building Positive Connections" Find Catherine Online Exclusive for Entrepreneur's Enigma listeners: Receive a free virtual copy of Catherine's book, access to her office hours, and more: https://landing.cconnelly.me/enigma Designing Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tech Entrepreneur: https://a.co/d/fUnDNLm Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinecookconnelly If you're enjoying Entrepreneur's Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you're getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. → https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We discussed a few things including:1. Their career journeys 2. The Meet Group3. Noom4. New book Designing Success and female entrepreneurship5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re health, wellness and techGeoff is the CEO of Noom. He is also a serial entrepreneur and long-time public company CEO.He co-founded The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed social dating and live-streaming company connecting millions of active users globally. Geoff served as The Meet Group's CEO from 2013 to 2023, leading it through its sale for $500 million in 2020.Geoff grew a live-streaming video & creator economy revenue stream from $0 to in excess of $200 million annualized. Post-acquisition, Geoff also served as co-CEO of the parent company ParshipMeet Group, which includes a portfolio of dating apps including eharmony, MeetMe, Tagged, Lovoo, Skout, Growlr, among others.Under Geoff's leadership, The Meet Group was early to social networking, mobile apps, live-streaming video, and creator economy. A driving force of industry consolidation, Geoff acquired 4 companies and was acquired twice.With smart viral marketing, Geoff grew MeetMe from nothing to millions of active users. With product and strategic vision, he acquired and turned Tagged into a live-streaming video leader. With Livebox, he created a successful enterprise Creator Economy service powering some of the top-grossing social apps in the US.Leveraging product and technology to transform the user experience, Geoff successfully transitioned The Meet Group from an advertising model to a fast-growing live-streaming video & creator-economy solution, ultimately attracting tens of thousands of Creators and powering some of the largest social apps in the world.Under Geoff's leadership, the video Platform-as-a-Service enterprise product that he conceived of — Livebox — launched and grew to power 6 of the top 50 social apps in the US by revenue.Geoff is an expert in building culture across disparate teams. As CEO of The Meet Group, he acquired and integrated 4 companies: Tagged, LOVOO, Skout, and Growlr, into one cohesive culture.While building culture, Geoff also drove efficiency, realizing major cost synergies while growing top-line revenue at every acquisition target, through a combination of off-shoring and building a single shared services platform to power multiple apps.Geoff is the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner for the Philadelphia Region.Geoff graduated from Harvard University in 2000 with a BA in Economics.------Catherine Connelly is an entrepreneur, engaging speaker, and author of Designing Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tech Entrepreneur. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DM9C9CC4Catherine co-founded The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed social dating and livestreaming company connecting millions of active users globally. The Meet Group was acquired in a $500 million sale in 2020.Catherine's nearly two decades of entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding myYearbook at fifteen, creating what would eventually become The Meet Group, and leading brand strategy and marketing for The Meet Group through a series of mergers, acquisitions, and rebrands.Catherine graduated from Georgetown University and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner for the Philadelphia Region in 2011. Catherine has been featured on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, MTV, ABC News, Fox News, CosmoGIRL, BusinessWeek, the San Francisco Chronicle, and CBS. Catherine writes the newsletter Growing Up Startup, sharing lessons inspired by her entrepreneurial journey. Subscribe and learn more about Catherine's free office hours at: cconnelly.me.#podcast #AFewThingsPodcast
About Geoff Cook:Geoff Cook is a seasoned entrepreneur and the CEO of Noom, with a proven track record of driving innovation and growth. As the former CEO of The Meet Group, he led the NASDAQ-listed company to a $500 million acquisition in 2020, building a live-streaming and creator economy revenue stream exceeding $200 million annually. Geoff spearheaded industry consolidation by acquiring and integrating four companies into a cohesive, efficient culture. A Harvard Economics graduate, he has deep expertise in scaling platforms, leveraging technology to enhance user experiences, and creating enterprise solutions like Livebox, which powers top-grossing social apps globally.About Cody Fair:As Head of Employer Sales at Noom, Cody Fair leads a team focused on helping brokers, consultants, and enterprise employers transform lives through Noom's blend of psychology, technology, and coaching. Passionate about continuous improvement, Cody emphasizes the importance of refining sales and leadership skills through ongoing learning and development. By fostering a growth mindset within the team, he ensures a focus on controllable factors to drive success. There's nothing more fulfilling to Cody than inspiring others to embrace this mentality and achieve their personal and professional goals.Things You'll Learn:New programs provide employers with cost-effective ways to offer GLP-1 medications, reducing financial barriers for both employers and employees.GLP-1 medications work best when paired with lifestyle adjustments, such as protein tracking and exercise, to prevent muscle loss and long-term health risks.Employers can now provide affordable weight management programs through supplemental benefits or employee-paid paths.AI-powered tools simplify food tracking, letting users log meals by taking a picture of their plates.By focusing on cost-effectiveness and impactful results, these initiatives aim to disrupt high-priced healthcare models.Resources:Connect with and follow Geoff Cook on LinkedIn.Connect with and follow Cody Fair on LinkedIn.Follow Noom on LinkedIn and visit their website.
In this episode of the "@OhShipShow," we're joined by Geoff Cook, the co-founder of The Meet Group, who takes us on an enthralling journey through the evolution of social networking, live streaming, and digital dating. From the humble beginnings of myYearbook.com to the global success of apps like MeetMe, Skout, and Tagged, Geoff shares his personal odyssey in the tech industry. Listen in to discover the inspiration behind The Meet Group's inception, the intricacies of managing a global team, and a glimpse into the future of live streaming and social apps. Geoff also delves into the complexities of company acquisitions, the importance of product impact, and the core values that have been his compass throughout this entrepreneurial voyage. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a digital enthusiast, this episode is a treasure trove of insights from one of the industry's luminaries. Join us as we embark on an enlightening voyage with the "@OhShipShow."
On this episode of Navigating Forward, Lisa Thee chats with Blake Kuhre, Co-Founder and CEO of SWIM. With a background that includes stints at Disney, Meet Group, and ByteDance, Blake has a passion for pursuing the next frontier in tech and entertainment. SWIM is a Web3 company with a new product currently in stealth mode, but Blake gives some hints about their direction in his wide-ranging discussion with Lisa. Their talk ranges from WeChat to Twitter to AI to synthetic influencers and covers the transition from Web2 to Web3 — including the in-between state we're in now that's basically Web2.5. With an international perspective based on time they've both spent overseas, Lisa and Blake dig into super apps, decentralization and transparency of transactions, and the current AI race (and how maybe we need a kill switch).Find Lisa at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisathee/Find Blake at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkuhre/ and https://swim.eco/Launch Consulting Navigators in the Age of Transformation
On this episode of Navigating Forward, Lisa Thee chats with Blake Kuhre, Co-Founder and CEO of SWIM. With a background that includes stints at Disney, Meet Group, and ByteDance, Blake has a passion for pursuing the next frontier in tech and entertainment. SWIM is a Web3 company with a new product currently in stealth mode, but Blake gives some hints about their direction in his wide-ranging discussion with Lisa. Their talk ranges from WeChat to Twitter to AI to synthetic influencers and covers the transition from Web2 to Web3 — including the in-between state we're in now that's basically Web2.5. With an international perspective based on time they've both spent overseas, Lisa and Blake dig into super apps, decentralization and transparency of transactions, and the current AI race (and how maybe we need a kill switch). Find Lisa at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisathee/Find Blake at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkuhre/ and https://swim.eco/
Starting her first company at age 15, Catherine Connelly is all about meeting new people. As the SVP of Marketing for The Meet Group, the top provider of live streaming video and creator economy solutions for a number of the world's top social apps, Catherine relies heavily on that connection to her users for audience engagement and growth. In this episode, Alan and Catherine discuss her extraordinary career path, iOS changes, The Meet Group's differentiating model for monetization, and the importance of storytelling. In this episode, you'll learn: How to update your tactics for performance marketing The future of social media monetization The importance of PR and storytelling Key Highlights [0:42] First business at age 15 with her two brothers [04:25] Catherine's career path [12:24] Having a place to connect with others [15:48] Knowing where your users are; how to update your tactics [17:04] How iOS changes affect acquisition efforts [19:39] Monetization of The Meet Group [23:57] Catherine's role at The Meet Group [27:45] Best tactics for performance marketing [31:38] App Store optimization [37:31] PR, storytelling, and making viral or sharable moments [42:49] A moment that defines who Catherine is today [44:59] Catherine's advice for her younger self [47:22] What marketers need to learn more about: macro trends and think scrappy [49:54] The companies and causes Catherine follows: Oasis Consortium [52:40] The biggest opportunity for marketers today: Apple really makes things up Resources Mentioned: https://www.themeetgroup.com/ Evolution of the company and timeline – MyYearBook, QuePasa (Public), MeetMe Apps acquired – Skout, Tagged, Lovoo, Growlr Sold for $500MM to create ParshipMeet in September 2020 Now a B2B Video Platform Business running on a dozen apps Qualcomm CMO on Marketing Today discussing macro trends App Store Optimization Data providers of app stores – Data.ai Oasis Consortium – building better tech with ethical standards and technologies Follow the podcast: Listen in iTunes (link: http://apple.co/2dbdAhV) Listen in Google Podcasts (link: http://bit.ly/2Rc2kVa) Listen in Spotify (Link: http://spoti.fi/2mCUGnC) Connect with the Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinecookconnelly/ https://twitter.com/cncook https://twitter.com/TheMeetGroup https://twitter.com/MeetMe https://twitter.com/Tagged https://twitter.com/Growlr Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart: http://twitter.com/abhart https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanhart http://twitter.com/themktgtoday https://www.facebook.com/themktgtoday/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-today-with-alan-hart/ Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/marketingtoday See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Six of the inspiring minds behind the first-ever User Safety Standards join Tiffany Xingyu Wang for this enlightening episode of Industry Collaboration for a Safer Internet. This esteemed panel is comprised of Angela Johnson, Client Development Officer at Dentsu. Catherine Connelly, Co-Founder and Senior VP Marketing at The Meet Group. Brandon Rhea, VP of Community at Fandom. Roger Gerhmann, Executive Creative Director of SXM Media and Phil Tomlinson, Global Lead, Trust and Safety at Taskus. Throughout the discussion, they reinforce why trust and safety matters, particularly as we transition into #Web3. Similarly, they amplify the need for a framework that levels the playing field and serves as a guide, benchmarking what “good” means as we navigate the ambiguity of trust and safety. By elaborating on how they apply user safety standards within their organizations, they reinforce how using the 5Ps empowers and educates to build an ecosystem that's people-centric. You can review the key takeaways from this episode at www.oasisconsortium.com/podcast and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to catch the rest of Season 2.
In this episode of Out of the Box, our host Jess Overton, Director of Demand at ironSource Aura, sits down with Tobias Boerner, CGO and Co-Founder at Fastic, an intermittent fasting app and one of the fastest growing and most successful health and fitness apps in the world. Tobias is also one of the founders of LOVOO, a well-known German speaking dating app which was sold to The Meet Group. Jess and Tobias talk about the value of community-based apps, how to master the growth loop, and the importance of building and improving community. Tune in here or read the transcript: https://www.is.com/community/podcasts/out-of-the-box/tobias-boerner-fastic-community/
Kim I Plyler speaks with Catherine Connelly, SVP and Co Founder of The Meet Group. They discuss online streaming and safety.
On this episode of the Humans of DevOps, Jason Baum is joined by Christian Wiklund, co-founder and CEO of unitQ. They discuss why DevOps should prioritize real-time customer feedback in their decision making, the importance of fast feedback cycles and more! Prior to unitQ, Christian and Niklas Lindstrom founded Skout, a social app with over 50 million users that was acquired by The Meet Group in 2016. Christian is a native Swede, an avid surfer, a prolific tomato grower, and a proud father of three. Want access to more content like this? Gain the tools, resources and knowledge to help your organization adapt and respond to challenges by becoming a professional member of DevOps Institute. Engage in one of the fastest-growing DevOps communities today! Get started for free: https://www.devopsinstitute.com/membership/ Use promo code HODPOD21 at this link for 20% off your Premium Membership. Have questions, feedback or just want to chat? Send us an email at podcast@devopsinstitute.com Please visit https://www.devopsinstitute.com/humans-of-devops-podcast/ for a lightly edited transcript.
Inspirational stories plus practical takeaways from the entrepreneurship world.Today's guest is Geoff Cook, the founder of the Meet Group which was acquired by ProSieben for $500m. They created the popular apps of MeetMe, Tagged, Skout, LOVOO, and Tagged. He's now the Co-Ceo of the Parship Meet Group. He didn't go from 0 to $500m though and built up several companies beforehand, each one progressively larger. We hope enjoy the episode and don't forget to share it with others. You can learn more at entrepreneurshandbook.co.1:08 Ev Williams mention1:27 Geoff Cook's story of starting and selling a $10m, $50m, and $500m company9:00 What's more important for startups: data or storytelling?13:22 The future of the dating industry18:43 Live streaming video as a strategy for brands27:50 How to turn an idea into income31:50 How to know when to pull the plug and walk away35:22 Myth you find yourself dispelling often38:02 Most recommended book42:17 What's served you more — discipline or passion?42:50: What contributes to success more — obsession or balance?44:21: What makes you feel most alive?46:18 Closing remarks
This special episode, co-sponsored by The UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, features a session recorded during the CogX Festival 2021. Host Tiffany Xingyu Wang moderates a discussion with user safety leaders including David Hall of LEGO Group, Geoff Cook of The Meet Group, Angela Johnson of Dentsu, and Amit Shetty of IAB. These industry veterans discuss how trust and safety issues are playing an ever more important role in considerations of their online brands, and how technology is helping them to protect their online communities and brands from harm.
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App Masters - App Marketing & App Store Optimization with Steve P. Young
Geoff Cook is currently the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group, a social dating and livestreaming company. He has been on the board of The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET) since 2011 until its sale in 2020. Geoff sold the company for $500 million in September 2020 -- one of the last large public deals prior to the declaration of a global pandemic by the WHO. He started his first company from a Harvard dorm and sold it for millions of dollars at age 24 in the year 2002. He sold his second company for $100 million in 2011. You will discover: - How he started his first company and exited it for millions - If selling the company changed the way he approached business - The surprising tactic that led to myYearbook surpassing a million users in nine months - The clever way he figured out to build a live streaming feature into his dating apps - What's trending in China Geoff Cook is the Founder and CEO of The Meet Group. Show Mentions - Geoof's Wired Article - Foundr Interview - vPaaS - Fav app: Clubhouse SPONSORS Want to scale your growth faster? GamesBoost42 gives you early access to your App Store revenues allowing you to multiply your growth without losing equity. See how they can help by visiting GamesBoost42.com. B7DEV.com is the app development firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs go from app idea to success because they understand startups and don't charge you huge fees just to get your app off the ground. Learn more at B7Dev.com *************** Follow us: YouTube: AppMasters.com/YouTube Instagram: @stevepyoung Twitter: @stevepyoung Facebook: App Masters *************** --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/app-marketing-podcast/message
With the vaccine rollouts across the world, is it safe to start dating in person again? What does dating look like once we have the shot? How do we keep ourselves safe as we transition through the vaccine process? So many questions. Today, we have some answers for you. Last week, Maria was the moderator of a special panel called “Dare to Date: The Covid Vaccine and Dating Safety.” It was put on by The Meet Group’s Safer Dating Advisory Board, which was formed in July 2020 and is made up of health experts. In this episode, you’ll hear the panel chat. Maria asks the questions you’ve been wanting answers to! To learn how Maria can help you find love in 2021, go to: https://linktr.ee/agapematch Follow Maria on Instagram: http://instagram.com/matchmakermaria Follow Maria on TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJaSAhfw/ Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com Enroll in Agape Matchs Group Coaching Intensive: https://agapematch.com/events To learn more about how Maria and how her team can help you find love, visit http://agapematch.com
Conversation with Catherine Connelly, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Co-Founder,The Meet Group. Recorded February, 2021 for Safer Internet Day.
Conversation with Catherine Connelly, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Co-Founder,The Meet Group. Recorded February, 2021 for Safer Internet Day.
Geoff Cook, CEO and Co-Founder of The Meet Group, leads the charge in dating platform innovation. Listen as he joins Brand Safety Exchange to talk about his experience as a serial entrepreneur and how early investments in trust and safety and live streaming technology have evolved The Meet Group into a social and entertainment powerhouse. Geoff also discusses why brand and user safety is so critical for his industry, he outlines the content moderation policies and practices for TMG's brands, explains how they seamlessly rolled out live streaming capabilities to multiple platforms, and much more.
Social distancing; quarantining; avoiding bars and restaurants. The very public health guidance that saves lives and slows the spread of COVID-19 would seem to make dating during a pandemic impossible. But people have flocked to online dating apps: Tinder set a record for daily swipes, counting 3 billion on March 29, 2020. Between March and May of last year, OkCupid saw a 700% increase in dates. Brainstorm hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O'Keefe look at the pandemic-fueled boom in online dating. We hear from Catherine Connelly, a co-founder of The Meet Group, which owns and operates popular dating apps MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, LOVOO and GROWLr. She explains how video dating has driven big revenue at the company over the past year. Then we hear from ex-Fortune-writer Jon Birger who's written a new book, “Make Your Move: The New Science of Dating and Why Women Are in Charge.” He tells us why women seeking men might find that a little boldness goes a long way right now. Also in the episode: Alison Stevenson, a Los Angeles-based writer and comedian, who tells us why she's giving up on dating apps (at least for now).
Geoff Cook is a serial entrepreneur and currently the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET), a social dating and live streaming company. You may have heard of some of their platforms, like MeetMe, LOVOO, Skout, Tagged, and Growlr. He recently sold the company for $500 million in September of 2020. He started his first company from his Harvard dorm room and sold it for millions of dollars at the age of 24, he sold his second company for a hundred million dollars in 2011, he's done a ton of stuff in the entrepreneur space, the dating space, and in the live streaming space. We discuss both how to acquire companies, and how to get acquired as an entrepreneur! Join Our community of thousands of entrepreneurs at https://entre.link/EntrepreneurShow Follow us on social media @joinentre --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Meet pianist Georgia Mills, composer Baldwin Giang, poet S. Yarberry, and soprano Vidita Kanniks.
Meet baritone Nnamdi Nwankwo, pianist Rebecca Luppe, poet Marissa Davis, and composer Nevada Lozano
Meet poet Bri Griffith, composer Nicky Sohn, mezzo-soprano Veena Akama-Makia and pianist Nathan Cheung
This week on the pod, Maria chats with the founder of one of her favorite apps to meet people, MeetMe’s Catherine Cook Connelly! Catherine is co-founder and SVP, Marketing at The Meet Group. The Meet Group owns and operates the most engaging dating communities in the world, spanning five apps including MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, LOVOO and GROWLr. Serving millions of daters daily, our community sends 70 million chats per day. Each month, our livestreaming solutions entice our community to spend 1.1 billion minutes in video. Our network size, technology, and leading moderation and talent teams enable us to partner for and acquire new audiences, including through video platform-as-service products. The Meet Group, Inc. is a subsidiary of ParshipMeet Group, a diversified international market leader in online dating, which also owns and operates leading matchmaking brands eharmony, Parship, and ElitePartner. In this episode, Maria and Catherine discuss… The history of MeetMe and why the app was created. How MeetMe is different from every other app out there. (it’s not all about dating!) How to connect and chat with someone in a speed dating situation. How to handle a potential long distance relationship at the beginning. Great ice breaker questions to get a conversation going with someone. Follow Catherine on Twitter Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn To learn how Maria can help you find love in 2021, go to: https://linktr.ee/agapematch Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com Enroll in Agape Match’s Group Coaching Intensive: https://agapematch.com/events To learn more about how Maria and how her team can help you find love, visit agapematch.com
An app growth is always on the radar of every app developer or a brand. Eavesdrop any app marketing team brainstorming session and you'll hear them avidly discussing how to gain more loyal app users and what user acquisition channels to focus on. Now, dating apps have a special place in the app industry and in our lives. No matter where you live, your age, or your gender, you probably use mobile apps to connect with others and dating apps is surely one way of doing that. Today's guest is Geoffrey Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. Meeting other people to socialize or date is simply part of human nature. The Meet Group is the largest provider of live streaming dating apps. Today's Topics Include: ✔️ Five Dating Apps: MeetMe, SKOUT, Tagged, LOVOO, and GROWLr ✔️ Dating Community: 15 million monthly users mostly in United States and Europe ✔️ Live Streaming Solution: Monetizes via users giving each other virtual gifts ✔️ COVID Impact: Created significant increase in dating game usage in past five months ✔️ Management Tools: Shift to remote work using Zoom, Slack, and more for productivity ✔️ Marketing Channels: Singling out pricing power to acquire new users for growth strategy ✔️ Types of Content: Create user-generated content in form of chats and messages ✔️ Live Streaming: Consumption and production offers connection during social distancing ✔️ Videos: More efficient, more information available, and less risk swiping left or right ✔️ Android or iOS? iOS ✔️ Favorite App(s): Medium ✔️ What's Geoffrey looking forward to with app technology in the future? Authenticity and AI Links and Resources: Geoffrey Cook on Medium The Meet Group Veronica and the Volcano Quotes by Geoffrey Cook: “The way we think of ourselves is really as the mobile version of the bar, the coffeehouse, this social gathering place.” “What we've been doing that's fairly unique is adding live streaming video to dating since 2016. And lately, we've been aiming to make everyone the star of their own dating show.” “We, essentially, use all the same tools we used before the pandemic. We just use them more given that there is no in-person contact.” “Marketing is always a challenge. Year over year, we're seeing rates (cost per registrations) go up as it costs more to acquire users.” Follow the Business Of Apps podcast Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
An app growth is always on the radar of every app developer or a brand. Eavesdrop any app marketing team brainstorming session and you’ll hear them avidly discussing how to gain more loyal app users and what user acquisition channels to focus on. Now, dating apps have a special place in the app industry and in our lives. No matter where you live, your age, or your gender, you probably use mobile apps to connect with others and dating apps is surely one way of doing that. Today’s guest is Geoffrey Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. Meeting other people to socialize or date is simply part of human nature. The Meet Group is the largest provider of live streaming dating apps. Today’s Topics Include:
Welcome to Episode 67 of Building My Legacy.In this podcast, serial entrepreneur Geoff Cook talks about his journey – from his first business, which he started while he was still a student at Harvard, to his more than 20 years of success creating and selling multiple online businesses. Geoff believes there is no downside to failure because, even if a business fails, you’ll learn from that experience. His current social apps, operating under The Meet Group portfolio, use live streaming video to help people forge meaningful connections, which have become even more important in the present COVID-19 environment.Much of Geoff’s success comes from his natural curiosity and his ability to specify a product and have a vision for it. Like most successful entrepreneurs, Geoff sees “opportunities that aren’t yet realized” and then leads a group of people to “realize them.”So if you want to know:– Why “just getting started” is the most important step to becoming an entrepreneur– When it’s time for an entrepreneur to find something new– Why entrepreneurs must “embrace the change”– How the COVID-19 virus has shortened the timeline for goals– Why reading only business books won’t help you come up with the “great idea”About Geoff CookGeoff Cook, serial entrepreneur and co-founder/CEO of The Meet Group, created his first business when he was a sophomore at Harvard. With a $600 advance against his credit card, he started a “little editing business” that was generating revenue in the millions when he sold it a few years after his graduation. He has founded and sold a number of online companies and is currently the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group, a portfolio of mobile social entertainment apps that leverage live-streaming video to forge meaningful connections. A thought leader in building safer dating apps, Geoff has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Greater Philadelphia and has also received the “Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania” award on behalf of his company. He graduated from Harvard University in 2000 with a BA in Economics. About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching: https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-67-geoff-cook-shares-his-entrepreneurial-journey-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard
Welcome to Episode 67 of Building My Legacy.In this podcast, serial entrepreneur Geoff Cook talks about his journey – from his first business, which he started while he was still a student at Harvard, to his more than 20 years of success creating and selling multiple online businesses. Geoff believes there is no downside to failure because, even if a business fails, you’ll learn from that experience. His current social apps, operating under The Meet Group portfolio, use live streaming video to help people forge meaningful connections, which have become even more important in the present COVID-19 environment.Much of Geoff’s success comes from his natural curiosity and his ability to specify a product and have a vision for it. Like most successful entrepreneurs, Geoff sees “opportunities that aren’t yet realized” and then leads a group of people to “realize them.”So if you want to know:– Why “just getting started” is the most important step to becoming an entrepreneur– When it’s time for an entrepreneur to find something new– Why entrepreneurs must “embrace the change”– How the COVID-19 virus has shortened the timeline for goals– Why reading only business books won’t help you come up with the “great idea”About Geoff CookGeoff Cook, serial entrepreneur and co-founder/CEO of The Meet Group, created his first business when he was a sophomore at Harvard. With a $600 advance against his credit card, he started a “little editing business” that was generating revenue in the millions when he sold it a few years after his graduation. He has founded and sold a number of online companies and is currently the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group, a portfolio of mobile social entertainment apps that leverage live-streaming video to forge meaningful connections. A thought leader in building safer dating apps, Geoff has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Greater Philadelphia and has also received the “Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania” award on behalf of his company. He graduated from Harvard University in 2000 with a BA in Economics. About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching: https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-67-geoff-cook-shares-his-entrepreneurial-journey-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard
Welcome to Episode 67 of Building My Legacy.In this podcast, serial entrepreneur Geoff Cook talks about his journey – from his first business, which he started while he was still a student at Harvard, to his more than 20 years of success creating and selling multiple online businesses. Geoff believes there is no downside to failure because, even if a business fails, you’ll learn from that experience. His current social apps, operating under The Meet Group portfolio, use live streaming video to help people forge meaningful connections, which have become even more important in the present COVID-19 environment.Much of Geoff’s success comes from his natural curiosity and his ability to specify a product and have a vision for it. Like most successful entrepreneurs, Geoff sees “opportunities that aren’t yet realized” and then leads a group of people to “realize them.”So if you want to know:– Why “just getting started” is the most important step to becoming an entrepreneur– When it’s time for an entrepreneur to find something new– Why entrepreneurs must “embrace the change”– How the COVID-19 virus has shortened the timeline for goals– Why reading only business books won’t help you come up with the “great idea”About Geoff CookGeoff Cook, serial entrepreneur and co-founder/CEO of The Meet Group, created his first business when he was a sophomore at Harvard. With a $600 advance against his credit card, he started a “little editing business” that was generating revenue in the millions when he sold it a few years after his graduation. He has founded and sold a number of online companies and is currently the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group, a portfolio of mobile social entertainment apps that leverage live-streaming video to forge meaningful connections. A thought leader in building safer dating apps, Geoff has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Greater Philadelphia and has also received the “Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania” award on behalf of his company. He graduated from Harvard University in 2000 with a BA in Economics. About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching: https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-67-geoff-cook-shares-his-entrepreneurial-journey-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard
Geoff Cook is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Meet Group, an online meet up site which they claim is “the magic of human connection”. As a result of the pandemic, there was a dramatic increase of livestream and people who were not used to doing livestream are now using it more frequently. The crisis has “pulled the future forward” so now The Meet Group is looking to be a filter before the real life meet up in person. The Meet Group has 5 different apps that are recognized all over the world so connecting with others is much more valuable and easy. Interacting with others in video is richer than using other media, so this form is a great way to date prior to making a deeper connection. A video chat ahead of time just makes more sense. In the future, people will likely rely upon this system, so it is an exciting time to enter the dating scene - and it is mostly online at this point! Even though there is a verify tab, the virtual meet up just confirms that the person is who they say it is. Also, Blind Date is an online show that this company started, and more exciting projects are on their way to production such as a show when you earn a prize when you connect with people. The Meet Group promotes a high level of safety employing 500 people to assess the content that might pose a risk. A clear code of conduct has been created and is enforced by educating the users, and when someone crosses a boundary, inappropriate content is also regulated by AI and algorithms. They also have partnered with FaceTech, a company that can help regulate abusive users that try to create new profiles that also estimates the age of the streamer to ensure they are not underage. Questions we asked: -Is the coronavirus affecting the dating industry? Affecting your apps? -What are you doing to change how people date during a global pandemic? -Do you see differences across the world in video dating? -What is the future of live streaming and dating? - How can livestreaming help with mental health in times of isolation? -What kinds of things are people doing on dating apps during a pandemic? Website: https://www.themeetgroup.com/ Social media tag: @MeetMe Apps: MeetMe, Growler, Tags, Scout, Levoo AdvancingHumanityPodcast.com
Dating is fun... dating apps should be fun too! Bibi and Miranda chat to Geoff Cook, CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group. What does the future of online dating look like? Stay in touch with the girls on social media: http://www.twitter.com/goodsexbadsexxx http://www.instagram.com/goodsexbadsex
User-generated content is real content from real people who care enough about your brand to show it. It’s more than self-expression; it’s a valuable asset smart marketers can harness to increase brand awareness, influence decisions, inspire conversions, and consequently drive sales. Our host Peggy Anne Salz catches up with Jade Worobec, Head of Performance Marketing at The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive dating solutions, to talk about the business value of authenticity and why user-gen content has so much impact. Jade, a Mobile Hero recognized for her accomplishments, shares how she uses appreciation and attention (even swag) to inspire ordinary customers and users to contribute extraordinary content. She also talks about usage rights, brand guidelines, and what marketers can use to make sure their user-gen content cuts through the noise.
My podcast guest, Geoff Cook, joined me for a fascinating conversation on the future of live streaming on dating apps. He is a serial entrepreneur, and CEO of The Meet Group. In this episode: - The future of live streaming and dating - Fascinating ways to make dating fun on the apps using live streaming - How video dating is helping people get closer
Charisma Quotient: Build Confidence, Make Connections and Find Love
Right now, you're probably longing for real, human contact and you might be feeling stressed out and lonely. Moving to socialize online as you're observing ever-shifting distancing guidelines can be daunting, but you may have a better opportunity virtually to connect with others than ever before! EPISODE 146 of The Charisma Quotient Podcast is titled: Digital Dating Trends And Social Connection: Interview With Geoff Cook This week, Kimmy addresses this issue with an authority on the topic of virtual connection, serial entrepreneur Geoff Cook. Geoff is the CEO and co-founder of Meet Group, a social dating and live streaming company behind Meet Me, Tagged, and Growlr. Kimmy and Geoff jump right in to talk about how people are using technology differently to connect, date and find sustained love. Kimmy asks Geoff to shed some light on the major trends in the virtual dating space and how our current reality of physical distance has created a space for fun new ways to connect. You'll hear some fascinating stats on how the increased desire for virtual and video options across all age groups. Plus, Geoff delves into the future of virtual dating. You may be surprised to find out that video and live streaming are here to stay, even after quarantine -- listen in to hear why! Kimmy highlights the importance in combining technology, first impression management and conversational skills training in order to be a successful dater today. This discussion is incredibly informative and will help broaden your perspective about how to navigate the dating landscape now and in the future. If you are feeling disconnected and you want to know how to make a great first impression online to meet someone, reach out to Kimmy for help. You can sign up for a complimentary call with Kimmy here: meetme.so/kimbreakthrough It's one thing to swipe through matches at a record pace, and it's another to understand how to make a real, genuine connection online. All it takes is one call to start your journey to meet this new reality. EPISODE 146 of The Charisma Quotient Podcast is titled: Digital Dating Trends And Social Connection: Interview With Geoff Cook. The Charisma Quotient Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many of your other favorite podcast channels. ************************************************ The Charisma Quotient Podcast: Building Confidence, Making Connections, and Finding Love from the Outside In is hosted by Kimmy Seltzer. ************************************************ Kimmy Seltzer is a Confidence Therapist and Authentic Dating Strategist implementing targeted style, emotional and social intelligence to your life. ************************************************ Sharing a wide array of relational topics, The Charisma Quotient Podcast focuses on the themes of building confidence, making connections, and finding love from the outside in. ************************************************ This Podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/Charisma_Quotient Libsyn: https://charismaquotient.libsyn.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mLh5AwLC0xryeKzKyph2g And many other podcast sites. ************************************************ Would you like to connect with Kimmy? Website: https://kimmyseltzer.com/ Chat: https://meetme.so/kimbreakthrough Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimmyseltzer/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/kimmyseltzer/ Join her FREE Facebook Group Love Makeover Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lovemakeovers
Since the coronavirus pandemic ended social lives as we knew them, anything that took us within six feet from another person is out the window. That includes dating and meeting people, for love or recreation. But apparently we haven't given up on dating entirely -- Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group says video dating has risen dramatically on all of his company's dating apps since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Today on KYW In Depth, Cook talks about the dating changes people have made in response to social distancing and how COVID-19 could result in far reaching changes to dating culture.
How do you become a group practice co-owner? Where do you start when building a group practice? How is being a group practice co-owner... The post Meet Group Practice Co-owner and Podcaster John Dennis | GP 03 appeared first on How to Start, Grow, and Scale a Private Practice| Practice of the Practice.
How do you become a group practice co-owner? Where do you start when building a group practice? How is being a group practice co-owner... The post Meet Group Practice Co-owner and Podcaster John Dennis | GP 03 appeared first on How to Start, Grow, and Scale a Private Practice| Practice of the Practice.
‘How Data Mapping Can Save Moms’ Lives’ with Licy Do Canto (Ep. 218) Bio As Managing Director of BCW Healthcare in the firm’s Public Affairs and Crisis practice, Licy Do Canto (@LicyMD) leads policy and public affairs strategy for the firm’s healthcare clients in North America across public and corporate affairs, government relations, communications and reputation management on a diverse and broad range of healthcare issues. He also oversees the BCW Healthcare Team in Washington, D.C. An expert in health and healthcare policy, with twenty five years of experience at the national, state and local levels across the nonprofit, philanthropic, corporate and government sectors, Licy is an accomplished, values-driven leader with unparalleled experience in developing and leading integrated public affairs campaigns combining strategic communications, public relations, political and legislative initiatives, policy, coalition building, grassroots/grasstops efforts and direct advocacy. Before joining BCW, Licy built and lead a nationally recognized minority owned strategic public affairs and communications firm, served as Health Practice Chair and Principal at The Raben Group, was the Chief Executive Officer of The AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, and managed and helped set the leadership direction for strategic policy, communications and advocacy investments in executive and senior government affairs roles for the American Cancer Society and the nation’s Community Health Centers. Before joining the private sector, Licy served as health policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and served in several stints in the Office of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. During his extensive tenure in Washington, D.C., Licy has played a leading role in efforts to draft, shape and enact many pieces of legislation and policy affecting public health, health care safety net and the U.S. health care system. Licy is a graduate of Duke University and holds a certificate in public health leadership from the University of North Chapel Hill—School of Public Health and Kenan Flagler Business School, and is the recipient of multiple industry awards and citations for his leadership, policy and public affairs acumen, including being named to The Hill Newspaper list of most influential leaders in Washington, D.C. consecutively over the last ten years. Resources BCW Global S.3152 – Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act News Roundup Zuckerberg says new content policies will ‘piss off a lot of people’ Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues his crusade to be the standard-bearer of free speech even if his company’s policies “piss off a lot of people”. Zuckerberg told CNN that he plans to draw a line in the sand when it comes to censorship as he thinks Facebook is taking on too much of that responsibility. He says that the company will continue to remove the most harmful content and also discussed plans to ramp up encryption on Facebook’s messaging service. Zuckerberg has remained steadfast in maintaining Facebook’s policy of leaving up false statements by politicians in their ads. Study: Using pre-trial risk assessment tools to book criminal defendants increases the likelihood they’ll considered a flight risk Courts routinely use pre-trial assessment tools to determine the likelihood that a defendant will flee if they’re released on bail. The higher the flight risk, the more pre-trial supervision the court will impose. The data these tools rely on includes data on past arrests. But a new study from the Human Rights Data Analysis Group and San Francisco Public Defenders Office notes that many of those arrests lead to acquittals. But despite the acquittals, the study found, courts recommended a higher level of pre-trial supervision in 27% of cases that include prior arrest data in their pre-trial assessment tools. ACLU: Puerto Rico’s online voting plan is too risky The American Civil Liberties Union is pushing back against legislation in Puerto Rico that aims to bring voting fully online by 2028. The ACLU is asking Puerto Rico’s Governor Wanda Vázquez to veto the bill after it passes the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, which is expected to happen this week. Lawyers for the century-old advocacy organization argue that the plan is extremely susceptible to hacks and poses significant cybersecurity risks that threaten to undermine Puerto Ricans’ trust in the government. House Oversight Committee seeks answers from dating apps on kids’ privacy The House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy launched an investigation into dating platforms’ failure to prevent underage users from signing up. Members of the subcommittee wrote Bumble, Grindr, The Meet Group, the Match Group, Tinder, and OkCupid seeking documents pertaining to any policies they have in place to prevent underage users pretending that they’re over 18 and sex offenders from lurking on the platforms. The documents are due to the subcommittee on February 13. Health records app pushed opioids Bloomberg reports that in the midst of the opioid crisis, between 2016 and 2019, electronic health records company Practice Fusion pushed alerts encouraging opioid treatment on 230 million separate occasions. A Vermont federal court says the company has agreed to pay $145 million in civil and criminal damages.
Bumble: No more nudes please, Instagram dating!, Dating.com Buys Dil Mil, Qingliao, Meet Group: fast growth
Match Results, Magic Lab Acquisition, The Meet Group, Facebook & Tinder whitelisting
The Meet Group, Hornet, Millionaire Match, and BHOC.
News about Match breakway, Pambakian update, The Meet Group new features, and Tinder’s fabulous growth.
News about The Meet Group, Singles in America, Yoti, Bumble
News about MuzMatch, Match Group, Facebook, Tantan, Tinder, Meet Group
News about Grindr, Tinder, Google/Apple, Meet Group
Jason Hartman talks with Geoff Cook, co-founder and CEO of MeetMe and The Meet Group, about the creation of his company that has created a $400 market cap. MeetMe is a dating app like many others, but has differentiated itself by using live streaming. Geoff and his team have noticed that people are segmenting their personalities across brands rather than trying to change their privacy settings on one platform, and was able to take advantage of that. Key Takeaways: [1:49] How live streaming made Geoff's dating app revenue explode [4:48] Deciding to go forward with live streaming was an all in bet for the company [7:34] The problem right now with video on dating apps is that many people don't want to be in a video [10:21] People share different aspects of their life with different brands Website: www.MeetMe.com
Jason Hartman talks with Geoff Cook, co-founder and CEO of MeetMe and The Meet Group, about the creation of his company that has created a $400 market cap. MeetMe is a dating app like many others, but has differentiated itself by using live streaming. Geoff and his team have noticed that people are segmenting their personalities across brands rather than trying to change their privacy settings on one platform, and was able to take advantage of that. Key Takeaways: [1:45] How live streaming made Geoff's dating app revenue explode [4:44] Deciding to go forward with live streaming was an all in bet for the company [7:30] The problem right now with video on dating apps is that many people don't want to be in a video [10:17] People share different aspects of their life with different brands Website: www.MeetMe.com
A Digital Meet Cute How Geoff Cook linked up dating apps and live-streamed video to form a happy and profitable relationship. Geoff Cook has built a small empire of successful meeting and dating apps—beginning long before anyone ever swiped right on Tinder—by following a philosophy of fearlessly trying new things. “Ten years from now, what will I have regretted—losing half a million dollars or not having done the thing that I wanted?” Of course, the fact that he has a half a million dollars to lose in the first place should be some indication that a lot of those risks have paid off. Thanks to a series of auspicious business decisions, starting with a profitable essay and resume editing business he launched as a sophomore at Harvard, Cook is living proof that experimentation lies at the heart of a successful startup career. While his fellow Harvard-attendee Mark Zuckerberg was busy refining Facebook, Cook launched his own spin on a social media platform. Rather than focusing on adding friends that users already knew in real life, his platform would be geared toward meeting entirely new people. So myYearbook was born. Today, myYearbook has evolved, changed hands, and expanded to encompass a whole collection of meeting and dating apps, all housed under The Meet Group, where Cook serves as CEO. “I tend to be a tinkerer,” he says. “I’ll push forward an idea even if it seems strange, just because it’s an itch and just keep moving the ball forward. Sometimes, opportunities fall out of that, and sometimes you just lose a lot of money. But it’s an itch I had to scratch.” In this instance, Cook’s itch proved to be so much more. Extracurricular Activities Cook started his first business in 1997 when, while still writing college essays of his own, he decided to put his economics classes to work and start a small side hustle editing his classmates’ papers and resumes. But in astoundingly short order, EssayEdge and ResumeEdge had scaled to millions in revenue, and the Thomson Corporation was knocking at his door with an acquisition offer. So Cook sold his first business in 2002, and just like that, he had the seed money to begin his first post-grad venture. But it wasn’t until he was in his mid-20s, when the social media era had just begun, that the light bulb flicked on. “The thought was that there needs to be a place to connect to people you don’t know,” he says. “It seemed both MySpace and Facebook were heavy into connecting to your real life friends.” Teaming up with his brother and sister, who were both still in high school, he created a social network designed to introduce rather than deepen existing friendships. Using games and his search algorithm, making new connections was simple. All they needed now were users. Luckily, the Cooks had the perfect in. At Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ, where both of the younger co-founders were still in school, myYearbook rolled out in 2005. In the first two weeks, there were hundreds of users. Within nine months, there were over a million. But the road to a million required some clever maneuvering. “I think we built a pretty good mousetrap in the beginning, but we had nobody in it,” he says, laughing. “What really helped it take off was…we were able to create this great quiz app that ended up getting millions of users every month.” Reminiscent of today’s Buzzfeed quizzes, users would take a quiz to determine what Seinfeld character they were most similar to. They would then share their results on their MySpace profile, and when a friend—intrigued to learn whether they were an Elaine or a Kramer—clicked on the link, it whisked them away to myYearbook where they were invited to register. “Quizzes are a very high-uniques business,” Cook says. “You get a lot of uniques, but you get very few page views per unique, because you only basically need to see the quiz and the quiz result. So we turned that business from two page views per user to closer to two or three hundred, because we brought them into a very social experience.” Once the former MySpace users began chatting with the new people they met through myYearbook, the platform blossomed. “That was when we were basically off to the races,” Cook says. But unfortunately, “the races” had an expensive entry fee. ‘The Servers Were Melting’ “We had to raise some money,” Cook says. “The servers were melting. The traffic was growing. The expenses were going up.” So, in 2006, to keep their rapidly growing platform afloat, Cook and crew decided to begin their first round of funding. The success of this venture round left them with enough money to put a team and an office together. The social media website continued to flourish, and in 2008, they began a Series B round of funding that enabled them to raise $12.8 million just before the financial crisis laid waste to the economic landscape. Grateful for their luck, but tired of raising capital, they vowed that this second round of funding would be their last, which meant only one thing: it was time to monetize. Luckily, Cook had a rapt audience at his disposal. “I’m of the belief that if you can amass a big enough audience…you can monetize it,” he says, “especially if it’s an engaged audience that’s spending 10 or 20 or 30 minutes a day with you.” In 2011, revenue was up to around $25 million to $30 million, and Cook was thinking long term. What was next for his company? When he was introduced to Quepasa—a company similar to myYearbook but for South America, and the first publicly traded social network—he knew he’d found a fit. The two companies merged, transforming myYearbook into a publicly traded company, and Cook thought the time had come to rename the company, as well. “We were always a social network for meeting new people, but the name [myYearbook] to people who didn’t know that made people think of Classmates.com,” he says. “It was not really what we were about, so we changed the name to Meet Me.” As part of the merger, Cook stepped into the role of COO with the intention that he would soon move back into the CEO role. In 2013, he made his return as CEO of the company, a position he has held since. When asked how the job of CEO at a private, venture capital-funded company differed from that of a publicly traded company, he says that the two roles are far more similar than they are different. In a privately owned, venture-backed company, he says, the CEO answers to several large investors who are knowledgeable about the industry and who demand growth. It’s the same for a CEO whose company goes public, he says. There are just a whole lot more investors to keep happy. Cook says it can be difficult to know when the time has come to take a company public, but he did offer some insight for founders. “I think the best time to be public would be when you have a lot of insight into your future revenues and profits,” he says. “One of the key differences of a public versus private company is that…you offer some guidance for the year—or even long-term guidance—on how the business is going to go, and then you’re measured to a quarterly yardstick on that.” Without a degree of foresight, he says that going public would be an extremely difficult task. “If you don’t have enough insight into your business to know your revenues except within a very wide range, or to know your profits except within a very wide range, that’s probably not the best candidate to be public,” he says. “You’re just setting yourself up to have some very bad quarters. In other words, the key is predictability. But he reminds business owners that even the most predictable companies can present a challenge. “You’re never gonna know everything, and there’ll always be some surprises, because things happen,” he says. But despite the added pressures and challenges, Cook insists that there are many advantages to being publicly traded. “There’s definitely pros and cons of being public,” he says, “but I would say we’ve had more pro than con.” And the primary advantage of going public for Cook was a clear path toward acquiring other companies. Forming the Group Not long after myYearbook became Meet Me, the business was renamed The Meet Group, the moniker it’s known by today. Because the business encompassed more than a single app, the name change was apt, and it only became more appropriate as the years passed. In late 2016, The Meet Group acquired Skout, a meet-up app that was approaching its 10th birthday. Then in 2017, they acquired Tagged, the San Francisco-based meeting app with high engagement in the African-American community, and Lovoo, a European dating app. And this year, The Meet Group also acquired GROWLr, a dating app geared toward the gay community. But Cook says all of these acquisitions stemmed from a strategy inspired by one popular Chinese dating app. The company decided to start building a live-streaming video product after seeing its success at a Chinese dating platform called Momo. Cook felt the app was somewhat similar to Meet Me, and when Momo added live streaming, he says that about 90 percent of Momo’s revenue was a result of that service. The Meet Group wanted to give it a try. “We were also kind of clear-eyed enough to know that building a live-streaming business is a big commitment,” Cook says. “It’s essentially kind of an all-in sort of company bet.” It was the kind of bet Cook was comfortable making. So they dove in headfirst and got to work building up the infrastructure, talent, and moderation capabilities they would need to execute their plan. And it paid off in tens of millions. Cook says that their annualized live video revenue grew from $0 to $82 million in just 16 months. This became the inspiration behind their acquisition of meeting and dating apps—to integrate video and watch as revenues skyrocketed. “If we believed in our story enough to make that bet, well, then we could make that bet again and again,” he says. “There’s no reason not to double down, triple down, quadruple down on it.” As they acquired social apps and fitted live-streamed video into them, they noticed that the engagement on those apps markedly increased. “In meeting- and dating- and chat-oriented communities, there’s often periods of time where you just don’t have any inbound chats,” he says. “So, it’s kind of boring.” But rather than exiting the app, the users of the video-fitted apps can simply hop into the tab labeled “Live” during those gaps. “Our users are coming to us for human connection,” he says. “Meeting new people is kind of all about that. Interactive live video is actually human connection, right?” Cook says that around 20 percent of their users visit the live streaming sections of the apps each day and that those users, on average, spend 20 minutes more a day on the app. Users can watch popular streamers, send them comments and witness their reactions. They can also buy and send digital gifts to the streamer. “They do this because they want the attention of the streamer,” he says. “It’s almost like buying someone a drink at the bar. You don’t have to, but if you want a better shot, you maybe should.” Cook is pleased with the success The Meet Group has found by incorporating live streaming into the apps—but he still has his eyes on Momo. Thirty percent of the Chinese app’s users visit the live section daily, a goal that Cook wants to push toward. He also wants to continue pushing the boundaries of live video and sees one-on-one live video and various video dating experiences in the company’s future. As the social media landscape continues to coalesce around a select few apps, this self-proclaimed tinkerer believes that the unique nature of his business will allow it to keep flourishing. After all, as long as there are people searching for connection, there will always be a need to meet someone new. Interview by Nathan Chan, feature article reprinted from Foundr Magazine, by Erica Comitalo Key Takeaways How Cook’s resume editing side hustle at Harvard eventually led to an acquisition offer Why Cook decided to take a different route from MySpace and Facebook The surprising tactic that led to myYearbook surpassing a million users in nine months How Cook approached the funding and monetization of myYearbook The road to becoming a publicly traded company and the lessons learned How The Meet Group was born Why an investment in the live-streaming business changed the game What Cook has his eyes on for the future of The Meet Group
Welcome to the only podcast to ask: China, WTF?! What’s The Future? Arnold Ma, founder of Chinese creative agency Qumin, gets to the bottom of what tomorrow may look like, globally, by dissecting China's today. The podcast focuses on Chinese tech disrupters, people and cultures.In this first episode, we chat with Lauren Hallanan about Influencer Marketing and Live Streaming in China.Lauren is the VP of Live Streaming at The Meet Group and a Chinese social media marketing expert focusing on influencer marketing, live streaming, and social commerce. She’s the co-author of the Amazon bestselling book Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers, and KOLs, a contributing writer at Forbes, Jing Daily, and PARKLU, and host of the China Influencer Marketing and Stream Wars podcasts. Part one - Influencer Marketing in China - covers:The cultural reasons why influencer marketing in China works so wellWhy your brand heritage story might not resonate with Chinese consumersThe difference between Western and Chinese consumers and their use of influencersThe difference between working with Western vs Chinese influencers from a brand’s perspectiveThe different types of influencers in China and which type Western brands should work withThe cost of working with Chinese influencersThe best Chinese platforms for brands to work with influencers on in 20192019's biggest trend in Chinese Influencer MarketingPart two - Live Streaming in China - looks into:An overview of live streaming in China compared to the WestDebunking the QVC / teleshopping image people have of live streamingChallenges and tips for brands doing live streaming and working with live streamers / live streaming influencers in ChinaGood examples of how brands used live streaming to promote their brand, products, and servicesWhether live social commerce is just a fadWhy live streaming is especially important when targeting lower-tier cities in China Finally, Lauren answered the all-important question: WTF? And shared what she thinks China might look like in 2020.
Geoff talks the future of video, the development of one-to-one live streaming and the rise of audio. In discussing how the mediascape has evolved over the past 15 years, Geoff describes how he has grown a social network by leveraging the power of users as marketers in today’s network society.
Today I bring back Elijah Whaley, Influencer and CMO of influencer marketing PARKLU to talk about the new sponsored post regulations on Xiaohongshu or Red, Little Red Book. When these rules were announced around 2 weeks ago, they caused an uproar in the China KOL community and in this episode we’ll tell you why. Xiaohongshu has since then announced that they will issue another press release on May 27th with additional explanations and modifications and then the app itself will be updated on June 10th. Elijah also shares that many of their clients have paused their campaigns on Xiaohongshu as they are waiting to see what finally happens and many KOLs have temporarily stopped accepting sponsored posts as they are worried about the repercussions from the platform. Elijah and I have been big proponents of Xiaohongshu, and while we understand where these new rules are coming from, we both agree it was a poor decision and are a bit worried about the long term effect they could have. I will be recording another episode in late June to give an update on the situation. Also, stick around until the end of the podcast, I share another bit of information that Elijah learned a day or two after we recorded. *Note: Today’s episode is about a breaking topic, that is currently still in flux, so I want to caveat that when the dust finally settles things may have changed, but this topic is important both to brands and to KOLs and our guest has an insider’s view into it, so I wanted to get him on as soon as I could to share what he knows and bring everyone up to speed. Marketing 2 China Conference – June 5th & 6th in London If you want to chat with me and Elijah in person, we will be in London on June 5th and 6th for the Marketing to China conference, along with several other amazing speakers. If you haven't already purchased your tickets, then you're in luck. You can get a discount using the code LAUREN at checkout. Here's what it will get you: - 30% off single ticket, or - 2 tickets in the price of 1, or - 3 tickets for 999 GBP Hope to see you there! https://marketingtochinaconference.com/ To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: What happened: Earlier this year an article went viral on Weibo about fake accounts and articles on Xiaohongshu, but this might have been planted by Weibo Pot calling the kettle black – these issues happen on most Chinese platforms and Weibo is notorious for fakes, 40% of traffic on weibo probably fake Xiaohongshu has always taken the position that they want to promote trust, trying to do things right, which is noble and they have been going back and forth with how to deal w/ KOL collabs without sacrificing trust Two weeks ago press release came out with new sponsored post rules that were severe. Another press release due out May 27th and app update 10th of June While rules were severe, they was also a lot of ambiguity which has caused chaos, so new press release will hopefully clarify All PARLU clients currently running campaigns or planning them put them on pause No KOLs are accepting campaigns because they don’t know what’s going on and can’t risk repercussions from platform Elijah’s take: His first reaction is that many creators will leave But seems that XHS might step back, might not be the death toll for the platform that he originally thought, but will still have negative effects With their new rules – only 4,700 KOLs pass the requirements and are eligible for sponsored posts (out of 200 M users ) Feels eerily similar to what happened with Meipai KOLs must put out 4-5 organic posts that meet certain requirements in order to do one sponsored post He feels like the platform is promoting a low quality content feel, unfair to professional content creators New rules not serving the creator community Everyone will suffer for these decisions Expect KOLs to start charging WeChat rates (1 rmb per view) which are most expensive in the industry Brands will be paying more for less exposure Believes users will also end up suffering as top KOLs leave Niche KOLs will focus more on niche platforms with less restrictions Left with low quality content creators Bets you they won’t restrict celebrity accounts Lots of people aren’t aware of how much platforms manipulate accounts Doesn’t feel like XHS is creating an environment w/ creators in mind first Similar issues on Douyin: People are leaving douyin Has some systemic issues Douyin and now XHS are now pushing creators into MCNs MCN gets 70% or brand deals, 5-year contract, a small percentage of creators ever actually receive the support they are promised Hard time creating content that consistently gets high views AI recommendation system favors viral content compared to educational/interesting/entertaining When will Chinese platforms allow for democratization of content consumption? Most platforms too contrived What content is seen is controlled by platform Frustrating for content creators Guest: Elijah Whaley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahwhaley/ Personal Website: elijahwhaley.com PARKLU Blog: www.parklu.com/blog Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Last spring, I had Fabian Bern on the podcast to give an overview of Douyin, which, at the time, was still an emerging social media platform in China. A lot has changed since then and I wanted to bring Fabian back on the podcast to bring us up to speed on Douyin, share what has changed over the past year and where does he see the platform going in the future. We discuss user demographics, new features on the platform, and how content is evolving, specifically the increase in mini-series and vlogs. I also ask him what industries he thinks can benefit the most from Douyin, and whether they should be focusing on using Douyin to raise brand awareness or drive sales. Over the past year, Douyin has introduced the Starmap KOL marketing platform and encouraged many of its content creators to sign with MCNs, and we talk about how that works and the pros and cons of that system. ***Upcoming Event **** I will be speaking at the upcoming Marketing 2 China London event in June 5th and 6th. Website: https://marketingtochinaconference.com/ . Hope to see you there! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Additional Notes: How Douyin has evolved: Userbase – now more than 500 million users 1st tier & 3rd tier cities are two main user groups 1st tier users interested in brands and celebrities 3rd tier city users: Social commerce on Douyin big in those cities Live streams popular among 3rd tier cities Strategic partnerships – CNY gala New features since last Spring: Users can post photos too (as opposed to just video) Tmall & JD testing native stores Wallets, red packets Improved AR filters Duoshan messaging app integrated with Douyin In-video shopping Mini-programs, most popular so far are mini- games Stories feature (seems to still be in Beta) Shift in Content: Short web series Micro vlogging popular, real and relatable Douyin seems to be shifting to promote more series-type content, which keeps users coming back, and is more sustainable. People get bored of little skit videos after a while. Brands on Douyin: 150k official brand accounts China government does a great job Local companies generally do much better than foreign ones Foreign companies often use existing content and cut a piece out and put it on Douyin, which really does not work While there are a lot of brands on the platform, most of them aren’t making good enough content for it to organically spread on the platform Industries most suitable for Douyin: Auto industry has done very well Electronics Web series use Douyin to spread awareness Cosmetics & fashion easiest to drive sales Gaming, F&B growing Education – Douyin now has “child accounts” where parents can filter out content Thoughts on TikTok: Douyin one year ahead of TikTok Can guess what features will come soon to TikTok Content is a bit different with localization, create virality in country itself; Indonesia good example Thinks TikTok will generally follow Douyin’s path Young audience and people struggle to learn how to use it KOL marketing on Douyin: MCNs and the Starmap platform Douyin KOLs getting more mature Many KOLs started their own MCNs and they are doing well because they understand the platform Platform pays more attention to users with 500K+ fans; smaller accounts less regulated Still a couple independent KOLs but don’t get much support from the platform A cut of the KOL fee will go to the MCN and Douyin price = 20-30 RMB/1000 fans Vlogging: Videos can now be up to 60 seconds for all users Recent campaigns to promote vlogging; Fabian believes that since they specifically used the word vlog means they are putting resources behind it Opportunity for music industry: More opportunities for music labels, need new songs, especially music + vlogs, movie soundtracks Releasing new music through Douyin Douyin Vloggers he Recommends: Tuoluoyi – pilot who documents his trips Itsrae – travel vlogs Guest: Fabian Bern Website: https://uplab.asia/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianbern/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This is part 2 of my interview with Ariel Chen, a top travel vlogger. For part 1, check out episode 44! In this episode Ariel continues to share some amazing advice and insights into the influencer industry. We discuss the struggle to create amazing content vs. what actually performs well on the platform, the different types of content she creates for Xiaohongshu and Douyin, why she feels Weibo is still very relevant, her tips for tourism brands, and why you should choose a smaller KOL who creates high quality content over a large KOL who creates mediocre content, and why KOLs are replacing advertising agencies. She also mentions during the episode that she recently gave a talk at a Weibo conference on the topic of Chinese social media marketing and KOLs, so if you understand Chinese, definitely check out the link to that in the show notes below! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Content tips: Took her a year and a half playing around with content to find what works KOLs are competing against highly skilled professional content creators and the platform algorithms Artistic integrity - The struggle between your personal taste vs. what actually does well “The audience is trained to watch Douyin videos” Xiaohongshu & Douyin: Tailor-make content for key platforms Xiaohongshu is about product placement, must share products or useful information Users have high purchasing power, She does fun travel English videos and that has been doing quite well on Douyin, also started putting them on XHS She mixes English tips with posts on hotels and travel fashion High end travel is best on XHS Weibo is still relevant: Weibo search more used than Baidu Very official, if your brand doesn’t have a presence there Chinese consumers will think it’s strange Weibo is an open platform so a post there can be discovered long into the future Douyin is for short term hype and buzz – Weibo and Xiaohongshu for long term Fliggy Live streaming Fliggy live streaming can be found both on the Fliggy app and the Taobao live travel tab Very targeted audience, looking to buy, great for sales Japanese tourism board really good case study Brands can create their own account and stream themselves or can work with Fliggy live influencers It’s all about showcasing the travel experience live China economy may be slowing down in some segments, but experiential and lifestyle is growing, especially for travel Choosing KOLs + KOLs vs Ad agencies How to choose KOLs – don’t solely look into numbers Get good content then pay to drive traffic as opposed to mediocre content and large distribution High quality KOLs better than 4A agencies Talk to KOL directly, especially for smaller brands If KOL doesn’t talk about optimizing distribution they are not professional enough Ariel has an MBA so thinks about and enjoys the business side of being a KOL Guest: Ariel Chen Email: tripcouture@gmail.com Weibo: @人字拖游记 Xiaohongshu: @人字拖游记 Douyin: @TravelEnglish Recent speech Ariel gave on China influencer marketing Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Today we’re pulling back the curtain and sharing with you how we at The Meet Group handle an extremely important component of any live streaming platform, and that is content moderation. To learn how content moderation works, I interviewed David Brown, VP of Operations at The Meet Group who explains why we moderate content, how we use AI algorithms to help us moderate millions of minutes of live broadcasts every day, what are some of the suspicious behaviors and red flags we’re looking for, and what happens if we find inappropriate content. If you’re a streamer on one of our platforms, this conversation is definitely worth listening to, and will help you better understand how our platform works and what we are doing to make it a safe and healthy environment for you to have fun and meet people.
In this episode we welcome back Ariel Chen, a top Chinese travel vlogger based in Montreal, Canada. I first had her on the podcast all the way back in episode 4, about a year and a half ago, and man have things changed for her since then! Back then she was still a micro-influencer with less than 200K followers on Weibo but was growing quite rapidly and getting a lot of attention, fast-forward to today and only a year and a half later she has over 1 million Weibo followers, as well as followings on Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and many other social media platforms. She is also a top live streaming influencer partnered with Alibaba’s travel platform Fliggy. A former police woman, turned MBA student, turned travel vlogger, Ariel’s story of how she stumbled into the influencer marketing world is quite unique. We don’t go into it too much in this podcast, so if you’re interested in hearing that, check out episode 4 which is linked below. This time we ended up talking for over an hour, so I decided to break our conversation down into two episodes. In this first one we discuss how her career has changed, her decision to hire a team and how that has impacted her business, How she grew her Weibo account so quickly in a time when many are struggling to grow, and some of her other content and growth hacking tips. We also talk about the vlogging trend in China and her suggestions for vlog content. In the next episode we discuss Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Live streaming on Taobao’s travel platform Fliggy, her advice for tourism brands, how to choose high quality KOLs, and much more, so be sure to tune in to part 2! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Guest: Ariel Chen Email: tripcouture@gmail.com Weibo: @人字拖游记 Xiaohongshu: @人字拖游记 Douyin: @TravelEnglish Recent speech Ariel gave on China influencer marketing Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share! ------- Additional Notes: Notes: Chinese vloggers understand the benefit of having a team: Started out with an assistant in China who helped with basic admin tasks and communicating with brands and platforms For content to perform well, every platform needs different thumbnails, titles, descriptions; it takes a lot of time and effort to upload so she freed up a lot of time handing that over to her assistant Hired a full-time videographer and that has improved her output dramatically. The production quality has gone up a ton, to the level where it can compete with video production in the West (which she feels is still ahead of China) Originally videographer was Canadian, but he didn’t understand Chinese taste, harder for him to communicate with other people she worked with Also has many contractors and works with other producers, directors and editors Her main videographer found her and asked to be her videographer, she helps him grow and gives him opportunities to film the things he wants so that he stays satisfied as well. Not all about her. More than an influencer: Now that she has a team she also works as a creative agency and produces videos for destinations, to be shared on their platforms, but usually she will share it on her platform as well Foreign brands hire her to manage their social presence Growing her following + content tips: In China, influencers need support from the platform, once the platform recognizes you it is easier to grow Important to understand the rules of platform Capitalize on hot topics – i.e. Australia china travel year, if you create videos about Australia they are more likely to get promoted by the platform Sacrificed earnings in the beginning to focus on creating a personal brand instead of working with every brand that came her way Important to have consistency, really solidify your image Daily uploads of videos or vlogs was a turning point, you stay top of mind for audience and platform Video is key in China right now Mafengwo long articles not as popular anymore Don’t treat Weibo and Chinese platforms like Instagram. A pretty picture alone won’t get noticed. Some travel bloggers focus on detailed guides or smart travel tips. Her audience follows her – wants her experience, impression, see what she does, see her personal growth Difference between US and Chinese vlogging – YouTube vlogs often 8-10 minutes, and China needs to be shorter, within 1-3 minutes
In this episode Anthony and I discuss whether or not live streaming can be considered a real job. A couple months back we posted about this topic on social media and we got so much feedback we thought we’d record an episode all about it. The original idea came from a study that was released in China on January 8th. In the 2018 Live Streaming Profession Report, 73% of the 10,000 people surveyed responded that live streaming is a profession. Nearly 30% of users said that one of their friends or family members is a live streamer. The report also shared demographics, salaries, upsides and downsides of this new career path. In this episode, Anthony and I break down the findings of the report and compare them with the live streaming industry here in the US and the habits or our broadcasters on The Meet Group platforms. Thank you to liwavybby, autumnshantel, madisontmt, exotic_kiki, missmuffintv, fetticonfetti, and everyone else who left us comments about this topic on the MeetMe, Tagged, and Skout Instagram accounts! Key findings we discuss from the report: Out of the 5,000 broadcasters surveyed, 79% of them were female and 21% male. 68% were 29 years old or younger and out of that, 16% were under the age of 24. Among full-time streamers the male to female ratio was even more skewed at around 1:5 and 73% of them were 29 years old or younger. The survey found that 21% of full-time broadcasters and 10% of part-time broadcasters earn over 10,000 RMB ($1,478) per month from streaming (which is more than the average salary in Beijing). The report also found that even when it comes to live streaming, education level has a dramatic impact on earnings. 37% of streamers with a master’s degree or higher earned over 10,000 RMB per month, while only 27% of streamers with a bachelor’s degree and 16% of streamers with an associate degree were able to reach that earnings threshold. About one-fifth of full-time hosts stream more than eight hours a day Because viewership peaks in the evening, livestreamers often work late at night. The survey found that 44% of hosts stream between 7pm and midnight, and as many as 12% of them frequently stream between midnight and 8am. 80% of all streamers surveyed reported that they stream on holidays, and for full-time streamers that percentage is even higher at 94%. In order to hone their skills and further their careers, many streamers were found to re-invest a large portion of their earnings each month into developing their talents (for example taking singing or dancing classes), upgrading their equipment (microphones, lighting, props), or improving their appearance. 44% of full-time broadcasters spend over 1,000 RMB ($148) per month on self-improvement and a 9% of them spend more than 5,000 RMB ($740) per month. Check out our blog post to get the full run down of the report.
Rob Bell interviews Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group.
Geoff Cook, CEO & Co-founder of the Meet Group responsible for many cutting edge dating apps joins Damona to talk about new developments in the dating tech landscape. Millennial dating and love life coach, Evin Rose, returns to co-host and give her insight on new dating app features. This week's headline: Should you use Instagram to find dates? Do you like this short format Dates & Mates? Leave us a review and let us know! Follow Evin on Instagram! You're invited to join Evin's free Empowered Dating Community, and get access to game-changing insight, inspiring real talk, and endless encouragement here! Follow Geoff on Twitter and watch out for all of The Match Group's Latest updates! There are over a hundred million people online worldwide. If you're not finding love there, we might have a problem. Luckily Damona has your solution! Go to profilestarterkit.com to get your COMPLETELY FREE guide to writing a profile that will attract quality dates to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of China Paradigm, Matthieu David-Experton interviews Lauren Hallanan, VP of Livestreaming at The Meet Group, China Market Expert, Amazon Best Seller, and KOL in among a Chinese audience. Lauren consults with international brands about how to market in China with influencer marketing, a career pulling from her own expertise as a KOL and livestreamer. Today we learn about Lauren's insights as a foreign KOL, how live streaming in China works, how to build trust between KOLs and clients, and what are the unique benefits of Xiaohongshu vs. Douyin vs. live streaming. ====================================================== This podcast is sponsored by daxue consulting, a strategic research firm that answers complex business questions on the Chinese market with traditional and tech tools. Since 2012, daxue has served more than 250 clients and completed more than 300 projects. ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auctioning traditional methodologies as well as technology-driven tools.
In this episode we discuss the concept of xiachen. Xiachen literally means to sink or submerge, and is now a popular term meaning sinking or moving down into lower tier markets. Xiachen content, apps, influencers, and products appeal to everyday, ordinary Chinese people. People in these lower tier cities can’t relate to the sophisticated content and expensive products that we so often see influencers sharing on Weibo and WeChat. While for those in 1st and 2nd tier cities this content may be aspirational, for these consumers is it is just too far removed from their lives. Now why do we care about these consumers? Well… Mobile internet users in China’s 1st and 2nd tier cities are mature and they are bombarded with content and sales messages on a daily basis. The next big opportunity for app and e-commerce growth is consumers 3rd and 4th tier cities and rural areas. This term Xiachen has been used quite frequently throughout 2018 and many top Chinese marketing publications predict ‘xiachen’ will continue to be a major trend in 2019. In this episode Kejie and I discuss: What does Xiachen mean? And why is this becoming a trend? What is Xiachen content? How is it different than regular content? What are some examples of Xiachen influencers, products and apps? How are consumers in lower tier cities and the countryside different than consumers in 1st and 2nd tier cities? Does xiachen style content also appeal to consumers in 1st and 2nd tier cities? Why is livestreaming very popular among young consumers in rural areas of China? What are some difficulties brands face when trying to market to these xiachen consumers? Links: Xiachen themed newsletter Topics include: Why are Kuaishou influencers so good at driving sales? Some of the biggest users of live streaming in China are not teenagers, they’re farmers Farmers cultivate social media sales The epitome of ‘Xiachen’: Kuaishou influencer SanDaGe The Domestic Beauty Brand Taking Over Xiaohongshu: Perfect Diary 完美日记 一二三线城市的用户消费习惯，已经细碎得没有规律 小镇姑娘们的梳妆台 To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Geoff Cook is the Co-founder & CEO of MeetMe and The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET), a social dating and live streaming company with a $400+ million market cap; Geoff has spent $200 million in the last 3 years buying 4 companies, including most recently, Growlr, a dating app for gay bears. Geoff is also the CEO of myYearbook--a social network to meet new people. Geoff Cook helped raise $20 million and grew myYearbook to profitability with 100+ employees and $30+ million in revenue. Geoff started his first companies EssayEdge and ResumeEdge from a Harvard dorm and sold them to The Thomson Corporation for millions of dollars at age 24. He sold his second company for $100 million. He also runs the leading podcast player, Podcoin, and can drive thousands of listening hours and hundreds of subscribers to podcasts on which he appears. Podcast Highlights Who is Geoff Cook? Geoff is a husband and father in addition to an entrepreneur. He started his entrepreneurial life in school because he didn’t want to get a job making only a few dollars an hour. Before then he didn’t really have any ideas about being an entrepreneur. Geoff realized that if he wanted to really make some money, selling your time wasn’t going to cut it because it has a linear relationship. You need to create something that isn’t tied directly to your time. He thought that instead of working a regular job, he could create something and potential make nothing, but also potentially make way more money, and at the very least have some fun. Geoff’s first venture was an attempt to just solve a problem, in his case essay and resume editing. He built a website from scratch and slowly grew his business from $10k a year in his first year in college to over $300k a year by the time he graduated. His second business was the social network myYearbook, within 9 months he had acquired over a million users to the site by leveraging existing platforms like Myspace. How much did your education contribute to your business success? In the early days of his first business, Geoff’s education did actually help him figure out what to charge and better tailor the experience to certain people. But it’s hard to draw a straight line from his education to everything that has happened since. Growing a Business Geoff runs a public company called the Meet Group which has a heavy focus on live streaming video. The cost to execute live streaming lead to them start acquiring other apps so they could leverage the infrastructure they already had. In the early days of Myspace and Facebook, creating a viral campaign that acquired email addresses was much easier and very powerful. Today you need to either buy it or build it, in the case of building it you need novelty in order for it to grow. Instead of relying on a lucky strike of a marketing campaign, another strategy to grow is to just buy companies that have already acquired the audience you want to reach. Why is live streaming such an important tool? Regular media like photos are very flat, where live video is much more interesting and interactive. The interaction is key and in the next few years, the quality and quantity of live streams available is only going to go up. Live streams are becoming part of many more traditional broadcasts as well. Podcoin Live streaming video is a lean in media, it’s very interactive and keeps your attention. Audio is the opposite, most people consume audio media while they are doing other things, it’s more passive. Podcoin was born out of the idea of “what if we paid people to listen to podcasts?” It allows the listener to share in the rewards of the organization that they are directly generating. The hardest pr
Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Geoff Cook, the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEET)--the company that markets the MeetMe, Lovoo, Skout, Tagged and Growlr--joined me for a conversation about the social impact of dating apps and the challenges of entrepreneurship. Click the following link to learn my insider secrets to media publicity for social impact: http://bit.ly/75offmedia.
This week I chat with Rui (@大睿睿) a top-tier fashion and beauty influencer on Xiaohongshu with nearly 2 million followers. Our conversation covers a wide variety of topics including how she got started on Xiaohongshu, what type of content she produces and why, what her fans think of sponsored content, the pros and cons of being a Chinese KOL based in NYC, and much, much more. Her background: Rui is originally from China, currently based in NYC She studied statistics at Boston University Now studying art management at FIT She had been active on Xiaohongshu for a while, but about two years ago her account really took off She now has almost 2 million followers Her content: She mainly posts three types of content: fashion, beauty, and study/life abroad related Fashion is her favorite and what she is most passionate about Beauty is very popular with young, female consumers and there are more opportunities to collaborate with a top luxury brand’s beauty dept. than their fashion dept.; allows you to get a foot in the door Study/life abroad – a large portion of her audience studies/lives abroad so this is content they can relate to Why she loves Xiaohongshu and why brands should too: She loves shopping and this platform is all about shopping Weibo is too news focused and back when she started the content types were limited Users go on Xiaohongshu with a shopping mindset Much easier to find your targeted audience here What her fans think of sponsored content: She feels that fans are supportive of sponsored content as long as it is done right. They understand that KOLs need to partner with brands in order to have an income, and your audience wants you to become better and they want to go along on your journey, so if you get the opportunity to work with a top brand they are excited for you She also has a personal Weibo account that she doesn’t publicize, but some loyal fans will find and follow, and she uses this as a place to let off steam, show the whole process of collaborating with brands, share behind the scenes, all the work and struggle that goes into these collaborations You’re a KOL, not a celebrity, so people like to see that you’re a real person with real struggles The pros and cons of being a Chinese KOL based in NYC: Pros: Chinese people are generally curious about life abroad so her posts will attract more attention Cons: She feels like people work harder and grow more quickly in China; There are many events in Shanghai that she is unable to attend Trends and other interesting takeaways: Brands have begun moving beyond regular collaborations to create campaigns specifically designed around an influencer’s content and style She has tried vlogs but isn’t doing them regularly; they are very time consuming to produce and go against the short video trend so she still hasn’t made her mind up about them 燃烧的陀螺仪 is a Douyin content creator who has become popular very recently for his very fast vlogs As a content creator, Douyin and Xiaohongshu can be difficult because they both open up to an explore page and the algorithm shows users content it thinks they will like, regardless of whether they follow the person or not, so even though you have a huge following, they have to seek you out, won’t always see your posts, no matter how big you get you still need to think about how to get your posts featured Guest: Rui Email: daruiruiwang@163.com Xiaohongshu Account: @大睿睿 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Hosts: Nard and Ray Nard and Ray went to dinner and saw Captain Marvel. We talked about the second man to be cleared of HIV, GROWLr being bought by the Meet Group, and parents who saved their son's sperm to continue their legacy. Send your comments to show@gaygeekbizarre.com.Leave us a voicemail at 281-947-2327.
Hosts: Nard and Ray Nard and Ray went to dinner and saw Captain Marvel. We talked about the second man to be cleared of HIV, GROWLr being bought by the Meet Group, and parents who saved their son's sperm to continue their legacy. Send your comments to show@gaygeekbizarre.com.Leave us a voicemail at 281-947-2327.
Video used to be about telling stories, but some smart app companies are combining live streaming with gifting and other perks to develop new, cool and incredibly lucrative sources of revenue. A prime example is The Meet Group, which has harnessed this engaging media to build a $71+ million annualized run rate video business in a little over a year. Our host and Chief Content Officer Peggy Anne Salz catches up with Catherine Cook Connelly, Co-founder & VP Brand Strategy at The Meet Group to get the inside track on how the social chat and dating company has made a bundle on live streaming. Catherine candidly shares her learnings about live streaming, including how to (and not to) build a platform to support the media, cultivate “super streamers” and encourage users to spend more time and money.
Many brands find it difficult to select the right KOLs to work with. My conversation with this week’s guest Anny Lou may help. Anny is a prominent fashion influencer with over 1.6 million followers on Weibo. While my interview was focused on learning about her career, her thoughts on Weibo, and her experiences working with brands, her responses revealed a great deal about the key characteristics of an influencer who is truly worth working with. Some of the key traits she reveals are: A true passion for their subject matter A desire to share products and experiences that they think will benefit other people, regardless of whether they are getting paid or not Long-term commitment Dedicated to building a reciprocal relationship with their audience Professional and responsible attitude towards working with brands There are a ton of other great takeaways from the episode, but this is what really stood out to me, that she is a prime example of the type of influencer brands should seek to work with. What we cover: How Anny Lou became a fashion influencer Anny’s fashion knowledge How Anny’s modelling career took off When Anny started with Weibo Being an influencer with a full-time job and how Anny does it all How does Anny Lou curate her content Why Anny focuses the most on Weibo How her team adds to her output The secret to growing such a large social media following How to establish a close relationship with a massive social media audience Frequency - How often do you need to post to generate a following and engagement Post styles that work with Anny’s followers How followers’ opinions should play a role in your content What forms of online tools are part of her work Videos and vlogs are growing in China How Weibo has changed a lot as a platform and what you need to know What is the deal with Weibo and sponsored posts Which other online platforms does Anny engage with How does Anny Lou work with brands Her perspective on brand partnerships She tries out new brands to ensure quality Posting about free products Common problems that occur when working with brands Brands that are doing great marketing How does brand reputation play a role with Chinese consumers To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU and The Meet Group: www.parklu.com www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information head over to - www.chinainfluencermarketing.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Guest: Anny Lou Weibo and Instagram: @安妮时髦精 WeChat: Anny_Lou
When it comes to the global live streaming industry, we often hear about developments in China, the emerging markets, and the US, but what about Europe? In today’s episode I chat with Eric Jangor, VP Brand and Communication, and Talent Manager Linda B. from the German dating and live streaming app LOVOO, which was acquired by The Meet Group in 2017. LOVOO was originally a location-based pure-play dating app. Over the course of 2018 it integrated live streaming into the platform, and so far it appears to be a hit with the app’s users. In this interview, Eric starts off by sharing how live streaming complements a dating app and give us an idea of who LOVOO’s users are and how they are using the live feature. We then discuss the European live streaming industry and its advantages and disadvantages. In the second half of the episode we focus on talent development. We hear how LOVOO built its talent management team from scratch and the tactics they use to train and retain top talent. They share how encouraging streamers to meet offline, and giving them opportunities to do so, has allowed them to develop very tight-knit talent communities. I also got them to tell me about some of the entertaining and innovative content they are seeing from their streamers. We cover: Learn why live streaming can work well within a dating app Still no clear market leader for entertainment/IRL live streaming segment in Europe, this is an opportunity for LOVOO European market is fragmented, how to scale live streaming? Regional proximity makes it easier to create offline communities European culture generally more reserved, modest Many of their top streamers are male Many of the top streamers were originally LOVOO users, and didn’t have any prior streaming or social media experience The benefits of ephemeral content Differences between male and female streamer content The importance of building streamers communities and how to do that Why it's important to have talent managers for each market Streamers mentioned in the episode: Niknando: A Top Streamer on LOVOO who created his own dating show Instagram: Niknando_official Freaks in Cotton: German musicians who integrate audience and virtual gift names into their songs and have raised enough money from cash rewards on LOVOO to fund the studio recording of their first single Instagram: freaks.in.cotton Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily those of The Meet Group. This discussion also includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. More information is contained in our SEC filings. We caution you against placing undue reliance on these statements and disclaim any intent or obligation to update them.
Summary: In this episode, we dissect two articles featured in the China Influencer Update Newsletter. One is about the Fan Bingbing scandal, and the other is about how influencers calculate their fees. Keije Yi, my assistant, Chinese journalist student, and former intern for famous fashion blogger, Becky Li, joins me on the show today. Keije offers a Chinese perspective of the Fan Bingbing scandal and later shares vital insights about which type of content influences her and her peers the most. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Show Notes: Fan BingBing’s tax evasion scandal (道歉100天后，范冰冰正式复出：究竟是谁让她东山再起？) Why Fan Bingbing’s scandal did not ruin her The brand niche that saw Fan Bingbing’s scandal as a threat to business The insights Fan Bingbing’s scandal revealed about Chinese consumers Why Fan Bingbing’s scandal recovery has been relatively quick compared to other influencers Which brands will continue partnering with Fan BingBing despite the scandal How influencers calculate their fees (小红书的算法千人千面，你一个小博主的报价都整出算法了？) How influencer’s price their sponsored posts What brands should know before teaming up with an influencer How large brands develop sponsored content in China Why there is not a sponsored ad process that works every time Original photos vs Brand photos - which performs better The number one detail young Chinese consumers look for in content Why content format needs to vary by product 3 Key Points: Fan Bingbing’s scandal says more about the Chinese people than it does about her. In China, idols are commonly pardoned by their fans. Chinese consumers want the content they are consuming to be authentic and can be very skeptical about what brands produce. Quotes: “Some brands will keep collaborating with her [Fan BingBing] because, despite the scandal, she has real selling power.” –Keije. “There are several factors that affect an influencer’s price. They will also factor in things like your brand's reputation.” –Lauren. “It also depends on what kind of products and what platforms you are choosing. So, for example, if you recommend an outfit, it is best that you just publish photos on Weibo. For some makeup or skincare product, I would prefer to see them on videos.” –Keije. Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU and The Meet Group: www.parklu.com www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information head over to - www.chinainfluencermarketing.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Articles Discussed: The most recent edition of The China Influencer Update newsletter Article about Fan Bingbing’s Comeback: 道歉100天后，范冰冰正式复出：究竟是谁让她东山再起？ Parklu’s report analyzing the effects of the scandal How Influencers Calculate Their Fees: 小红书的算法千人千面，你一个小博主的报价都整出算法了
Today we’re discussing a different side of live streaming, and that how live streaming is being used by the entertainment industry to augment TV shows, market movies, take people backstage at events, and help celebrities grow their audiences. My guest is Roberto Quinn, who is a social producer out in Hollywood. It is his job to help entertainment companies and celebrities plan and produce their social strategies, and that often includes live streaming. Roberto and I talk about the growing trend of what is called the second screen experience and why live streaming in being used more and more in Hollywood. We also discuss: What makes a good live streaming show – is it the equipment? The talent? The content? How to select talent; what to look for The role of a social producer Why many shows are missing out by pre-taping behind the scenes or sit-down shows with the cast (hint: live streaming adds a sense of urgency) The ways producers can get viewers involved in the show The important of addressing viewers more informally Key Quotes: “Viewer interaction should be a core part of a live streaming show, not an afterthought” “Shows don’t need to be overly produced, but even if they’re done with a cell phone and a selfie-stick, it’s important that they still have a bit of structure and provide clear value to the audience.” “Don’t belittle the audience. These days there’s no added value in simply slapping a viewer’s Twitter handle and a comment up on the screen and not acknowledge or interacting with it. Integrating the viewer at home is essential. Allow viewers to actually shape the contents of the show.” Mentioned in the Episode: The Talking Dead Integration Tools: Tagboard Megaphone Second screen experience is a growing trend Guest: Roberto Quinn Instagram @robertoquinn Website: http://www.quinnsocial.com/ Email: roberto@quinnsocial.com Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guest today are not necessarily those of The Meet Group. Today’s discussion also includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. More information is contained in our SEC filings. We caution you against placing undue reliance on these statements and disclaim any intent or obligation to update them.
Though its growth has cooled down a bit, short video app Douyin is still one of the most popular social media platforms in China. Today I have on another Douyin content creator Brian O’Shea, who you might know by his account name Tastebuds or his nickname Dumpling Brother. Brian is one of those crazy Douyin success stories, garnering 5 million followers in a little over 6 months. His success is a true testament to the power of niching down. Besides hearing his amazing story, we also talk about: The problem with being pigeonholed into one type of content Has Douyin plateaued? Why Douyin Challenges have backfired and caused viewers to become bored Why Douyin influencers feel pressured to join multi-channel networks (MCNs) The mysterious Douyin homepage algorithm and getting your content seen Douyin’s strict content moderation Creating sponsored posts for brands Guest: Brian O’Shea Douyin account Email: brian.oshea029@outlook.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: CIM Episode 026: From Zero to 350K Followers in Several Months – Why Douyin is This Year’s Biggest Opportunity with Top F&B Influencer Antoine Bunel CIM Episode 018: Douyin 101: Everything Brands Need to Know About China’s Hottest New Social Media Platform with Fabian Bern of Uplab Asia Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast, please take a moment to rate and review us on iTunes!
This episode is the first of a new bi-weekly series I’m trying out where my assistant and I will talk about a couple articles that have been featured in the China Influencer Update newsletter and discuss them in a bit more depth. My assistant, Kejie Yi, is a Chinese journalism student. She loves Chinese social media and influencers and previously interned with the infamous Chinese fashion blogger Becky Li. I know many of you want to know more about young Chinese consumers so hopefully Kejie can provide some insight since she is one herself! In this episode we discuss two articles, the first is an article on WeChat stories and the impact they may have on WeChat Official Accounts, and the second is Newrank’s 19 Digital marketing predictions for 2019. Guest: Kejie Yi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kejieyi/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: h1212118514 Get your copy of my Amazon bestseller “Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs” Mentioned in the Episode: Subscribe to The China Influencer Update newsletter Is WeChat Stories a chance for fashion influencers to disrupt the stagnant ecosystem? 深度|“微信stories”浮出水面，国内时尚博主会重新洗牌吗？ Newrank’s 19 Digital Marketing Predictions for 2019 2019新媒体趋势预测：竖屏为王，泡沫尽去 Vertical TV: Douyin account 七舅脑爷 OMO Yitiao 一条 A case study of super social commerce WeChat account – Yitiao Rishiji 日食记 Private traffic Mimeng （咪蒙） Yuxiaoge Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Today, we’re once again looking at live streaming from the product development perspective, going behind the scenes of Battles, a new feature that recently launched on the MeetMe app. I have on Jeremy Zorn, Head of Product at The Meet Group US, to share with us what are Battles, why did The Meet Group decide to add this feature to the MeetMe app, how has The Meet Group modified Battles to suit its audience, and how will the feature impact both streamers and viewers. Jeremy also gives some tips for streamers who want to get the most out of the battles feature. Download the MeetMe app to see the Battles feature in action, and stay tuned for next week’s Medium post where we go deeper into the history of the feature, showing how its been used in China and the way battles (or PK as they call it) has developed on platforms such as Inke, MOMO, and YY.
Yihan Yu shares her experience working in-house for a brand running their China influencer marketing campaigns. We dive deep into this experience and she shares some amazing perspectives and takeaways that I know you’ll find useful, particularly if you’re relatively new to the China market. We also discuss China influencer marketing best practices such as how she finds and evaluates KOLs, the importance of developing relationships with them, and the benefit of taking a chance on a KOL early on in their career. She also shares some of the most common questions or misperceptions her clients have about influencer marketing in China. Guest: Yihan Yu Email: yu.yihan@yahoo.com Xiaohongshu Account: Yihan Instagram: Yihan_Yu Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: h1212118514 Sign Up for The China Influencer Update newsletter! Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode Miro Li and I discuss our recently published guide to the social commerce platform Xiaohongshu or RED. While tons of people have grabbed the report, we know a lot of you are busy and probably haven’t had time to actually sit down and read it cover to cover so we wanted to create an episode where we go through the report and highlight key points. And even if you have read it, I suggest you still listen to the podcast because you might learn something new that you missed. If you don’t yet have a copy of the report, you can grab one from the link below. I predict that Xiaohongshu will be one of the most influential Chinese social media platforms in 2019 so I strongly suggest you start learning about it now! Guest: Miro Li Website: https://www.doublevconsulting.com/ Email: miro.li@doublevconsulting.com WeChat ID: miro509 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Download Your Guide to Xiaohongshu CIM Episode 027: Xiaohongshu 101 with Elaine Wong of Double V. Consulting CIM Episode 034: What Brands Need to Know About Working with Influencers on Xiaohongshu with Influencer Claire Jiang Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode McKenzi Troyano and Anthony Lario, two of our talent specialists at The Meet Group, share tips, tactics and mindset shifts specifically for Youtubers and other content creators who would like to start live streaming. Of course, current live streamers are sure to find their suggestions helpful as well. Some of the things we talk about include: What does it feel like to live stream for the first time? The difference between live streaming on Youtube, Facebook Live and Instagram Live vs. a pure live streaming platform Why developing your emotional intelligence can help you become a top streamer Why you need to stop overthinking and just be yourself
Are Youtubers good live streamers? While your gut reaction might be yes, It turns out that oftentimes when Youtubers go on live streaming platforms, they just don't perform as well as pure, homegrown live streaming talent. So why is that? And why would Youtubers be interested in live streaming in the first place? To answer those questions and many more, I invited Keven Gungor, program manager at The Meet Group to join me for this week’s episode. As a program manager Keven is essentially a talent manager working with our top live streaming talent on a daily basis. Prior to joining The Meet Group, Keven worked for another large live streaming platform where he often dealt with talent recruited from Youtube, so he has a first hand perspective on the topic we're discussing today. We cover: - How creating content for Youtube is different than live streaming and the different skill sets they require - Examples of mistakes the Youtubers frequently make when they try to live stream - Why Youtubers should consider live streaming and tips for those who want to start If you have any questions for Keven, feel free to reach out to him on Instagram @villagekev
In this episode I spoke with Claire Jiang about one of the hottest topics of 2018, the social media platform Xiaohongshu. Claire is an influencer on Xiaohongshu with over 80,000 followers. She has been actively posting on the platform since late 2016 so she has a deep understanding of the platform culture, the best types of content, and she particularly had some great insights on user behavior. Some of the topics we discussed include: why she chose Xiaohongshu over other social media platforms Xiaohongshu’s stringent rules for sponsored posts and how she deals with them How Xiaohongshu has grown and changed this year What brands need to consider if they’re going to work with influencers on Xiaohongshu, specifically when it comes to product seeding, content, and sales results Guest: Xiaohongshu Account: @姜面条儿 Email: noodlenoodle007@gmail.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Mentioned in the episode: Sign up to be notified about my new book! Chart with Xiaohongshu influencer sizes and prices Additional resources: CIM Episode 027: Xiaohongshu 101 with Elaine Wong of Double V. Consulting Redbook Is a Vital Part of Any Beauty Brand’s Marketing Mix 3 Things I’ve Learned Building a Xiaohongshu KOL Account Search Engine Optimization in China Utilizing a KOL Strategy The Little Red Book is a social e-commerce platform that’s not an e-commerce platform at all Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode I had Michael Norris back on the podcast to discuss his latest report on China’s short video industry titled “China’s Short Video Landscape: What You Need To Know Before 2019 with Michael Norris”. For those unfamiliar with Michael, he is a Consumer Research Manager at Resonance China. In this episode we go over the report and dig into a bit more of the details. Some of the questions I ask Michael include: What is the future of Weishi? Will Douyin fizzle out next year? What are some major myths that keep circulating about Douyin? Which industries are best suited for short video? What does it take to have a viral video? Is it worth it to open an official brand account on a short video platform or is it better to spend that budget to collaborate with influencers? What are the key times to publish content on these newer short video platforms? (hint: with their algorithms the answer might not be what you think) Guest: Michael Norris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohnnorris/ Mini-program: 消费趋势指南 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Medium: www.themeetgroup.com/blog WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Report Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ggng9hyxl1ss4h/Short_Video_What_You_Need_To_Know_Report_FINAL%20COPY%20FOR%20RELEASE.pdf?dl=0 Report Baidu link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1yb_fUJUfptgyEKGEdkDpgA Michael Norris’ previous episodes: http://www.chinainfluencermarketing.com/2018/08/cim029/ http://www.chinainfluencermarketing.com/2018/08/cim030/ Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Our guests today are McDavid Stoddard, Director of Merchant Partnerships and Yi Li, Marketing Director from the cross-border e-commerce platform Beyond别样. Beyond hasn’t been discussed much in Western media, but they are definitely worth paying attention to! They have 1M MAU are working with some big names such as Alexander Wang, Lord & Taylor, Everlane, Harrods and many other brands. In the first half of the episode we discuss their unique business model and the pain points it solves for Chinese consumers. Then in the second half of the interview we learn about their marketing and content creation. Part of Beyond’s unique selling proposition is that they have an in-house content creation team that publishes daily original content on the app, sharing new products, styling tips, and educating consumers about the brands they work with. According to Beyond, the average user spends 25 minutes each day browsing their content. In addition to creating their own content, the team also helps brands partner with Chinese influencers on a variety of platforms including Weibo, WeChat, and Bilibili. Yi relays her experiences with influencer marketing and at the very end of the podcast she shares some really interesting thoughts regarding the growing trend of celebrities making influencer-like content and whether it’s better to work with celebrities or influencers. Guests: McDavid Stoddard, Director, Merchant Partnerships Yi Li, Marketing Director Border X Lab website Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Medium: www.themeetgroup.com/blog WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: The Cross-border App Modernizing ‘Daigou’ for Chinese Shoppers Four Cross-Border E-Commerce Platforms Luxury Brands Should Consider Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Geoff Cook, the CEO of The Meet Group, chats with us about The Meet Group and how it’s becoming a key player in the Western live streaming industry. In the interview, Geoff shares with us: -Why The Meet Group got into live streaming -Why he feels it is important to pay attention to live streaming trends in China -How The Meet Group got the nickname the “MOMO of the West” and what that means -The advantage of the dating/social networking + live streaming model vs. the traditional pure-play live streaming model -The future of the live streaming industry in the West If you’d like to learn more about the topic of today’s interview, check out the article: “MOMO of the West" (https://medium.com/themeetgroup/momo-of-the-west-9abd688145ed) and to stay on top of global live streaming trends, follow our Medium blog: https://medium.com/themeetgroup
Streamer Series interview with Will Smith. Today we chat with a popular streamer who goes by the username Will Smith. Will is one of only 2 streamers who’s successfully maintained a Top Streamer badge across three of The Meet Group’s apps, MeetMe, Skout, and Tagged. In our interview, Will candidly shares his tips and tricks and gives advice on how others can become top streamers too. Some of the highlights include: -How he incentivizes viewers to give him virtual gifts -What he does to get more viewers -What does #litfam mean and how has it contributed to his streaming success -Why it's important for streamers to develop genuine relationships with their top gifters and how he does that -How live streaming has benefitted his career and other areas of his life Will is a ball of positive energy who truly loves connecting with people, and he seems to have found his perfect medium with live streaming. If you would like to learn even more about the live streaming industry, check out our blog at themeetgroup.com/blog.
This week’s guest is Joel Backaler a global marketing strategist, author, and international keynote speaker. He is a Managing Director at Frontier Strategy Group, a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations and the award-winning author of "China Goes West." His work has been featured in Forbes, BBC, and The Financial Times, and he just launched his second book with Palgrave Macmillan, titled "Digital Influence: Unleash the Power of Influencer Marketing to Accelerate Your Global Business". During the episode we dive deep into his new book and discuss global influencer marketing trends as a whole, as well as some China-specific trends, and Joel shares several case studies and key concepts from the book. Guest: Website: https://www.joelbackaler.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbackaler Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Medium: https://medium.com/@laurenhallanan WeChat ID: H1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Joel’s newest book: Digital Influence: Unleash the Power of Influencer Marketing to Accelerate Your Global Business https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Influence-Influencer-Marketing-Accelerate/dp/3319783955/ Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Every company wants to increase user engagement. But for a company like Meet Group, it was a life-or-death need. It runs four free dating apps (Meet Me, Skout, Tagged, and hi5), and relies largely on advertising -- which means when user engagement was down, ad dollars were down too. To fix this, cofounder Catherine Cook Connelly radically rethought how users engage in the apps. Now revenue is up, users are using the apps for longer, and matches are being made with... live video!?
Meet the new kids on the block. Group 4 will begin recording soon and will debut in the feed as soon as we hit their goal on Patreon. Group 4:KiraColinSarah-BethLa'RonValerieLisa Send us an email at DandRpodcast@gmail.comVisit DandRpodcast.com for more info.You can help support us on Patreon and help unlock awesome stuff for the whole community. www.patreon.com/dandr A special thanks to our Patrons:Nathaniel MyersBlake WestonAlex HardinRyan ButlerMike RokoshRobert EdquistMaggie McCannLisa KanoyJennifer GatlinBrian SmithJacob CarneyDaniel GiffordDaniel SegalJames BellJosh MathieuCody BokerJacob FieldKaren HuesmanRaymond Yu
Meet the new kids on the block. Group 4 will begin recording soon and will debut in the feed as soon as we hit their goal on Patreon. Group 4:KiraColinSarah-BethLa'RonValerieLisa Send us an email at DandRpodcast@gmail.comVisit DandRpodcast.com for more info.You can help support us on Patreon and help unlock awesome stuff for the whole community. www.patreon.com/dandr A special thanks to our Patrons:Nathaniel MyersBlake WestonAlex HardinRyan ButlerMike RokoshRobert EdquistMaggie McCannLisa KanoyJennifer GatlinBrian SmithJacob CarneyDaniel GiffordDaniel SegalJames BellJosh MathieuCody BokerJacob FieldKaren HuesmanRaymond Yu
SURPRISE! Meet the group that we said would never be.
SURPRISE! Meet the group that we said would never be.
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