Smitten
"An AI-powered erotic story generator for couples looking to spice up their relationship with personalized, fun romantic content."
Marketing Channels
Seasonal launch (Valentine's Day)
Launched during Valentine's Day weekend, leveraging the romantic occasion for initial attention
Donation model (initial)
Initially ran on donations before adding a paywall due to rising model costs
Hacker News
Shared project in side-project thread
Growth Levers
- Run targeted campaigns around romantic holidays (Valentine's Day, anniversaries, date nights) for seasonal spikes
- Market through couples-focused communities, relationship subreddits, and TikTok/Instagram reels
- Offer free trial stories to reduce paywall friction and demonstrate quality
- Create shareable (non-explicit) previews or teasers that encourage viral sharing between couples
- Explore partnerships with dating apps or relationship coaching platforms
First Customer Strategy
Built and launched during Valentine's Day weekend as a fun couples activity. Initially relied on a donation model to attract users with zero friction, then transitioned to a paywall as model costs increased. The seasonal timing and couples-focused positioning drove organic interest.
Pricing Insight
Transitioned from a donation-based model to a paywall due to rising AI model costs. Suggests the product needs to cover per-generation costs, making a pay-per-use or subscription model necessary.
Key Takeaways
- • Seasonal launches tied to relevant holidays can provide strong initial traction for consumer products
- • AI-generated content products must carefully manage model costs, often necessitating a transition from free to paid
- • Couples-focused products tap into a market where both partners can drive referrals
- • Side projects that require only a few hours per weekend can still generate meaningful engagement
- • Donation models rarely cover AI inference costs at scale -- paywalls become necessary
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