David McIntosh, CEO & co-founder of Tenor GIF Keyboard, on growth framework & flywheel effect | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Tenor, the top gif sharing app, achieved 200 million daily searches and a billion daily gif views by focusing on the aha moment, speed, and compounding returns.

Key Insights

• 😃 Tenor's success is built on the aha moment, where users find and send the perfect gif that captures their thoughts or feelings.
• 👤 Speed plays a crucial role in user satisfaction and retention, both in terms of how fast gifs load and how quickly users can find the perfect one.
• ↩️ Incremental changes that result in compounding returns are more valuable than incremental improvements.
• 👨‍🔬 Search relevance is measured by the median session time in search, with shorter session times indicating higher relevance.
• ✊ Tenor's growth demonstrates the power of understanding and catering to user needs in a specific niche market.
• 👤 Optimizing for different countries' speed requirements is essential for global reach and user satisfaction.
• 👤 Retention is a key factor in user growth, as retained users are more likely to share the product with others.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did Tenor achieve 200 million daily searches in just two years?

Tenor's growth can be attributed to their focus on the aha moment, where users can find and send the perfect gif that communicates their thoughts or feelings. By providing a vast library of gifs and continually improving their search algorithms, they have become the go-to platform for gif sharing.

Q: How does speed play a role in Tenor's success?

Speed is essential for Tenor's users, both in terms of how fast the gifs load and how quickly they can find the perfect gif. If users have to spend too much time searching or waiting for gifs to load, they are less likely to share them. By optimizing speed, Tenor has improved user retention and overall growth.

Q: What are the compounding returns that Tenor focuses on?

Tenor understands that improving the key experience of finding and sending gifs has compounding returns. Even a small improvement, like speeding up the loading time of gifs, can lead to a substantial increase in retention and user growth. They aim for incremental changes that result in compounding returns rather than incremental improvements.

Q: How does Tenor ensure search relevance?

Tenor measures search relevance by tracking the median session time in search. The shorter the session time, the higher the search relevance. They continuously work on improving their search algorithms to deliver the highest possible relevance experience, ensuring users find the perfect gif quickly.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Tenor has grown from 0 to 200 million daily searches in just two years, becoming the top gif sharing app on mobile.

• The company focuses on the aha moment of sending the perfect gif that captures a thought or feeling.

• Speed is crucial for Tenor's success, both in terms of how fast the gifs load and how quickly users find the perfect gif.