Whitney Wolf Herd

The most important. That's why there's only a handful of dating apps that have ever survived. I mean, at least during my time doing this, which is almost a decade now. But what's interesting is there's such a... Not to say only I could do this or only somebody else could do this, but there was a superpower in the timing of it all because I had just graduated. And I knew all of these people. So...

The most important. That's why there's only a handful of dating apps that have ever survived. I mean, at least during my time doing this, which is almost a decade now. But what's interesting is there's such a... Not to say only I could do this or only somebody else could do this, but there was a superpower in the timing of it all because I had just graduated. And I knew all of these people. So...

If some random startup founder knocks on a sorority door, the police are coming. You know, like you can't do that. So I felt like I had this insider hook, right? Because I was technically an extension of that by proxy because I had just been on the college campus. And I took the photo of one of my guy friends back then who was, you know, all the young women had mega crush on on him.

If some random startup founder knocks on a sorority door, the police are coming. You know, like you can't do that. So I felt like I had this insider hook, right? Because I was technically an extension of that by proxy because I had just been on the college campus. And I took the photo of one of my guy friends back then who was, you know, all the young women had mega crush on on him.

And then I took the photo of my best friend, Danielle, who was very well liked on campus. And I went into Danny's journalism class. because she was still a student. And I basically snuck into her journalism class and used Photoshop. And I took the Tinder screens and I put the guy's face on one and her face on the other. And I said, find out who likes you on campus.

And then I took the photo of my best friend, Danielle, who was very well liked on campus. And I went into Danny's journalism class. because she was still a student. And I basically snuck into her journalism class and used Photoshop. And I took the Tinder screens and I put the guy's face on one and her face on the other. And I said, find out who likes you on campus.

And then I saved it to a file because this is the olden days at this point. And I went to FedEx, which is like the office supply store across the street. And I printed a thousand copies.

And then I saved it to a file because this is the olden days at this point. And I went to FedEx, which is like the office supply store across the street. And I printed a thousand copies.

And I quite literally handed different students on campus $20 to go distribute them under dorm doors and to put them on windshields and to put them, you know, in their different social clubs and to essentially distribute these flyers everywhere. So this entire campus and now in hindsight, it's probably not great. It's littering. There's all sorts of bad things involved with it.

And I quite literally handed different students on campus $20 to go distribute them under dorm doors and to put them on windshields and to put them, you know, in their different social clubs and to essentially distribute these flyers everywhere. So this entire campus and now in hindsight, it's probably not great. It's littering. There's all sorts of bad things involved with it.

But like, I'm just telling you a story. So yeah. Yeah, basically that was just one of the tactics I used to go and put it all over campus. And then I had a few t-shirts printed up that said, don't ask for my number, find me on Tinder. And I had my girlfriends wear the t-shirts and we went to the bar. And so I gave them a couple hundred bucks. And they would go around and buy drinks.

But like, I'm just telling you a story. So yeah. Yeah, basically that was just one of the tactics I used to go and put it all over campus. And then I had a few t-shirts printed up that said, don't ask for my number, find me on Tinder. And I had my girlfriends wear the t-shirts and we went to the bar. And so I gave them a couple hundred bucks. And they would go around and buy drinks.

And then when people would ask for their number, they'd essentially say you have to download Tinder. So it was a lot of these tiny hacking concepts that made no sense. No one had ever done these things before. I had no playbook. It wasn't like I was reading some manual to marketing. It was just what felt right. It was just bringing the real life dating experience to life through an app marketing.

And then when people would ask for their number, they'd essentially say you have to download Tinder. So it was a lot of these tiny hacking concepts that made no sense. No one had ever done these things before. I had no playbook. It wasn't like I was reading some manual to marketing. It was just what felt right. It was just bringing the real life dating experience to life through an app marketing.

There's like so many important messages of marketing there. I mean, the first one that you said was that you were the customer. You were so close to the customer that you understood them. I mean, even you said about how if another startup had come and knocked on the sorority, well, they wouldn't have even known which door to knock on for a start. That's true.

There's like so many important messages of marketing there. I mean, the first one that you said was that you were the customer. You were so close to the customer that you understood them. I mean, even you said about how if another startup had come and knocked on the sorority, well, they wouldn't have even known which door to knock on for a start. That's true.

They would have knocked on the wrong door, got the wrong people. And they wouldn't have understood those people, their motivation. So like really you being the customer, I think is such a key thing. And then the second thing you said about like if I'd read a marketing book and you were kind of just doing it based on intuition.

They would have knocked on the wrong door, got the wrong people. And they wouldn't have understood those people, their motivation. So like really you being the customer, I think is such a key thing. And then the second thing you said about like if I'd read a marketing book and you were kind of just doing it based on intuition.

I've seen over and over again from speaking to really successful CEOs and founders how important naivety was, like not knowing.

I've seen over and over again from speaking to really successful CEOs and founders how important naivety was, like not knowing.