How this dating assistant app is making 180K MRR by posting controversial text messages on TikTok.

Imagine you're a 16-year-old boy again, trying to pick up a girl by sliding into her DMs. You're hitting your head against the wall, trying to think of a smooth pickup line to message her. This is exactly the type of problem these indie hackers decided to exploit by building a ChatGPT wrapper. Now they're making over 180K a month by simply posting screenshots of chats on TikTok.

Here’s exactly how she did it (and how you can too)👇

Background 📓

TikTok is where @PlugAI has found the most success. With a total of 143.6K followers and 3.7M likes across all their videos, they have developed a simple but effective strategy to fuel their growth. Their bio is straightforward: “PICKUP LINES + RESPONSES 😈📲💦, 🔎 Search “PlugAI” on the iOS or Android store.” It's easy to understand and captivates curiosity.

Here are some of her most successful videos and how she did it:

🎬 He thinks he anonymous 😂: 3.5M Views, 540.6K Likes, 27.9K Shares

Hook: “He thinks he anonymous 😂”

Format: slide show + text messages

Why this video worked:.

• Controversial

• Evokes curiosity with hook

• High drama

• Organic, fees like an actually text message

🎬 He thinks he anonymous part 2: 1.2M Views, 140K Likes, 6K Shares

Hook: “Look familiar?”

Format: slide show + text messages

Why this video worked:.

• Ran back proven formula.

• Organic feel, text screenshots.

• Brand association w/ popular apps → Venmo, FB.

• Naturally inserts app demo as a screenshot

🎬 WTF IS YOUR PROBLEM: 1.6M Views, 100K Likes, 2.2K Shares

Hook: “WTF IS YOUR PROBLEM”

Format: slide show + text messages

Why this video worked:

• Hooks user with entertaining screenshots of messages.

• Entertaining story about son stepmom drama.

• Leaves user with a cliffhanger wanting more.

Key takeaways from PlugAI 💡

• Drama and controversy sells.

  Remember that most people go on TikTok for entertainment. If you can hook them in the first 3 seconds with something juicy you're golden.

• People like organic natural content.

  Everyone can recognize Apple's text message UI. It feels natural and organic.

• The slideshow format can work!

  This format works great if you have dense information to display or you want the user to take their time reading everything.

What you can replicate from this format 💰

• Create a made up drama story with slideshows.

  People like to read gossip and drama stories. The crazier the better.

• Run a series or part 2.

  Once you find a killer format there’s nothing wrong with riding that wave. No need to reinvent the wheel.

• Associate your app with other popular apps.

  Think of what other apps your target user would use.

That’s all I got for this one. If you have any other viral consumer products you want me to break down my DM’s are always open.

Cheers!

Nick 🤝