How Does Sweatcoin Work & Make Money? Metrics-driven product development is hard. These two seemingly unrelated topics actually have a common thread - the challenges and complexities of running a successful business in the digital age.

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Hatched by Glasp

Sep 19, 2023

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How Does Sweatcoin Work & Make Money? Metrics-driven product development is hard. These two seemingly unrelated topics actually have a common thread - the challenges and complexities of running a successful business in the digital age.

Sweatcoin, a popular fitness app, has managed to raise a significant amount of funding through strategic partnerships and clever monetization tactics. The company has raised $5.7 million in a seed round led by Goodwater Capital, with participation from other prominent investors. This initial funding has allowed Sweatcoin to establish itself in the market and continue to grow its user base.

One of the ways Sweatcoin makes money is through its unique business strategy. The app limits the number of coins that users can earn per day and charges a fee if they want to upgrade their earning potential. This strategy creates a sense of exclusivity and scarcity, making the marathon offers more desirable to users. By limiting the number of people who can participate in these offers, Sweatcoin creates a sense of urgency and increases demand.

The actual way Sweatcoin generates revenue is through the use of these coins. Users can either use their Sweatcoins to buy daily offers, discounts, or trials from partner companies, or they can save up a substantial amount of coins to purchase actual products like iPhones or TVs. The partner-offer strategy is similar to Groupon's business model, where brands pay Sweatcoin to be featured on the app and provide exclusive offers to its users. This creates a win-win situation for both Sweatcoin and its partner brands.

In addition to the commission and fees from featuring partner brands, Sweatcoin also generates revenue through in-app advertisements. However, there is a downside to this revenue stream - the app tends to drain battery life due to continuous GPS tracking. This is an example of the trade-offs companies have to make to monetize their products effectively. While in-app advertisements can be profitable, they can also result in negative user experiences, such as decreased battery life.

Now, let's shift our focus to metrics-driven product development. This approach to product development is both challenging and essential for long-term business success. However, teams often face two common pathologies - nearsightedness and farsightedness. Nearsighted teams focus on short-term optimizations that may not translate into long-term success, while farsighted teams monitor long-term metrics but struggle to see how their work impacts the metrics that matter.

"Good vision" in product development means making short-term bets that compound to create long-term business value. It requires finding the right balance between short-term and long-term orientation. The world's top companies excel in this regard and understand the importance of aligning metrics with business goals.

Lagging indicators, such as revenue and customer retention, are the KPIs that truly matter for a business. However, these metrics can often feel out of reach for product teams, as they are influenced by external factors. On the other hand, leading indicators, such as user actions during a session, can be influenced by the team's work but do not directly equate to business success.

To bridge the gap between leading and lagging indicators, teams need a North Star metric. This metric serves as a guidepost and helps teams understand how their work impacts the overall business goals. It allows them to form hypotheses on how their work will move input metrics and influence leading indicators, which in turn impact lagging indicators.

However, it's important to note that the relationship between work and metrics is not static. Assumptions can be wrong, correlations can change over time, and external factors can influence outcomes. Therefore, teams must continuously evaluate and adapt their strategies to ensure they are on the right track.

In conclusion, both Sweatcoin and metrics-driven product development highlight the complexities of running a successful business in today's digital landscape. Sweatcoin's monetization tactics and strategic partnerships demonstrate the importance of finding unique ways to generate revenue and create a sense of exclusivity for users. On the other hand, metrics-driven product development emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to measuring success and aligning metrics with business goals.

To navigate these challenges, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

  • 1. Find a balance between short-term and long-term goals. While it's important to focus on immediate optimizations, always keep an eye on the bigger picture and how your work contributes to long-term business success.
  • 2. Identify your North Star metric. This metric should align with your business goals and serve as a guidepost for your team's work. Continuously evaluate and adapt your strategies to ensure you are on track to achieve your desired outcomes.
  • 3. Embrace the dynamic nature of metrics-driven product development. Recognize that assumptions can be wrong, correlations can change, and external factors can influence outcomes. Be open to adjusting your strategies and hypotheses as needed to stay ahead of the curve.

By incorporating these principles into your business strategy, you can navigate the challenges of monetization and product development in the digital age more effectively. Remember, success is a journey, and it requires continuous evaluation, adaptation, and innovation.

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