They said, “If you build it, they will come.” They lied. Pour your heart and soul into creating the most beautiful, user-engaging apps. Create content. Promote. Do everything you can, and still, you can’t fill the stadium. Why is virality so tough on mobile? How can we aim for virality ourselves?

1. From k-factor to emotion: What makes
an app go viral and how do you
measure virality?
Mada Seghete • Founder | Head of Growth
@mada299 • @branchmetrics

2. 1982 Newborn
2005 Engineer + Product
2012 Mobile App Designer +
Marketer
2014 Branch Founder
ABOUT ME
@mada299

3. Mobile Growth Community
New Country Expansion
Branch Platform Growth
Culture, branding and employee experience
WHAT I DO AT BRANCH

4. early 2013 Photobook printing app
June 2014 Branch started
Now:
● 140 people
● 25k apps
● 2.3B users deep linked
ABOUT BRANCH
@branchmetrics

5. Branch is the linking infrastructure for
the world’s best apps.

6. Let me tell you a story

7. After four months of development
10

8. Play Store and TechCrunch Feature
5,300

9. The trough of despair
400

10. Raised money & Facebook app installs
11,000

11. Paid install was ROI negative
700

12. We tried everything we could
200

13. And couldn’t figure it out
200

14. Our choices were limited

15. It’s an industry problem
The 1000th most popular app of all
time has 0.2% the adoption of the
1st.
And they shut down in 2015.
1st, Facebook
10th, Skype, 12%
1000th, Pixable, 0.2%

16. Awareness

17. How about organic?
Web SEO Organic Invites
and Sharing
Partnerships

18. Web SEO + Content

19. 1. Get users on the web
2. Convert them and retain
them in the app

20. Search content discovery flow
SEARCH FOR CONTENT

21. Search content discovery flow
SEARCH FOR CONTENT

22. Search content discovery flow
SEARCH FOR CONTENT DEEP LINKED CONTENT

23. Web SEO is much easier to achieve
than app SEO today

24. Why not just ASO?

25. “Deep linking from mobile web to app
with Branch was a game-changer for
us.”

26. What makes good content?

27. Humans crave the opportunity
to give advice and offer tips
Why advocate marketing works -
your best customers love to help
out, but especially if they offer
practical value.
@mada299
USEFULNESS

28. Users click and share because
something drives an emotion in them.
In general, positive emotions make
people share (the happier the post, the
more likely it is to be shared)
Negative emotions drive more clicks.
High arousing emotions drive more
shares @mada299
EMOTION

29. The 7 High-Arousal Emotions That
Make Your Content Contagious
EMOTION
@mada299
1. Awe 3. Anxiety2. Anger 4. Fear

30. The 7 High-Arousal Emotions That
Make Your Content Contagious
EMOTION
@mada299
5. Joy 6. Lust 7. Surprise

31. Social sharing improves your SEO!

32. Emotion: Acceptance and surprise
Title: 83 reasons why cats are the best pet. You won’t
believe number 45
Click rate: 5.1%
Share rate: 0.22%
Like rate: 0.14%
Emotion: Acceptance
Title: 83 Reasons why cats are
better than dogs
Click rate: 4.7%
Share rate: 0%
Like rate: 0.18%
Virality and cats
@mada299

33. Emotion: Anger
Title: 83 Reasons why you should not get a cat
Click rate: 5.4%
Share rate: 0%
Like rate: 0%
Emotion: Pride
Title: 83 reasons why you should
date a cat owner
Click rate: 2.4%
Share rate: 0%
Like rate: 0%
Virality and cats
@mada299

34. Branded links work
VS.
@mada299

35. PERSONALIZED WELCOMES
Welcome users with
rewards and context

36. CUSTOM ONBOARDING
Engage new users with custom welcome
78%
conversion to signup

37. Sharing + Virality

38. User A
engages in app
User A
shares app
User B
clicks on link
User B
downloads app
User B
engages in app
User B
shares app
Double viral loop
1
2
3
4
5
• @mada299
@mada299
Viral Loops

41. INCENTIVES
@mada299

42. Incentives
@mada299

43. Invite a friend to skip the line
Incentives
@mada299

44. 29%
Referral best practices
It’s better to get something than a discount on something.
Give an incentive
If you can only reward one, reward the new user.
Two-sided are best
Make it incredibly easy for users to share.
One-step sharing is best
People share when it makes them look good.
Appeal to ego
@mada299

45. EGO
@mada299

46. EGO
@mada299

47. EGO
@mada299

48. Key Partnerships
Instacart + Yummly

49. APP TO APP AFFILIATE ROUTING
Partner with adjacent businesses to drive mobile commerce

50. APP TO APP CONNECTIONS
Drive value with links that keep content
35%
one-week retention

51. SpotHero + Waze

52. Keeping and activating your users

53. Source: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Smartphone-Apps-Crushing-Mobile-Web-Time/1014498
19 minutes
per day
1.9 hours
per day

54. Source: https://www.internetretailer.com/2014/08/13/jackthreads-proves-deep-linking-e-mail-apps-boosts-sales
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/time-spent-mobile-browsing-vs-apps-2015-9
Apps convert 120% better than the mobile browser
App users are 2.5x as engaged as mobile web users

55. First experience = first date.
Make a good impression!

56. PERSONALIZED WELCOMES
Welcome users with
rewards and context

57. CUSTOM ONBOARDING
Engage new users with custom welcome

58. PERSONAL WELCOME WITH FRIEND’S PICTURE
Blackbox by Ryan McLeod // @warpling

59. FUN ONBOARDING
First-touch UX
Blackbox by Ryan McLeod // @warpling

60. TIP
56% of users reported that they have not signed up for an app or service because the registration process was
too time-consuming. As we mentioned earlier, an important question to ask is: Do we even need logins?
Dollarbird doesn't use a login or profile

62. Just Keep Building.
start today at branch.io
@mada299 @branchmetrics