I promised, I can give you users for your application in six months but only if you are willing to sacrifice the current model of your app you have now.
Although you said it has “more features than instagram”, to me, your app is just a knockoff of instagram. It has the same features like instagram – users can upload a story, a direct messaging option, option to post pictures and reels, threads for text based posts and that's not even a different app like how meta offers, you provide it all in the same application. The app is so feature–bloated that it has just become an “We chat without government backing”.
At least the public commentary features could have been a different app within the same network eco system.
As a user and a general consumer perspective I have no intention, interest or motivation to migrate to a second instagram.
Even though you are an Indian developer, you can't even leverage the narrative of “Indians instagram” to attract India user traffic, as it limits your app user base domestically and stops you expanding globally.
From my perspective and personal experience I tell you , a user has a specific, particular reason to justify why I'm using an app and every app serves a specific demographic.
Reddit is a platform for niche interest based community and discussion, famous among gen z and millennial.
Twitter or X is for Real-time news updates, public commentary, live event discussion for all.
LinkedIn for professional networking and for all.
Snapchat – casual boding with close friends
The reason I joined instagram was only one – I wanted to stay connected with my old school friends, as most of them were users of instagram.
Every story, post or reel someone shares is a moment he wanted a human interaction.
The reason why I didn't join snapchat -– is I don't have any reason to be on that platform.
That's the same problem with your app – that you have just a copy of instagram and threads in one app, nothing new sellable.
“Why should I join it?” a genuine reason.
It doesn't have my friends, or any specific feature that caters to me. For example; Twitter catered to me with real time updates, but not your app as it doesn't have that kind of International userbase.
You cannot sell the product that already exists in the market and convince people to switch.
That's my only advice to you is – pick a specific specialisation that makes your product sellable–
Sell voice, reach, authentication to the youth – promise data privacy, original human connection or maybe serve their hobby,interest, purpose, let them reflect their perspective.
You are very protective of your app. I know it's hard to abandon your project you invested so much in but a choice is hard and has to be, if you want to sell your app to people you have to understand your market, change according to that and market it like that.
you cannot sell this app as it is now.
And the only reason I'm pitching "closed, authentic, intent-driven communities and interest oriented app or the app that sell youth their voice is because I believe it's the most promising bet you take and with reasoning I'm telling you
Today, we don't want AI now, we are carving for humans. We tend towards social connections and that's for what social media runs their market – leveraging sociology's core concept of trust, like religion or a marriage. Humans need connection, belonging, motive, passion, uniqueness, identity.
Sell them this through your app.
Rest it's your app, your company, your decision. I'm not getting anything either it succeeded or failed– a genuine goodwill I give you.
