Growth Teardown: Telegram

Growth Teardown: Telegram

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We’re delighted you could join us!

We’ve started digging into apps to review their growth

Telegram is a big messaging app, so we’ll start there

If you like this, email [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Who finds the app this way? If you heard from a friend or a

press hit.

Let’s find Telegram in the app store.

Normally Apple search is low quality. Telegram is big

enough to show up.

Normally Apple search is low quality. Telegram is big

enough to show up.

O_o

The right app is at the top.

4.5 stars, looks good.

110 reviews seems low for their scale, but that’s just

for this version.

The start screen, “the world’s fastest messaging app. It is free and secure” with a “Start Messaging”

clear call to action.

2nd: to the full list of contacts, which is more colorful than my native

messaging app.

2nd: to the full list of contacts, which is more colorful than my native

messaging app.

BOOOOORRING

How big is the app? This is really important for

international. Check for yourself in Settings >

General > Storage

28MB download is small

Compare: WhatsApp 64MB SnapChat 72MB

FB Messenger 77MB

Small means downloads faster and uses less of a

data plan

Clear call to action

Welcome screen, repeated messaging from

the app install page.



One of these scrolling intros, but you can skip it

anytime.



One of these scrolling intros, but you can skip it

anytime.

My guess: 70% of users click “Start Messaging”

right away

Nice animation and swipe action.

Again, focus on value and not technical jargon or

numbers.

Free, no ads, or subscription fees.

As a user, I’m worried about their business, but most humans love free

too much to think.

Related to Whatsapp going free? I wonder if their metrics showed

Telegram catching up?

Again, no jargon or numbers. Just focus on

the positive value for the user

Secure: No jargon or explanation, just fear of

Hackers

Secure: No jargon or explanation, just fear of

Hackers

Other apps say “Bank level” or “military grade”

security

bullshit, but effective

Cloud: Jargon! And the pedant in me makes me think this is at odds with

“secure”


“secure”

Problem here: this is the last slide, and you can’t

swipe right.


“secure”

Problem here: this is the last slide, and you can’t

swipe right.

Why not just execute the call to action if the user

does swipe right?

Phone based auth. This flow should be getting

familiar to users.


familiar to users.

Why not make it Apple ID email and phone

number?

Hey Apple, it’s crazy iOS has no permissions to tell

the app who I am securely.


familiar to users.

Hey Apple, it’s crazy iOS has no permissions to tell

the app who I am securely.

Why not make it Apple ID email and phone

number?

because apple chokes on services

Waiting for the phone code

Got it, type it in

What about this “call you”. I’m not sure, maybe a way

of helping people that miss this?

You want to be able to type in the code while the notification is still visible

Otherwise, user needs to toggle apps, which is advanced for people

Your Info: Lots missing here. Typing is a schlep.

Facebook connect could help, but that might not fit

their audience

“Add photo” is a call to action, but it doesn’t look like a button. Flat design means such actions lack

“affordances”.

Translation: “fuck the users”

Later, seeing a friend’s profile pic makes this

correctable. Maybe better to not unburden this flow

Later, seeing a friend’s profile pic makes this

correctable. Maybe better to not unburden this flow

I actually found a bug here: clicking the add photo didn’t trigger

opening the camera roll

¯\_( )_/¯

Insta-request at this point. No priming before the

request.

Insta-request at this point. No priming before the

request.

Just asking might be the best conversion rate

I’m not sure, test it and see.™

Another insta-request, but for contacts. For a

messaging app, it might be more reasonable

Another insta-request, but for contacts. For a

messaging app, it might be more reasonable

Test combining value with request

“Want to get messages fast? Turn on push”

“Send a message to friends? Tell us your

friends.”

So I just land here to crickets?


If I have no chats yet, why am I looking at my chats?


If I have no chats yet, why am I looking at my chats?

The text even tells me to GTFO

Clicked “edit”, also can’t do a thing

Try New Message

Now we’re getting somewhere. Lots of

interesting actions to take here

“Secret Chat” seems too complicated for a new

user. “New Channel” too

What about the rest?

Here are friends but only people already on the app

sorry

Let’s try to find all our friends


Looking good, scrolling…



Here they are!



Here they are!

🍕💑

This is where YesGraph can help.

🍕💑

What if your best friends were added here? Users would be more likely to invite close connections.

This is where YesGraph can help.

🍕💑

What if your best friends were added here? Users would be more likely to invite close connections.

This increases virality and increases the inviter’s

retention.

We recommend which users to invite using

machine learning

YesGraph’s SDK

Search for a contact, my wife.

Duplicates in my contacts (yesgraph helps here too)

Search for a contact, my wife.

Duplicates in my contacts (yesgraph helps here too)

And there is no profile pic.

Really highlights how unclickable these entries are. You need better in a

contact list.

By the way, how would your app compare? Email [email protected] to find out

how to grow faster.

TEAR DOWN THIS APP

mailto:[email protected]?subject=

Let’s compose a message

Hey Paul!

Reasonable empty state. says nothing here, but

clear action to take: start writing

Says “nothing here”, but clear action to take:

“start writing”

Reasonable empty state. says nothing here, but

clear action to take: start writing

Says “nothing here”, but clear action to take:

“start writing”

What does this do?

As expected, add a photo

Add a photo, love it.

Location & Contact aren’t as obvious from the 🖇

This is a general problem with mobile design:

how to surface powerful features without cluttering

a small interface

Some time later…

Some time later…

STICKERS!!!

Let’s find another contact to message.


Search “Martin”


Search “Martin”

Nothing

search in “Contacts” search in “New Message”

This is weird. If I search in “My Contacts”, it’s fine

Now from here is now I can invite one of these contacts.

Click “Invite to Telegram”

Now I’m composing a new message.

Check out this invite link

They aren’t tracking anything


They have no idea I invited



They don’t know the invite channel




They don’t where in the app got me to invite





They can’t customize the onboarding for the invitee





They can’t customize the onboarding for the invitee

Their attribution metrics are far more challenging

I love the copy though!

Assumes there was a previous conversation.

“Let’s bounce, fuck iMessage”

Martin the invitee is sent straight to the app store.

But after Martin’s onboarding… nothing

But after Martin’s onboarding… nothing

What about the inviter?

I thought we’d “switch to Telegram”? When will that

promise deliver?

I get a message from Martin

Confusingly, the message is “Another message”

I get a message from Martin

Confusingly, the message is “Another message”

This push notification pulls me back into the app

Build a habit to return to Telegram as the basis of

messaging.

Let’s talk Growth Model

Messaging apps have a known pattern.

Messaging apps have a known pattern.

Message a User

User is re-engagedUser sends more messages

Acquisition == Reengagement

Message a User

Engagement

More messages

New User InviteExisting User

Acquisition

This is why the breaks in the flow matter


Weak prompts to send


Can’t find friends





Don’t track invites




Don’t track invites

No customization

Back to the flow

Back to the flow

Now we’re happy together in the app.

What else is there?

The settings page

The settings page

“If you want to find where product teams had a fight, look in the settings page”

The settings page

“If you want to find where product teams had a fight, look in the settings page”

What’s up with my username? Missing?

Maybe they removed the need for one?

Luckily, my weird name is *always* available

Luckily, my weird name is *always* available

Some large networks like Twitter have had trouble because new users are

blocked on onboarding just because they can’t find a

username

But what does this link do?

That wasn’t obvious.

This is another opportunity for sharing, but this is weak.

Back to these mysterious options

What is a “New Channel”?

Broadcasting?

But who is it for? Companies? Celebs?

Join YesGraph on Telegram?

¯\_( )_/¯

Hard to model without some substantial examples.

Clicking the link, triggers this share sheet

Clicking the link, triggers this share sheet

So they have user SMS invites, copy-username on

click, and a native share sheet here.

They could all use the same sharing mechanism because they all involve sharing links.

Thanks for reading!

Want us to help your app grow with a tear-down? Email [email protected]

Find more teardowns on http://blog.yesgraph.com/

mailto:[email protected]

http://blog.yesgraph.com/

Growth Teardown: Telegram

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Transcript of Growth Teardown: Telegram