Is launching a dating app with no big budget even possible? In this episode, Jesse Hayward shares his raw, unfiltered journey of building a dating app startup driven by network effects. From getting banned on Tinder to creating his own platform and learning marketing the hard way, Jesse opens up about guerrilla tactics, early mistakes with agencies, and what really moves the needle in local user growth. If you're a startup founder navigating matchmaking apps or any platform that requires both sides of the market, this conversation is packed with gold.

📌 Learn how to grow in local markets 📌 Guerrilla marketing hacks for small teams 📌 Why most agencies won’t help early-stage founders 📌 How Jesse got 40% of users from one unexpected hack

🔗 Connect with Jesse & the Hookd app below.

https://hookd.app/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesserhayward/

#StartupJourney #NetworkEffect #DatingAppStartup #GuerrillaMarketing #BootstrappedFounder

We are online:

➧ Website - https://masterful.info

➧ Podcast - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/masterful-info

➧ LinkedIn of Will (Host) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilhelmlaubach ➧ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/masterful.info

➧ Email - wl.interwebs@gmail.com

00:00 Introduction to Network Effect in Startups

00:44 Challenges in Building a Dating App

02:24 Importance of Local Focus and Marketing

05:04 From Idea to Launch

07:34 Initial Launch and Unexpected Hurdles

09:02 Learning from Marketing Mistakes

12:24 Exploring Effective Marketing Strategies

24:51 Balancing Campaigns Organic vs Paid Strategies

25:51 Creative Tactics for Organic Reach

28:18 Guerrilla Marketing Success Stories

34:27 Advice for Startup Founders

37:30 The Role of Agencies in Startup Marketing

39:41 Learning and Adapting in Marketing

48:29 Connecting with the Audience