From Gamers to Connectors: The Story of Medal and Its Founders' Vision
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders were motivated by the need for gamers to easily share their experiences and connect with friends, especially during times when physical gatherings were not possible. The insight that many gamers wanted to document and share their gameplay moments sparked the idea for Medal.Problem that their product solves
Medal solves the problem of sharing gaming experiences, which is important for gamers who want to connect with friends and build relationships through shared moments. The end users are gamers who seek to document and share their gameplay highlights with their social circles.Their unfair advantage
Medal's unfair advantage lies in its user-friendly interface and the ability to easily capture and share gaming moments, which sets it apart from other platforms that may not focus specifically on gaming content.Strategies
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
User-Centric Development
Pim Dewitt and his team at Metal focused on understanding user needs by engaging with their audience to identify pain points in capturing and sharing gaming moments. They discovered that existing recording tools were too complex and not user-friendly for casual gamers. As a result, they developed a simple solution that allowed users to easily capture 720p clips without the need for extensive editing or pre-recording, thus lowering the barrier to entry for sharing gaming experiences.
Initial Product Testing with Reddit and Discord Integration
Initially, Medal launched as a mobile app that aggregated top gaming clips from Reddit and allowed users to submit their own clips via a Discord bot. This approach helped in testing the market and understanding user preferences before fully developing the platform. Although the initial product did not retain users effectively, it provided valuable insights into the challenges of capturing and sharing short-form video content, which informed future iterations of the product.
Launch Stage
Community Engagement through Clips
During the launch of Metal, the team recognized the importance of community engagement. They encouraged users to share their clips not just for personal enjoyment but as a way to connect with friends. By integrating features that allowed users to tag friends and share clips in private channels, Metal fostered a sense of community among gamers, making it easier for them to share experiences and memories.
User-Generated Content Focus
Medal was designed to enable millions of gamers to capture and share their favorite gaming moments with friends. The platform allows users to easily record, edit, and share short video clips from their gaming experiences. This focus on user-generated content was crucial in attracting a large user base, especially during the COVID pandemic when gaming became a primary social activity for many. The platform's growth was significantly driven by the need for gamers to document and share their experiences, which resonated with the audience's desire for social interaction in a digital format.
Subscription-Based Monetization Model
Medal introduced a subscription model that allowed users to access premium features, such as longer video uploads and the ability to download videos without watermarks. This monetization strategy was launched in July 2022 and has shown consistent growth, with revenue increasing by 25-50% per month. The subscription model not only provided a steady revenue stream but also enhanced user engagement by offering additional value to subscribers.
Learn more about Medal
Tomorrow with Rovio Season 2 - Episode 3: Pim de Witte, CEO & Co-Founder at Medal.tv
