Outline
- Understand your product
- Define
- Create user segments
- Engagement
- Product hooks
- Engagement Campaigns
- Retention
- Understand and define
- Resurrection campaigns
The Product
With YouTube Music, you can listen to the latest hits, stay connected to artists you love, and discover new music to enjoy on all of your devices.
There are two versions of YouTube Music:
- YouTube Music with ads.
- The premium music service, YouTube Music Premium, which includes benefits like:
- Background play
- Music with no ads
- Audio-only mode
- With a YouTube Music Premium membership , you can listen to music without ads, enjoy background play, audio-only mode, and the ability to download and listen offline
Core Value Proposition
- Music Streaming - YouTube Music is a completely re-imagined app and desktop product with official albums, playlists, singles and more.
- Powerful Search - Let YouTube Music guide you through the world of music. Whether it’s an official track, cover, artist or video – find the music you can’t find anywhere else.
- Music Discovery - YouTube Music serves music based on your tastes, location, time of the day and what’s moving the community around you. Discover something new or keep up with what’s trending.
- For Paid Users - All the above plus, ads free, offline play, background play and only audio mode.
How do users currently experience that core value prop repeatedly?
Users experience this repeatedly because of consistent app behaviour like:
- Through consistent and continuous music streaming experience on the app or desktop
- Through smart and rich search results whether it’s an official track, cover, remixes, playlist, artist or video
- Personalised Home Page layout, with personalised mood playlists and radio recommendations.
- Through music discovery/auto suggestion/recommendation based on taste, trend, location, time of the day.
Engagement Framework - Frequency | Depth | Breadth
Framework | Key Tracking Metric | Selected | Rationale |
Frequency | No of times the app is being used to listen to music | NA | Users may prefer one long listening session vs multiple smaller sessions in day. The number of times someone uses the product doesn’t help them experience more of the core value prop |
Depth | Amount of time being spent on the product to listen to music | Primary | The more time they spend listening to music, the more they experience the core value prop. The more time they spend, the better customised are music suggestions/recommendations |
Breadth | The number of sub products/pro features being experienced by the user | Secondary | Exploring features/sub products may be a good engagement framework too. As it adds to the further experience of the core value proposition. |
Active Users and Frequency
Actions | Natural Frequency of Product | Rationale | User |
For Free Users | |||
User has listened/watched ≥15 songs | in ≤3 days | The more time they spend listening to music, the more they experience the core value prop. | Casual to Core |
Engagement with Search and Voice Search ≥15 times | in ≤5 days | Exploring search/voice search directly relates to time spent on the app and engagement | Casual to Core |
User has spent ≥5 mins per session | in ≤7 days | Exploring features/sub products may be a good engagement framework too. As it adds to the further experience of the core value proposition. | Casual to Core |
User has liked/disliked songs ≥10 times in recommendation | in ≤5 days | The more time they spend, the better customised are music suggestions/recommendations | Casual to Core |
User has added ≥30 songs to playlist/library | in ≤15 days | CRUD actions in playlists/library is an active user measure, the more they participate the more involved they are | Casual to Core |
ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ | ㅤ |
For Paid/Trial Users | |||
User has opted to subscribe post trial because fear of losing out the likes and playlists already created in trial period | ≥ 30 days | User conversion from trial period is a significant indicator of user’s intent to stay and use the service | Core to Power |
Renews subscription when trial expires | ≥ 30 days | Renewing subscription is a significant indicator of user’s intent to stay and use the service | Core to Power |
User has listen to ≤40 songs in background while screen is locked | ≤5 days | As only in premium mode you can enjoy background listening, such an action indicates active use of the app | Core to Power |
Use of Pro-features like creating Jukebox or Custom Music Tuner radio in the free trial | in ≤30 days | Use of such sub-features indicates towards the breadth framework, captures AHA moment and indicates active intent from somewhere to core and power user | Core to Power |
User Segmentation - User Type
Casual
Depth | Frequency | Breadth |
Listens to YT Music for <2hr a week | Once in 2-3 Days | Only uses it for music streaming and casual listening to radio |
<5 Use of Search over a week | <15 mins of active session per use | Never explored Curated Playlists or mood playlists |
<3 Creating & Managing of Playlist over a week | Freemium User subscribed to no Plan | |
<5 Liking/Disliking Songs over a week | ||
doesn’t mind listening to video songs within the app, without background play |
Core
Depth | Frequency | Breadth |
Listens to YT Music for >5 hours a week | Almost Everyday | Trial/Premium subscription to student or Individual plan |
>20 Use of Search over a week | >15mins of active session per use | Uses it to create playlists, play offline etc. |
>5 Creating & Managing of Playlist over a week | Uses the app to connect to smart devices and car | |
>20 Liking/Disliking Songs over a week | ||
Likes background play, while Working/Commuting/Studying etc |
Power
Depth | Frequency | Breadth |
Listens to YT Music for >12 hours a week | 3-5 times a day | Premium or family plan. |
>20 Use of Search over a week | >15mins of active session per use | Uses the app to connect to smart devices and car |
>5 Creating & Managing of Playlist over a week | uses pro features like tuner radio, collaborative jukebox etc. | |
>20 Liking/Disliking Songs over a week | ||
Likes background play while Working/Commuting/Studying etc |
User Segmentation - ICPs/Behavioral
ICP-1 | ICP-2 | |
ICP Name | Young Discoverer | Leisure Pursuer |
Age | 16-24 years | 28-35 years |
Gender | Any | Any |
Marital Status | Unmarried | Married |
Kids | None | DINK |
Occupation | Pursuing Graduation, Fresh from College, Trainee/Intern in New Age Startups | Mid-Level Managers in MNCs, Startups |
Location | Tier 1 Metros | Tier 1 Metros |
Lives with? | Parents/Friends/Flatmates | Rented House with Spouse |
Education Level | Still Pursuing or Graduates | Grads/Post Grads |
Income levels | 15000-45000 monthly | 120000-280000 monthly |
Tech Expertise | Moderate | Moderate |
Decision Maker | Self/Parent | Self/Spouse |
Risk Appetite | High- No resistance on trying new things in influence of friends | Moderate- No resistance on trying new things that makes more sense |
Most used apps | Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, Whatsapp, Youtube, Swiggy | Instagram, Zepto, Blinkit Whatsapp, Youtube, Uber, Zerodha |
How do they spend time? | Hanging out in cafes, Meet-ups, Ordering Food, Watching Videos, Recommending the next series/film/game, Cafe/Bar outing and Weekend trips | Shopping, Buying Groceries, Investing & Budgeting, Maintenance work, Diner-Outing, Weekend trips, consuming OTTs and Youtube |
What do they spend their money on? | Budget Food, Travel & Experiences, Grooming, Workout, Shopping, Smart devices and gadgets | Food, Travel & Experiences, Grooming, Shopping, Wellness, Maintenance, Smart Apps, Devices and Gadgets |
What kind of content do they consume | Popular Series or Film on OTTs, Live Gaming, Insta Reels, Online Courses | Popular Series or Film on OTTs, Insta Reels, General catchup with news and updating with Industry, how-tos through courses, videos and articles |
Affinity to spend on Productivity Apps | Medium | High |
Value vs Spent | Looking for maximum value in purchase, Convenience and accessibility over small money | Convenience and accessibility, Looking for more Wholesome Deal, One family One Plan, Bundled Services |
Subscribed to | Barter of most big OTT services like Netflix, Prime, Hotstar between friends and friends of friends | Most big OTT services like Netflix, Prime, Hotstar |
Frequency of purchase | Monthly (Student Plan) | Discounted Annual Subscription |
Which features do they use most | Creating and Playing personalised playlist for various moments/occasions, Saving/Liking Songs | Mostly Playing radio (auto-suggestion) on smart connected devices in home and car, Saving/Liking Songs |
how frequently do they use these features | Almost Daily | Often |
Willingness to pay | Moderate | High |
Problem statement | wants to focus, boost productivity, workout with music.
ability to create, share, collaborate and tune-In to what friends are listening | wants to relax, commute, energise with music |
User Segmentation - RFM
Here's a the data I will look to calculate Recency Frequency Monetary (RFM) Chart for YT music app:
Metric | Description |
User ID | Unique identifier for each user |
Last App Opened | Date and time of the user's most recent app open |
Days Since Last App Opened | Number of days that have elapsed since the user last opened the app |
Average Time Spent | Average time (in minutes) that the user spent in the app per session |
Number of Sessions | Number of times the user has opened the app during the 10-day period |
Primary Action Taken | The main action the user took while in the app (e.g., play a song, create a playlist) |
Total Number of Actions | Total number of actions taken by the user during the 10-day period |
Total Time Spent | Total time (in minutes) that the user spent in the app during the 10-day period |
This data can be used to calculate RFM scores, which can help the app identify its most valuable users and tailor its marketing and promotions accordingly.
For Free Users
User ID | Recency (Days Since Last App Opened) | Frequency (Number of App Opens in 10 Days) | Monetary (Average Time Spent per App Open) | Primary Action Taken |
001 | 2023-04-23 | 15 | 2 hours | Yes |
002 | 2023-04-22 | 3 | 30 minutes | No |
003 | 2023-04-23 | 7 | 1 hour | Yes |
004 | 2023-04-21 | 1 | 5 minutes | No |
005 | 2023-04-23 | 12 | 1.5 hours | No |
The table has five columns:
- User ID: This column lists the unique ID for each user of the app.
- Recency: This column shows the number of days since the user last opened the app.
- Frequency: This column shows how many times the user opened the app in the 10-day time period.
- Monetary: This column shows the average time spent by the user per app open during the 10-day time period.
- Primary Action Taken: This column shows the most common action taken by the user during the 10-day time period (e.g., play a song, create a playlist, search for an artist, etc.).
For Paid Users
User ID | Recency (Days Since Last App Opened) | Frequency (Number of App Opens in 10 Days) | Monetary (Plan Subscription) over 30, 60 days | Average Time Spent | Primary Action Taken |
001 | 2023-04-23 | 15 | 99, 198 | 2 hours | Yes |
002 | 2023-04-22 | 3 | 0, 149 | 30 minutes | No |
003 | 2023-04-23 | 7 | 59, 118 | 1 hour | Yes |
004 | 2023-04-21 | 1 | 0, 59 | 5 minutes | No |
005 | 2023-04-23 | 12 | 149, 298 | 1.5 hours | No |
The table has five columns:
- User ID: This column lists the unique ID for each user of the app.
- Recency: This column shows the number of days since the user last opened the app.
- Frequency: This column shows how many times the user opened the app in the 10-day time period.
- Monetary: This column shows the average amount spent by the user per subscription cycle during the D30, D60-days time period. Where the ‘0’ defines trial period.
- Average Time Spent: This column shows the average time spent by the user per app open during the 10-day time period.
- Primary Action Taken: This column shows the most common action taken by the user during the 10-day time period (e.g., play a song, create a playlist, search for an artist, etc.).
Engagement
- For Engagement target users who have a high recency value (i.e., those who have recently opened the app)
- Use personalised data on users with a high frequency value (i.e., those who open the app frequently) for recommendations
- Offer incentives/discounts, to users who have a high monetary value (i.e., those who spend more time on the app per session).
- Use personalised data on users with a low recency value (i.e., those who have not opened the app in a while) for deals
- Use data on users with a low frequency value (i.e., those who do not open the app frequently) to highlight/showcase new features
- Leverage social media channels to promote the app and encourage users to share their favorite music or playlists with their followers.
- Use data on user behavior to create dynamic and personalised home screens based on taste, trends, time of day and location
- Provide users with the ability to create and share their own playlists or collaborate on playlists with friends, encouraging user-generated content and social engagement.
Engagement - Campaigns
Campaign 1 | Personalised Recommendations |
Segmentation type of the user | Everyone between Needs Attention-New Customers, Working Professionals |
Goal of the campaign | Engagement through Recommendations |
Pitch/Content | Commuting to office? Listen to these awesome songs, hand-picked just for you. |
Offer | Use machine learning algorithms to offer personalized recommendations for new music or playlists based on these users' listening history and time of the day. |
Frequency and timing | Once a day for weekdays |
Success metrics | Spike in Average Time Spent |
Channel | Push Notification (Timed) |
Campaign 2 | App Updates |
Segmentation type of the user | Everyone between Needs Attention-New Customers |
Goal of the campaign | Engagement through New Features (Breadth) |
Pitch/Content | Create for own radio station and listen with friends together!
At a party or travelling with friends create music jukebox with friends! |
Offer | Consistent, In-App |
Frequency and timing | Educate them with Pro Features like Collaborative Jukebox and Custom Radio Station |
Success metrics | Spike in Average Time Spent |
Channel | Push and App Updates |
Campaign 3 | In-App Rewards |
Segmentation type of the user | Everyone between Needs Attention-New Customers |
Goal of the campaign | Engagement through Incentivisation for Free Users |
Pitch/Content | Go Ads-free with Youtube Premium! Try 1-Month Free!
Play Music in Background with Premium! Try 1-Month Free! |
Offer | Offer in-app rewards, such as free trial periods or premium content, to incentivise these users to come back and engage with the app. |
Frequency and timing | Consistent |
Success metrics | Spike in Average Time Spent |
Channel | In App |
Bird's-eye view
According to a report by Statista, as of July 2021, the retention rate for YouTube Music App was 24% after 90 days from the initial download. It is important to note that retention rates can vary depending on several factors, such as the app's features, user demographics, and competition in the market.
Though, the stats above is for US audience, for our view (India) keeping the same benchmark. And assumes curve flattens typically after 90 days.
What are the top reasons your users churn?
Voluntary | Involuntary |
Found a better substitute app | Change of location where Low/unstable network or Internet |
Looking for more regional taste | Mobile phone Stolen/Sent to repair |
Using friend’s credentials | Connected Devices like earphone lost/damaged |
Laggy and Buggy UX | Certain tragic events in life |
Trial period got over | |
Doesn’t mind Youtube (Parent App) to listen | |
Constant crashes | |
No background play for Free Users | |
Bluetooth incompatibility/Support/Bug |
What are the negative actions I'd look for?
- Decrease in Session Time: If the average session time of users decreases over time, it could indicate that users are losing interest in the app and are more likely to churn.
- Drop in Daily Active Users (DAU): If the number of DAUs decreases consistently, it could suggest that users are no longer finding the app useful or engaging and are less likely to return.
- High Bounce Rates: If a high percentage of users are leaving the app after only viewing a single page, it could indicate that users are not finding the content or features they are looking for.
- Decrease in App Opens: If the frequency of app opens decreases over time, it could mean that users are losing interest or are finding alternative apps to meet their music needs.
- Low Engagement Rates: If users are not engaging with key features of the app, such as creating playlists or liking songs, it could suggest that they are not finding the app compelling enough to use regularly.
- Increase in Uninstall Rates: If users are uninstalling the app at a higher rate than before, it could indicate that they are no longer finding the app useful or are frustrated with its performance.
- Low Retention Rates: If the percentage of users who return to the app after their initial visit is low, it could suggest that users are not finding the app valuable or engaging enough to continue using.
- High Customer Support Requests: If there is an increase in customer support requests, it could indicate that users are experiencing issues with the app or are dissatisfied with their experience.
- Low Ratings and Reviews: If the overall rating and reviews for the app are consistently low, it could suggest that users are unhappy with the app's features, usability, or performance.
- Declining Revenue: If the app's revenue decreases consistently, it could indicate that users are leaving the app or not engaging with premium features, leading to potential churn.
Resurrection Campaigns
Campaign 1 | Expiring Content |
Segmentation type of the user | About to Sleep |
Goal of the campaign | Re-engagement through limited premium access |
Pitch/Content | |
Offer | Create a sense of urgency by offering expiring content, such as limited-time access to premium content or exclusive content. |
Frequency and timing | <3 in 5 days |
Success metrics | % increase in frequency and average time spent |
Channels | Push Notification, In-App, Email |
Campaign 2 | Win Back Campaign |
Segmentation type of the user | Hibernating |
Goal of the campaign | Retention |
Pitch/Content | Jo mila nahi kahin, suno yahin. Get free 1-month free YT music premium |
Offer | Launch a targeted win-back campaign with personalized offers and recommendations to bring these users back to the app. |
Frequency and timing | <3 in a week |
Success metrics | % increase in frequency and average time spent |
Channels | Push Notification, Targeted Ads, Email |
Campaign 3 | In-App Events |
Segmentation type of the user | Hibernating |
Goal of the campaign | Re-engagement through Live Events |
Pitch/Content | Arijit live! Exclusively on YT Music! |
Offer | Host in-app events, such as virtual concerts or listening parties, exclusively for these users to keep them engaged and excited about the app. |
Frequency and timing | <5 in a week |
Success metrics | % increase in frequency and average time spent |
Channels | Personalised Push Notification, Targeted Ads, Emails |
End of Engagement and Retention - Teardown
Thanks!
