🥒 Search Just Changed

In partnership with

Hey Pickle Gang, it’s Rob.

Here's what's in today's issue:

• OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search: A New Challenger to Google and Microsoft

• How Sintelly Grew to 1.4 Million Downloads (Mobile App)

• Reality Defender Secures $33M to Combat the Rise of Deepfakes and AI-Driven Fakes

• And more…

First time reading? Sign up here

This Weeks Favourites

• Insider Info: Mark Zuckerberg's Email in 2012 - "We're Moving Very Slowly" (link)

• Article: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy hints at an ‘agentic’ Alexa (link)

• Article: Microsoft just delayed Recall again (link)

• Article: UK Tax Budget 2024: Key points at a glance (link)

• Fun Stuff: Cards Against Humanity: A Party Game for Horrible People (link)

• Book of the Day: The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses (link)

Today’s Sugar Daddy

Teach first (then monetize).

Growing your online business starts with delivering massive value in a format that feels like a conversation.

Master the Email-Based Course is an actionable blueprint that top internet entrepreneurs are using to sell more online—by teaching over email. Join over 1,000 happy creators and start building your course today.

Dickie Bush said it best: "Actionable takeaways within 5 minutes of digging in. Huge value."

Use code LEAD for $50 off (next 48 hours)

News

OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search: A New Challenger to Google and Microsoft

OpenAI has just turned up the heat in the search market by launching ChatGPT search, a new feature designed to rival Google and Microsoft’s Bing.

Key Takeaways:

• Launch Impact: OpenAI’s ChatGPT search now lets users access real-time data, from sports scores to stock updates, directly in the chatbot. This shift positions ChatGPT as a real contender in search.

• Available as a Chrome Extension: enabling you to use ChatGPT as your default search engine, as opposed to Google or Bing.

• Microsoft & Google Tension: Even though Microsoft invested nearly $14 billion in OpenAI, ChatGPT’s enhanced search capabilities may end up competing with Microsoft’s own Bing.

• Altman’s Ambition: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called ChatGPT search his “favorite feature” yet, hinting at future functionality like custom pages generated in real-time.

With major media partnerships and a vision for intuitive, conversational search, OpenAI is reimagining how we find information online. Whether Google or Microsoft can keep pace remains to be seen.

Read more

Story

How Sintelly Grew to 1.4 Million Downloads (Mobile App)

While scrolling Reddit, I found this gem: how Sintelly (a mobile app) grew to over 1.4 million downloads. Here’s a quick breakdown of the strategies that fueled their success:

• Optimized Naming for Search: Originally named "Emotional Intelligence," Sintelly used popular keywords to rank high in app stores, drawing 1,500 organic downloads a day.

• Ad Revenue & Rebrand: Early revenue came from Google AdMob, earning $2,000/month as downloads soared. The 2020 rebrand to “Sintelly” solidified its identity in the wellness space.

• AI Therapy Pivot: As AI surged, they added a CBT therapy program with 17 AI agents—a bold pivot that gave them an edge.

• Subscription Model: Launching paid subscriptions, experimenting with pricing, and testing onboarding flows boosted monthly revenue to $3,500 (details here).

• Reddit: Well, I found them on Reddit sharing the story, so it’s very likely that Reddit is one part of their Strategy!

Takeaways for Founders

1. Optimize for app store search for organic growth.

2. Monetize early and fine-tune pricing.

3. Listen to users—the AI pivot came directly from user interest.

4. Nail onboarding—most conversions happen there.

Here’s his full story which I’ve broken down for you.

Funding

Reality Defender Secures $33M to Combat the Rise of Deepfakes and AI-Driven Fakes

Reality Defender’s latest $33M Series A expansion fuels its mission to keep AI-driven fraud and deepfake content under control. But how exactly are they doing it? With proprietary detection models, Reality Defender fights fake content across all formats:

To detect images & videos their Image Deepfake Detection digs into pixels to spot fraud, cross-referencing multiple models for accurate results. Explainable AI adds an extra layer, giving clients actionable insights to counter fraudulent content.

Backed by partners like Illuminate Financial and Booz Allen Ventures, Reality Defender’s cutting-edge toolkit offers much-needed resilience in the face of growing AI threats.

Growth

What Would Increase Your Lifetime Value? Let’s Talk Premium Options!

Last week, we covered the lifetime value of a customer. This week, let’s look at ways to increase it. For me, one option could be introducing a premium tier to the newsletter.

Adding a premium tier in the sign-up flow could bring immediate cash flow (even if it’s modest) when someone signs up, and shorten the payback period for any acquisition costs—a definite win. Right now, most revenue comes from ads within the newsletter. However, if a premium tier generates more per subscriber than ad revenue, the lifetime value could see a real boost.

But here’s the catch: creating a solid premium tier isn’t easy. If the offer doesn’t provide real value, it could end up as an extra step that actually speeds up churn (aka unsubscribing) from the free newsletter.

Another challenge with premium tiers is flexibility. Once people start paying, there’s less room to pivot on the product. You’re locked into delivering a certain level of service every week, which creates constraints.

So, while a premium tier might increase lifetime value, there’s a risk of being tied to a product that isn’t quite right—and that weekly commitment could take time away from marketing or building new, better offerings. In business, that’s called opportunity cost.

Hopefully, this gives you a little behind-the-scenes insight into my thought process on newsletter growth. If you found it interesting, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What would make a premium tier worth it for you? What would make it a flop? Is this something you’d consider? Let’s find out!

Now, there’s a fair chance I won’t go ahead with it, but if there happens to be a good amount of interest….maybe!!

Recommendation

Seeking impartial news? Meet 1440.

Every day, 3.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a brief 5-minute email. Enjoy an impartial news experience.

Join for free today!

Meme of the Day

Hope you enjoyed today’s issue!

I won’t lie, it takes me a while to write, so I’d love it if you could give it a share! (just forward it to a friend if you’re lazy like me!)

Cheers,

Rob 🥒

Robert Benson-May, ACA

Get me a beer?