An 8-year-old TikTok alternative for kids just hit #1 in Australia and it’s now rolling out a multi-layer UGC campaign to keep the momentum going.
Coverstar launched back in 2017 and is only now breaking into the mainstream.
Then, a nationwide social media ban pushed the app into the spotlight as the main TikTok substitute kids are still allowed to use.
After Australia’s new rules pushed TikTok and Instagram off kids’ phones, Coverstar moved into the gap as the unbanned TikTok option for under 18 and shot to the top of the charts.
From there, they adapted fast and started rolling out a new growth playbook.
They kicked off an AI UGC wave in late November and an ambassador UGC wave at the beginning of December.
In the U.S. social networking charts, they went from averaging around #150 in October to around #30 since the start of December, and they’re now sitting at roughly $100K in MRR.
The UGC wave is extremely new, only a few days old.
Right now they have 5 ambassadors.
They post selfies and keep testing angles to find winning hooks.
teentrendswithhs already hit 14K views on her first video:
“when the teacher starts clocking the student that I don’t like“
Another UGC video reached 6K views with a hook that could have potential if they shorten it:
“Moms of TikTok, I have a question: would you let your kids post if the app felt safer?”
The UGC push is still early, with only 5 to 7 videos per creator so far.
The AI UGC wave runs a similar strategy, but with AI kid “influencers.”
It looks a bit creepy, but they are clearly willing to test anything.
They are running several AI accounts that post shocked-face selfies while they hunt for hooks that work.
One account focuses on mass posting “TikTok + Roblox” hooks.
Alongside all this, one of their strongest early wins is a faceless account that posts text-message style videos.
_cassiefocuses hit 176K views on its first video.
The format is simple.
Text messages between mom and daughter, where mom allows her to use Coverstar because it feels safer for teens.
“pov: your mom said no to tiktok but yes to coverstar bc it’s safer for teens“
This is the early-stage UGC lab inside an 8-year-old app that’s suddenly catching momentum.
Human UGC, AI “influencers,” and faceless text-message skits are all being tested at the same time to see what sticks in both ban and non-ban markets
We will keep you updated on its growth.
You can access their entire account collection on Shortimize:
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