Dayoff Q2 Report

Archived email. Product details and event invitations reflect the original broadcast date.

Hi there 👋

Building a new social network is tough. Why use Dayoff when I can use Instagram? I get it. Dayoff isn't Instagram. It doesn't have the millions of users that Meta does. I understand that. But I also believe that people are generally done with Facebook and Instagram. Meta failed to deliver. They played the engagement game, not the connection game. So that's why I'm doing this. It's an idea I've held onto. It will work, if people want it to work. This is essentially an optimistic viewpoint on people - I believe people have the desire and the courage to try new social networks in hopes of finding better communities for themselves. I never quite got the whole Instagram thing. It seemed like a popularity contest to me. Something to show off and one-up on. And of course people engage with that type of fantasy. But it's not reality. I believe I can create a network that creates relationships grounded in reality and I believe those are the ones worth pursuing, and keeping. And I also believe that you can build those strictly online. Because when you reset your expectations, and realize that we all kind of are going through the same things together, it opens up this space where communication can actually happen. Our differences get put aside, and we can actually just be. Be ourselves. I'm not sure how many of you are on Threads, Meta's new social platform. It's actually pretty similar to what I had envision for Dayoff. But it's still performative. It's still Meta's algorithm. Posts go viral not because it's honest, but because it taps into our monkey brains. It's the same old Meta. And I believe that type of social platform will ultimately fail the test of time. Or at least, I feel there's room for an alternative like Dayoff.

If you've made it this far and you have the slightest bit of optimism, then that is awesome. I know Dayoff will succeed with just that. All I need to do is keep going. Keep reaching out. And with that, let me show you guys what's currently happening on Dayoff.

Who's actually here

164 members. You're deciding whether this is worth your time, so here's the actual composition instead of a vibe:

That near-even split is the number I'm most pleased about. Apps built for meeting people usually skew heavily male, and a lopsided room is a boring room.

It's not idle, either. In the last two weeks: around 1,220 messages across 311 conversations, 100 of which have both people genuinely talking. When a reply comes, the median wait is about 35 minutes. Modest numbers — but real ones, and every one of them started with one person deciding to reach out to another.

Other things that weren't here before

• Top 5 — five things you're into, right on your profile, playable inline. Music, shows, books, whatever you'd actually recommend.
• Interest tags — a small curated set, so people can find the specific thing you're into instead of guessing.
• Themes — the app can look how you want it to. I added Paperclip and Creamsicle. I admit I have an obsession with themes. I don't apologize.

Introducing Dayoff Intros

This may or may not be the defining feature for Dayoff. An Intro is now the one requirement before you can post or message anyone — so if you do come back, it's the first thing you'd write.

An Intro is a paragraph or two about who you are and what you'd genuinely want to talk about. Not a bio, not a dating profile — closer to the note you'd pin to a bulletin board in a town you just moved to. There are guided prompts if you'd rather answer questions than stare at an empty box. A few minutes, written once.

I made it a requirement because a post from someone with no Intro is a dead end. A stranger reads it, gets curious, clicks your name to see who you are — finds nothing, and leaves. You never knew they were there.

What I'm working on — getting people here

The honest part: traffic is the bottleneck now, not the product — almost nobody knows Dayoff exists.

I haven't spent a dime advertising Dayoff yet, and I'm holding off for as long as possible. I need to understand whether this idea actually resonates, or if I'm just insane here. I have a lot of different ideas on how to market it, and I'm going to share them with you, because you've made it this far in the email.

Here are the options I'm assessing.

• Reddit ads
• Meta ads (instagram, facebook etc)
• TikTok vids
• YouTube shorts
• Meetup
• College intern program
• Ambassador program

I don't have a huge budget. I don't have funding yet. So this is going to be a slow process. And I will let you know what happens. If you want to weigh in, or tell me your opinion on the matter, please do so! Use the feedback form in the top left of the app to send any feedback.

So — here's the ask - 2 things

• Write your Intro.

• I have a quick survey that I'm asking you to fill out. It's 4 questions and should take a minute, but would be super helpful to help learn where to focus my time. It is also completely anonymous.

Super quick survey! →

Thank you so much for your support.

— Alex

Founder, Dayoff

https://dayoff.io

Also, if you're not sick of my rambling, follow my Substack: https://substack.com/@alexdayoff