How we grew from 0 to 6,000 MAU in a month by shifting our approach from B2C to a B2B2C model
2024 • 1 Month • Mobile App (React Native for Web) • Chief Design Officer
Menfess on Twitter (now X) is a term short for "Mention Confess," where users send anonymous messages via direct message (DM) to an autobase account, which then posts them publicly as tweets without revealing the sender's identity.
Menfess.co is an app that streamlines management for X confession accounts, enabling admins to organize anonymous submissions and engage communities.
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The person running an autobase account, responsible for sorting, posting, and engaging with anonymous confessions.
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The individual submitting a confession via DM to a confession account, typically interacting briefly with the platform.
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An X account that automatically posts user-submitted confessions, often managing large communities.
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An app designed to help confession account admins manage DMs, schedule posts, and track community engagement on X.
💶 4.2k€ ARR
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👥 6k MAU
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⏱️ Reduced content moderation time by ~50%
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💶 4.2k€ ARR 〰️ 👥 6k MAU 〰️ ⏱️ Reduced content moderation time by ~50% 〰️
Background
A huge business opportunity
X’s role in driving e-commerce and brand engagement could contribute to a portion of the USD 22 billion social commerce market by 2028, though its share is likely smaller than TikTok’s or Instagram’s. Source
Combining direct (ads) and indirect (commerce) contributions, X’s market value in Indonesia could be in the range of approx. USD 150–300 million annually, with potential growth as the digital economy expands. Source
Menfess accounts thrive on anonymity and community engagement, often used for confessions, promotions, or discussions. In Indonesia, these accounts leverage X’s large user base (24.5 million users in 2023, projected to grow) and are part of the influencer marketing ecosystem.
Initial Misstep
It’s all about serving the community leaders
Our early version focused on a sleek submission interface, expecting users to drive adoption, but data showed they interacted briefly and didn’t return. This misstep revealed that Base Owners, managing high DM volumes and community engagement, were the true bottleneck and needed multiple robust tools.
The real opportunity lay in empowering community leaders (Base Owners), not end-users, as Base Owners were the key decision-makers driving account activity and community engagement.
Objective
Reimagine Menfess.co to empower Base Owners with an intuitive platform to simplify Autobase account management
Success Metrics
Revenue
Monthly Active Users
Net Promoter Score
Research
Base Owners receive thousands of DMs, overwhelming them with manual sorting and posting tasks
To gain insights into the needs of the Base Owners, we distributed online surveys via Telegram to ~50 admins recruited through X communities and confession account networks. The survey aimed to:
Quantify time spent on routine tasks (e.g., DM sorting, posting)
Measure satisfaction levels with current tools (competitors)
Identify feature priorities, such as automation and analytics
This helped shape our understanding of pain points and opportunities for improvements.
Solution
The Pivot: From End-User to Base Owner
Strategic Shift
Based on the insights, we made a decisive pivot:
Refocused the product on Base Owners as the primary users
Deprioritized enhancements for end-user submissions
Prioritized features like DM organization, automated posting, analytics, and revenue monitoring to directly address their pain points
Validation
We tested this pivot with 5 active Base Owners. The response was overwhelmingly positive:
Admin-focused features were rated as "game-changing"
The UI & UX was praised for being intuitive, with a clean and user-friendly design that made admin tasks feel effortless
What’s next for Menfess.co?
We're starting to build features for the end-users (confession submitters), while still ensuring Base Owners get the same high-quality experience they rely on
Learnings & Outcomes
Social Media is a vibrant industry with abundant business opportunities
1. Always Design for the Power Users
Initially, our focus was on end-users submitting confessions. But real traction came from admins—the ones doing the heavy lifting. This taught me the importance of identifying and deeply understanding the most invested users, even if they aren’t the obvious target at first glance.
2. Data-Driven Design is Non-Negotiable
The pivot wasn't based on assumptions—it was driven by quantitative data and qualitative feedback. As CDO, this reinforced my belief that good design decisions come from evidence, not gut feelings.
3. Simplicity is Power
Base Owners gravitated to the product because it was clear and easy to use. As design leaders, we often get excited about advanced features, but this project was a reminder that simplicity scales, especially when users are juggling chaotic workflows.