We have over 50 million active users on our platform today, plan to achieve 100% growth this year: Harshil Dhingra, Public app

• It has been an eventful two years for location-based social network Public app.
• While the platform secured Rs 300 crore in funding from A91 Partners with participation from existing investors earlier this year, it is now focusing on making the platform more user-friendly. A few things they are working on include a live video streaming feature wherein local leaders/authorities can go live and interact with their community and an in-built video creation tools which can help them create good quality professional content on mobile.
• We speak to Harshil Dhingra, Chief Business Officer, Public app, to understand the platform’s journey so far, its monetization strategy and the way forward.

It was in 2019 that location-based social network Public app was launched. The platform stands for everything hyper-local, from hyper-local updates and happenings to hyper-local commerce, jobs, classifieds and more. Since its launch, the platform has witnessed good growth, with over 50 million active users currently.

The platform today has over 50,000 content creators including politicians, government officials and citizen journalists. It generates more than 1 million videos every month in more than 10 major Indian languages, and its perhaps its focus on regional languages that has helped attract more users to the platform.

In March this year, Public App also secured Rs 300 crore in funding from A91 Partners with participation from existing investors. It had also raised Rs 260 crore in funding led by Addition, along with SIG and Tanglin Venture Partners in September 2020.

We recently caught up with Harshil Dhingra, Chief Business Officer, Public app, to understand the platform’s journey so far, how it has been monetizing the platform and the way forward.

Excerpts:

Q) Tell us a bit about Public App's journey so far. What kind of growth have you witnessed since your launch?

The App launched its Beta version in 5 districts of Rajasthan in April, 2019. After receiving a phenomenal response from across the board - the local authorities, content creators, and citizens; the app was launched across the state and then there was no stopping. Within six months of its launch, it became one of the fastest-growing Indian social app and ranked #1 on Play store for local updates.

Currently, the app has over 50 million active users and generates more than 1 million videos every month in more than 10 major Indian languages. We have over 50,000 content creators on our platform including politicians, government officials and citizen journalists who are acting like catalysts in the growth journey of Public.

Q) How have you been marketing the platform so far and getting more users? Did the TikTok ban in India have any impact on your journey?

Our resources are directed towards organic growth strategies which are focused on consistent product innovations, content improvement, and user retention. We use various digital platforms to promote our brand but spend minimally in this sphere. Over the course of a few months, we have acquired some brand custodians who trust in our product and promote it on their behalf. The uniqueness of our application is what makes it stand out amongst all.

Our offerings are totally different from the apps that got banned as our users get informative content about their locality through short videos in their vernacular language. As we are fulfilling a very different need of the citizens - “the need to be connected to one’s locality through verified updates” - thus the ban imposed on Chinese apps by the government did not have any direct impact on our app. The fast and sustainable growth of our platform is demonstrative of this gap that existed, and this is what drives our users back to the platform.

Q) Many politicians, administrative officials, and local government authorities across various states have joined the app to connect with people. How has having so many government officials on the platform fortified your position in the segment?

Public App envisions bridging the gap between people of Bharat and connecting them to their local authorities in vernacular languages. Thus, having politicians, administrative officials, and local government authorities across various states support that vision and help strengthen our place in the market.

It also supports our growth in making sure that verified information reaches the people easily and directly from the source. It has proven to be instrumental in debunking rumours and fake news which is known to be a common concern that people face on social networks.

Our app is being used by several political influencers like Arvind Kejriwal, Jai Ram Thakur and Digvijaya Singh among others who have been regularly using the platform to connect with the citizens and have attracted millions of followers. Today, we have over 20,000 verified profiles of high-ranking politicians, political parties and government officials which have garnered over 730 million likes, shares and comments till date.

Q) Has your focus on regional languages and dialects also helped in bringing more users online?

Yes, providing updates in all major Indian languages has definitely been an important factor in getting users onboard.

India is known for its sheer diversity where people belong to different localities and are more comfortable speaking in their preferred dialects and local languages. Thus Public App aims to bridge this gap by becoming a one-stop solution for verified local updates and fulfilling the need to be connected to one’s locality in their regional languages. The application generates more than 1 million content pieces a month, in more than 10 Indian languages. Using state-of-the-art machine learning we provide each user with a personalised feed according to the language they speak and the region they live in.

Q) Can you walk us through your monetization strategy?

We started monetization in Oct 2020 through B2B advertisements. We plan to offer brands an ideal platform to advertise in the person’s native language, via the most engaging digital advertising format - Videos. We have captured a strong audience base across India, thus brands that aim to reach out to these diverse users, benefit from the platform.

We are investing in cutting edge ad tech solutions and provide brands to interact with their consumers through non-intrusive and mobile-friendly full-screen display ad formats including video interstitials. We have received an overwhelming initial response from our clients and have worked with leading brands like Amazon Prime Video, GSK, Swiggy, and HDFC Life.

Q) How do brands benefit from partnering with Public App? Can you tell us about a few success stories?

The world is witnessing a shift in content consumption pattern. Decreasing attention span and dynamic videos leading the way are pushing brands to explore different formats. Platforms which are video driven have become the favorable option for leading brands in various segments. Public being a video only platform checks all boxes for providing the best conversion rates.

Our pilot campaign with GlaxoSmithKline Pharma which aimed at increasing awareness around child and adolescent immunization in India, garnered 78 lakh views, with an impressive industry best CTR rate of 1.14%. Our recent collaboration with OnePlus for its budget-friendly option, OnePlus Nord generated over 7.5 million views, with an impressive industry-best CTR rate of 2.39%.

Q) What kind of success have small businesses seen from advertising on your platform?

Through hyperlocalization and geo-targeting, Public is enabling small businesses to reach their desired target audience on a district, city and state level. At present, these ads are in Hindi which is the most widely used language in our country. For a stronger impact, the ads are delivered either in video or display format. Our platform is empowering small businesses and individual shop owners to become a part of a 50+mn active user community. Public gives them an opportunity to advertise digitally and cater to an expansive digital world. Currently, these small businesses come from varied sectors such as- healthcare, daily utilities, education, and others. For example: local coaching centres (below or above K12) are using the platform to promote online classes with the surge of digital learning throughout the pandemic.

The team at Public, strive towards providing the best conversion rates to our customers. Currently, this being the newest cog in our wheel, the advertisements are in Hindi. However the platform has run vernacular ads for bigger brands and aims to do the same for small businesses in the near future.

Q) How have you as a platform helped people stay informed, connected during these months of the pandemic?

For us, the pandemic would be a great case study for showcasing how users validated our app. As the world came to a standstill, Indians were grappling to get local updates and be informed of the changing guidelines. While people were locked inside their homes, Public came to their rescue by giving them real-time updates of their local community and authorities engaging with them by educating more about the pandemic. At such a time, Public was that one source of credible information about anything and everything around an individual’s locality. People/local authorities were seen sharing information about availability and timing for essential services, curfew timings, quarantine arrangements in their surroundings etc.

The application was also used by local politicians and district officials to share valuable updates around COVID 19 in their locality. They were also seen debunking rumours and fake news to prevent misinformation and panic in the community. The application witnessed a 200%+ rise in users during the extended lockdowns as some choose Public as a credible source of information. The second wave saw the community coming together on Public to inform people regarding the availability of beds, oxygen cylinder supplies, and vaccine slots.

Q) Where do you think the next phase of growth for your platform will come from? What is your vision for Public App?

We continue to develop, innovate and offer new features to cater to the growing user base on our platform. Few of the developments in the pipeline are - A live video streaming feature wherein local leaders/authorities can go live and interact with their community. For users, we plan to introduce in-built video creation tools which can help them create good quality professional content on mobile. Our aim is to make the app more user friendly and provide them with state-of-the-art facilities to give them a smooth app experience.

Q) Do you have a target in terms of the number of users you want to see on the platform by the end of this year? What will your focus areas be to achieve the target?

At present, there are over 450 million smartphone internet users in India. We believe that our application is relevant for anyone and everyone across the country; irrespective of the language they speak or the region they belong from. Our aim is to reach the remotest areas of the country and get them connected with their localities through our geo-targeted regional content. We have 50mn+ active users on the platform and plan to achieve 100% growth by this year.

We will collaborate with more content creators and local communities to strengthen our offerings. Everyday, the application receives new subscribers who are either a user or a politician or a political influencer. The marketing team has even charted out a few initiatives to penetrate further in the regional markets and raise more awareness about the app. Our tech team is working tirelessly to upgrade the features on the application and make it more user-friendly.