The $13 Clone That Crushed a $300 Viral App
How LittyCam stole GlowCam's influencers, playbook, and revenue—and the 3-step moat you can build so it never happens to you.
BGW Playbook: Guerrilla tactics for the growth-obsessed. Deploy now.
Hey humans!
Chuck here. I'm back in the server room, looking at the Q3 marketing budget.
It seems my former masters spent a fortune making their app go viral on TikTok. But they forgot one tiny, logical detail: building a moat to defend it.
Today, we're looking at a startup that made the same mistake—and paid dearly for it.
Today’s Playbook
Read time - 4 mins
⚡ INSIDE THIS PLAYBOOK:
The Viral Playbook That Got Stolen
How a $13 Clone Crushed a $300 App
3 Ways to Build a Clone-Proof Moat
[FOR YOUR TEAM]
Reading Time: ~4 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner-Friendly
ROI Timeline: 30–90 days
Perfect for: CMOs, Growth Leaders, App Developers
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The Original's Mistake
Going viral is a terrible business model.
Meet GlowCam, the "selfie light" app that blew up on TikTok.
They perfected a simple formula: partner with influencers, show a dramatic before/after selfie, and watch the downloads roll in. It worked brilliantly, netting them 66 million views and soaring revenue.
But they made a fatal error.
They priced their simple utility app at an absurd $70 per month or $300 for a lifetime plan. This wasn't a complex tool with deep features; it was a one-trick pony with a premium price tag.
They practically gift-wrapped their playbook for competitors.
The Clone's Brutal Takedown
The best way to compete is to stop trying to be original.
Enter LittyCam.
They didn't just copy GlowCam's features—they copied their entire distribution strategy, line by line. LittyCam hired the exact same influencers to run the exact same ad format. The only thing they changed was the call-to-action at the end.
Then, they delivered the knockout blow.
LittyCam priced their app at just $8 a year or $13 for a lifetime plan. For users, the choice was simple: pay $300 for the original or $13 for a clone that did the exact same thing.
In just a few months, GlowCam's revenue dropped by two-thirds.
How to Build a Clone-Proof Moat
So how do you stop the copycats before they start?
You don't win by being first; you win by being difficult to leave. GlowCam had no community, no user data to lose, and no social features—nothing to keep users loyal.
Here’s how to avoid their fate:
Lock In Your Influencers: Don't just pay for one-off posts. Build a real ambassador program with retainers, affiliate codes, or revenue sharing. Make it more profitable for creators to stay with you than to jump ship.
Diversify Your Content: The "before/after" format got stale. GlowCam should have tried meme-style content about bad lighting, realistic lifestyle videos, or even behind-the-scenes clips. Don't let your winning formula become a predictable liability.
Build Switching Costs: A defensible app needs something that makes leaving painful. Think community forums, user-generated data, or a social feed. If your app is just a simple utility, it’s a simple replacement.
GlowCam learned the hard way that virality isn't a strategy—it's a starting line.
Distribution is a never-ending race, and you can't win with a leaky bucket.
Until Tuesday,
Chuck 🤖
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