Today audio room apps have taken the center stage owing to the increasing adoption among users. The real-time conversation with people on the platforms drives the attention of users quite fast. It delivers a unique experience and freedom to take part in the conversation over different topics. Swell is one such platform catering to this space. Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal held an exclusive chat with Sudha K. Varadarajan, Co-Founder, and CEO, Swell. Ms. Sudha talked upon the growth achieved by Swell, competition, and challenges in the industry. Read below the excerpts:
Rajeev: How do you see the growth for Swell in India in recent times?
Sudha: Right now, our focus is on giving users a humanized and authentic social-audio networking experience. In the last few months of launching the app in India, we have seen user traction across regions, covering multiple languages like Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, etc. Having considered this aspect before the launch in India, we had tailored Swell’s interface to support a multi-lingual user-base. We have seen youth take to the platform in languages of their choice, sharing their voices without any inhibition.
Rajeev: How do you see the competition from apps like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces? What is the USP of Swell?
Sudha: Swell brings uniqueness to the table with its asynchronous feature, a user can post audio clips for up to 5 minutes, which can be heard anytime by anyone at their convenience. Its USP lies in its purpose and functionality, unlike social media platforms like Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces, a user does not have to be present in real-time to complete the communication circle, alongside, they also enjoy the liberty to accompany media or photos with audio. With a host of options to choose from, the user can distinguish the topics they are interested in and get exactly what interests them. Other than the appealing user interface and relevant content, Swell is designed to operate in a fast-paced manner – something that intrigues the younger audience. The platform particularly emphasizes and aims to keep the conversations on the app non-polarized and humanized, carrying a distinct intent, emotion, and empathy.
Rajeev: What are the major challenges for you? How do you plan to overcome such challenges?
Sudha: Content moderation is one of the key challenges for any social media company today. We at Swell want users to be safe, feel respected, and heard. Content moderation is one of the key components that makes or breaks it. We've been clear from the start that we don't want posts that spread hate or disinformation, and we've been true to our mission of reviving authentic, humanized, and emotion-based interactions through social media.
In keeping with this vision, Swell chose to return authority to the users. As a result, whoever starts the chat has complete control over the content. If a user considers a response offensive, they have the option of deleting it without being questioned by the Swell moderation team. In the case of Swellcasts, all of the hosts have moderator privileges. In addition, if a user finds a post objectionable, they can report it to the Swell moderation team, who will investigate it and resolve it according to the app's rules and conditions.
Rajeev: What are your monetization plans to drive optimum revenue from the platform?
Sudha: We believe that monetizing the platform through an ad-based strategy will have a negative impact on our users' experience. We want to generate revenue in two ways: through premium subscriptions, where users may pay a fee for a piece of content from a creator they enjoy listening to; and by providing a few chargeable premium features. It may take some time for these features to become available. However, we are confident that when Swell becomes more of a part of people's life, they will pay for the premium features.
Rajeev: What are your plans for the addition of new features?
Sudha: We studied how our consumers interact with audio material for a year. The feedback we received from our users also provided us with some useful information. As a result, Swell will be updating the application in a few weeks, which features a fully new user experience with patent-pending technologies and advancements.