{ASK THE TECHXPERTS} @PINCHme Earns 1M Members in 1 Year

This series is dedicated to learning from event experts on various topics. We cover event technology, meeting design, and much, more more! Today, we are pleased to interview Jeremy Reid, Executive Chairman of Pinch.Me.

To start off, please tell us what Pinch.Me is all about.
PINCHme.com has evolved into the leading digital hub for CPG manufacturers to acquire new customers in an engaging and accountable way. For consumers, the platform provides the opportunity to discover and discuss the latest consumer products coming to market in a completely free and fun way. We connect brands and their key consumers in a targeted, efficient and digital way.

We offer product from the world’s leading manufacturers across all categories (including food, beauty, OTC, personal care, household cleaning, baby, and pet) in exchange for only honest feedback. Many leading manufacturers spend a lot of money innovating their product to bring it to market. PINCHme’s focus is to ensure awareness, drive engagement, gather insights and ultimately increase sales for these products.

What were the 3 keys to getting the company off the ground – where did you invest your time?
Our first step was to formulate our business strategy and plan and then secure funding. Our second step was to build both the technology and an amazing user experience to attract a broad community. Our third step was to sell our capabilities to leading manufacturers and sign on a sufficient number of campaigns to go live and deliver the vision.

I heard that you were able to secure over a million members in your first year of operation. What were some of the key things you did to make this happen?
Yes, that’s correct. Since our US launch in November 2013, PINCHme has be fortunate enough to see tremendous success. My goal was to ensure that what we were building was a very strong, sound and attractive concept — something that people would want to try and continuously engage with. Coupled with this, we are free for members to sign up and who doesn’t like free?

What role do live events play in your branding and marketing initiatives?
We use live events to strategically build awareness for the PINCHme platform and grow our community within the public domain. For New York Fashion Week last fall, we recruited 10 drag queens to “picket” fashion week and pass out free product outside of Lincoln Center. This built a massive amount of intrigue and engagement with the public and drove very significant traffic to our site— so much so, that we grew over 50,000 new members in one day.

Finally, what is your favorite app?
My favorite app at the current moment is Waze. As we continue to grow PINCHme and build relationships with manufacturers, I am constantly on the road meeting with clients to secure new programs on our platform. Since I am a Sydney native, I depend on Waze to keep me from getting lost and getting from place to place on time.