Distribution Channels
Primary Strategy
Since Classy is a virtual product, the two channels we deeply considered in deciding the primary distribution channel were mobile application stores and online/website distribution. So, the primary distribution channel that will be utilized for bringing Classy to users will be mobile application stores (such as the “App Store” on iOS devices). Classy is not only a platform to discover and register for classes, but also serves as a social platform. To establish a virtual environment that is conducive to building social connections with low-pressure, we aim to emulate the already existing ease with which folks make these connections through other applications (Tinder, Instagram, etc.). So, folks will be able to download and use Classy through mobile application stores.
Comparative Analysis
Honing in on the effort of establishing an easily accessible and low-pressure environment to make new social connections, we are hesitant around using the alternative likely distribution channel of a website. While websites may seem formal and more intentional, people tend to mindlessly scroll through applications (specifically social applications) on their phones. We hope that this will be more conducive to users consistently browsing through classes and connections, increasing DAO and stickiness. Additionally, as opposed to websites, distribution through the app store allows users to have a default configuration of push notifications being turned on—this is also more conducive to our overall goal of building relationships.
Sales Strategy
Freemium + Self-Service Enrollment
Our initial plan is for Classy’s social networking features to be freemium and self-service. If the initial social features are locked behind a paywall, Classy will never reach a critical mass of users for the recommendations to really function. Free users will be able to join the Classy app, browse classes, and view their compatibility % with other learners. The paywall will be reserved for more advanced social features, including insights into the reasons behind compatibility ratings and priority for popular classes and time slots. There will also be premium features available to instructors, such as improving class visibility.
Why it Works
Freemium is the best fit for Classy because it complements the existing business model. Classy already charges per class, so adding another feature that requires payment for basic functionality could cause frustration and resentment among longtime users. The freemium model directly addresses this issue, as features that are standard for new users are also upgrades for existing users. We can also use a freemium model to directly address one of our most common customer complaints: expiring points. By allowing customers to use their points to purchase the premium tier of Classy’s social networking features, users are further incentivized to keep using the platform.
Comparing Alternatives
There are a few reasons why other sales strategies don’t make sense for Classy. First and foremost, self-service creates the most frictionless process for our users. Channel partners would only create frustration, and also add unnecessary complexity to a feature that only exists within the Classy ecosystem. Direct sales might be more appealing if Classy employees had a larger role in leading classes or in orchestrating matches between learners and instructors, but as it stands, users see the app as bringing them together, not Classy itself. Self-service is consistent with this mental model of agency.
Finally, the freemium model supports growth and gives users a sense of feature improvement rather than unnecessary obstacles. Classy currently operates on a pay-per-use model, with premium currency being exchanged for classes. The social networking features would bolster free functionality, expand the use cases for Classy points, and incentivize users to opt for premium. Users have free access to their compatibility with others in their class or with the class as a whole, but if they want to learn why, they’ll need to pay extra. This way, enfranchised users have incentives to pay, while newer ones don’t feel shortchanged. An important factor for us to monitor in the weeks and months after launch is the conversion rate from free to premium. As it stands, the core functionality of our product will be free, so we have to make sure users actually have a reason to pay.
Marketing & Promotion
Strategy Specificity:
- Compatibility Score Reveal Challenges on TikTok/Reels: We will launch a simple, shareable challenge where users record short clips revealing their compatibility percentage with friends, roommates, or classmates. The format mirrors existing viral trends (fit checks, friendship quizzes), making it easy to replicate and encouraging UGC tied directly to Classy’s core feature. The challenge also naturally tags friends, pulling multiple users into the funnel at once.
- Verified instructors will create short videos showing class snippets, quick demos, or behind-the-scenes moments, tagging Classy for reposting. This provides real-world social proof and establishes trust—users can see exactly who they’ll be training with. It also allows Classy to piggyback on instructors’ existing followings, multiplying reach without paid spend.
- We activate student ecosystems by recruiting ambassadors in dorms, clubs, and intramural sports teams. They will host “first-class meetups” where groups of students sign up together, creating immediate liquidity in hyperlocal clusters. These events help solve the “I don’t want to go alone” barrier and replicate existing campus social behaviors around group workouts. This will also secure some base users and create customer stickiness especially when these students graduate and move to new cities.
- We partner with small fitness studios to offer limited free first classes exclusively to Classy users. These time-bound drops generate FOMO while incentivizing students and newcomers to try classes socially. Studios benefit from new foot traffic, while Classy gains a steady supply of verified instructor content and early user engagement.
- Referral + waitlist priority: Users receive priority access to high-demand classes/ VIP exclusive events or unlock deeper compatibility insights when they invite friends. This ties virality directly to product value: users want to join with people they know, and these incentives transform natural social behavior into growth. The system creates organic, self-reinforcing clusters that deepen engagement.
Channel Selection:
We have come up with three major channels:
- TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts as our core audience (age 18–34) uses these platforms most frequently.
- Local Event Platforms (Eventbrite, Meetup): Platforms like Eventbrite and Meetup attract new movers who are actively searching for structured ways to meet people and integrate into their new city. These users are already looking for fitness meetups, social sports, and skill-based classes—exact matches for Classy’s offerings. Cross-posting Classy classes or hosting “New Mover Nights” on these platforms positions us directly in front of users who are primed to try group activities. Because these channels gather newcomers who have no existing friend groups yet, they accelerate early liquidity and increase the likelihood of multi-person onboarding, which strengthens Classy’s social graph from day one.
- Apartment Complex Events & Leasing Offices: Modern apartment buildings frequently host fitness classes, mixers, and new resident welcome events, creating natural gathering points for people who have just moved in. Partnering with leasing offices or property managers to host “Verified Instructor Pop-Up Classes” or “Meet Your Building Classmates” taps into hyperlocal communities where new movers are physically concentrated and eager to connect. This channel is especially powerful because newcomers want low-friction, close-to-home ways to meet people. Integrating Classy into existing building programming builds trust and provides immediate, high-density pockets of adoption—critical for activating our social features.
- Neighborhood Facebook Groups & Reddit (r/[cityname]): Neighborhood Facebook groups and city-specific Reddit communities are where new movers ask for recommendations on gyms, classes, social events, and places to meet people. These forums have high-volume, high-intent conversations like “How do I meet people in Chicago?” or “Best fitness classes in NYC?” Sharing Classy intros, new mover class bundles, or verified instructor highlights directly addresses the questions users are already asking. Unlike broad social media ads, these posts land in spaces where trust is built through community validation, making them ideal for early-stage traction with newcomers who are still shaping their routines.
- Referral loops: Referral loops are uniquely powerful for Classy because the product’s core value—never doing a class alone—depends on clusters of friends, not isolated users. Mobile-native referral flows allow users to invite their roommates, classmates, or club members directly into shared classes, making the onboarding experience social from the start. When one person signs up, the app surfaces incentives like unlocking additional Compatibility Score insights or gaining priority access to high-demand classes, encouraging them to bring others. This is far more effective than broad paid marketing, because Classy’s utility increases sharply when a user sees familiar faces on the platform. The result is dense, self-propagating adoption within friend groups, clubs, sports teams, and dorm communities—solving the “I don’t want to go alone” barrier and creating a viral loop that compounds with each micro-community that joins.
Comparative Analysis
When deciding how to market Classy, we prioritized low-cost, high-authenticity strategies that generate socially clustered onboarding because our new features rely on real-world groups adopting the product together. Since Classy’s value depends on the strength of its social graph, it is not enough to see total user numbers increase; we need to make sure we are acquiring the right users, such as new grads, young professionals, and newcomers in metropolitan areas, and that they are joining in the right formations, like friend groups, clubs, and other micro-communities. With this in mind, we evaluated common marketing approaches and considered whether they support viral, trust-based growth, keep customer acquisition cost near zero, and strengthen our core use cases of helping people meet others, join classes, and try new activities together.
Given that our target users are newly grads in metropolitan areas, our comparative analysis for how different marketing strategies may suit our platform goes as follows:
| Marketing Approach | Fit (Y/N) | Rational |
| Paid Ads | No | Does not generate clustered group sign-ups, which isn’t very useful for network effects. Expensive. Needs stronger brand identity and trust to have conversion to onboardings. |
| Billboards | No | High cost and low targeting precision – not very useful. |
| Events/Pop-Ups | Yes | Helps with trust-building, attracts newcomers seeking community, low-cost, and helps curate a specific vibe to bring more target users. |
| Partnerships w/ Studios | Yes | Studio free trials and co-hosted classes help onboard users who are more likely to be booking classes. Also provides credibility. |
| Referrals | Yes | Users can bring friends helping create natural clusters. This also helps the compatibility-score feature. |
| Campus Ambassador Programs | Yes | Ideal for onboarding whole micro-communities (for example this could include clubs, dorms, intramurals). Ambassadors can spread the word for early adoption. |
| Apartment Complex Partnerships | Yes | Hyper-targeted access to newcomers who lack existing social circles. Targeted to specific communities with high alignment to target users. |
Customer Service Strategy
Support Infrastructure
Our support system is intentionally built around Classy’s core promise: helping people safely meet new friends through classes. To maintain trust and satisfaction, the support system lives entirely inside the app and is split across three needs–user safety, class quality, and instructor success.
Safety is non-negotiable in a social matching product, so users can block or report others from any profile, message, or attendee list. Reports flow directly into a structured moderation process with defined review windows, escalation steps, and clear outcomes. This ensures that safety issues are handled consistently, not on an ad hoc basis.
Instructors have their own support hub with detailed setup guides, payout instructions, safety expectations, and faster SLA times. Because instructors create the in-person experience that drives retention, the system prioritizes keeping them unblocked and confident in how to run classes smoothly within Classy’s standards.
User Experience Consideration
Classy brings strangers together offline, which means user uncertainty naturally spikes at specific moments. Our customer service strategy is built around proactively reducing that uncertainty before it becomes churn.
Verification and first-time booking are the most common friction points, so the app includes progress indicators, brief explanations, and lightweight prompts that appear when users hesitate. Compatibility scores and suggested partners are explained directly in-flow in plain language so users understand exactly why they are paired with someone and what control they have over the process. This prevents the “What is this score and why did you match me with them?” confusion that typically drives drop-off in social apps.
After each class, learners complete a quick check-in about their partner, instructor, and comfort level. This gives us early signals on safety concerns and also improves the accuracy of future pair recommendations. If a user feels uncomfortable at any point, blocking and reporting options are always visible and require only one tap. Moderation follows a consistent, communicated process so users can trust that their concerns will be handled seriously.
Instructors receive anonymized summaries of class feedback and social dynamics, allowing them to adjust the environment and intervene early when group dynamics are off. This ensures learners feel comfortable returning, which directly supports matching accuracy and long-term retention.
Tradeoffs and Practical Constraints
We deliberately chose an in-app support model instead of adding phone support or heavy email-based workflows. While traditional channels may feel more familiar, they are slow, resource-intensive, and not aligned with how users manage booking and social coordination. Our early-stage team cannot support a high-volume phone or live-person system, and adding one would delay feature velocity.
Instead, we invested in scalable systems: a structured moderation queue, in-flow explanations, and simple reporting pathways. The trade-off is that users who prefer human-heavy support may find the system less personal, but the gain is faster response times and a support model that fits our mobile-first product and constraints.We focus on clear workflows, consistent decisioning, and predictable user experience while staying realistic about our operational capacity.
