Storytel is a challenger on Polish audiobook market. Its business model is based on a free trial period: it’s much easier to get new listeners than to retain them and get them to regularly pay for content. Due to the competition’s stronger negotiating position, it has limited access to popular new books, which would obviously support sales. Storytel is combating this by creating original audio stories.

Surprisingly, the whole audiobook category was seriously hit by the pandemic. In the time of lockdowns Poles were less mobile, so the number of opportunities for listening to audio content decreased. Restrictions were especially hard for the most prospective target group – the urban youth. Their lifestyle changed completely overnight.

Storytel needed original and attractive content for the Gen Z. A tale capable of grabbing their attention which spreads all over the social media and increase the low, 30.5% conversion rate.

Young Listeners – the still learning Gen Z and Young Millennials. Despite a natural predisposition for listening to books and other content on their smartphones, they make up a fraction of all listeners, with only 3.5% declaring that they listen to audiobooks.

Storytel has to fight for their attention which both other audiobook platforms and innumerable other content providers – music, movies, TV series or TikToks – at the same online field.

The statement “content is king” fits this group in particular. This content has to be “like them”, from their world, touching on their problems and dilemmas. And there are more than enough of those during the pandemic – after all, this group was also cooped up at home, cut off from their peers, from clubs and movie theaters, from their natural “youthful” lifestyle.

“Random” was written by Natasza Parzymies (22) in the language of her generation. It’s a story about the relationship between two users of fictional app (played by top Polish young actors) which allows them to contact in either “audio” or “video” modes. We used this to move the action between popular social media platforms and the Storytel app.

On the day of the premiere, we published 2 video episodes of “Random stories” on YT. The characters, who can’t see each other, talk about everyday problems, passions and desires, which helps them grow closer via random social media platforms. At the end of the audio story, they decide to meet in real life for the first time.

The finale was followed by a music video performed by our heroes.

The whole project had an extensive digital campaign, directed at young people, and taking into account all the platforms that they use.

An average of 475 new user registrations daily throughout the whole campaign surpassing the established goal by 50%. In the first week since the premiere “Random” was attracting an average of almost 670 users daily – 72% more than in the week before the campaign. We’ve broken through the acquisition slowdown from 2020 despite pandemic restrictions still being in effect.

Average conversion rate increased to 46.7%.

12 572 saves - the best result in the history of Storytel Poland! During the campaign listeners spent 15 072h with the content.

“Random” music video took YT by storm - 92% of views were organic, resulting in 49% drop in CPI. Its average time of viewing was 3:24; the average percentage of content viewed reached 81.5% The music video generated 3 721 414 views within 9 days of its premiere!