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Spotify’s Secret, Unwrapped
Why year-in-review works—and how to copy it.
Hey — It’s Nico.
This is Behind Tactics 🧠, the Failory newsletter where I share the strategies behind the best startups.
This issue takes 7 mins to read. If you only have one, here’s what you need to know:
Spotify Wrapped is inspiring businesses to adopt personalized year-in-review features.
Grammarly and Duolingo are two of the startups engaging users with tailored recaps of their activity.
Creative design and humor make recaps more shareable.
This strategy is not for everyone; it depends on reliable data and engaging visuals.
Let’s get into it.
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The Strategy
Turning Metrics Into Magic
Spotify Wrapped is out, and if you’ve been anywhere near social media this week, you’ve definitely seen it. My feed is packed with friends sharing their top artists, most played songs, and random music stats. It’s like a yearly personality quiz—but even better. I even caught myself teasing a friend who uses Apple Music about missing out on the fun.
This little end-of-year tradition started back in 2015 and has grown into something massive. Wrapped isn’t just about showing off your music taste; it’s about making you feel connected, nostalgic, and maybe a little proud of the hours you spent listening to that one song on repeat. And the best part? People love sharing it. Every post is basically a free ad for Spotify.
It’s no wonder other companies are jumping on the bandwagon. From Apple Music to Duolingo, businesses everywhere are trying their hand at year-in-review features, although no one has done it quite like Spotify.
So, the question is: why does this approach work so well, and how can other startups, including B2B companies, apply similar strategies?
Why Everyone Loves It
The magic of Spotify Wrapped lies in how perfectly it taps into what people love most: themselves. Think about it—everyone enjoys a little spotlight, and Wrapped delivers it in a fun, personalized way. It’s like looking into a mirror that says, “Hey, here’s what made your year unique.” That alone would be enough to grab attention, but Wrapped takes it even further.
First, there’s the emotional hook. Music is personal—it soundtracks our best and worst moments. Seeing the songs and artists that carried you through the year feels nostalgic and meaningful. It’s not just data; it’s a reflection of your life, and that makes it special.
Then there’s the social factor. Wrapped isn’t just about you; it’s about everyone. The design practically begs to be shared. Bright colors, bold graphics, and stats you can brag about make it irresistible for Instagram Stories or a group chat flex. And once people start sharing, it creates a ripple effect. Your friends see your Wrapped and feel the urge to share theirs—or maybe even to join Spotify if they aren’t already using it.
Wrapped also works because it’s sneaky marketing. Without saying a word about subscriptions or features, it reminds you of just how much value Spotify adds to your life. It’s a subtle nudge, reinforcing why you’re paying for Premium or why it might be time to upgrade if you’re still on the free tier. And all of this is done in a way that feels effortless and fun.
Wrapped for Every Industry
So, Spotify Wrapped is great. But can it actually be copied into just any SaaS business, no matter the industry? The short answer: not exactly. Wrapped’s magic lies in how it leverages music data, which doesn’t translate directly to every product. But that doesn’t mean the idea can’t be adapted.
One approach, which I talked about a couple of months ago, are value recap emails. These are personalized emails that summarize how much value your product has delivered to a user—similar to the way Wrapped reflects on a year of music.
Grammarly does this beautifully with their weekly writing updates. They highlight metrics like the number of words you’ve written, your most common grammar mistakes, and even how productive you’ve been compared to other users. It’s engaging, feels personal, and serves as a subtle reminder of why Grammarly is worth using. Sure, they don’t have the social buzz of Spotify Wrapped—no one’s posting their Grammarly report on Instagram—but they deliver something just as important: a clear and consistent reminder of the value Grammarly brings to your daily life.
But emails aren’t the only option. If you’re a B2C company, you could integrate a year-in-review feature directly into your app or website. Imagine a fitness app showing your workout milestones for the year or a gaming platform showcasing your top achievements. The format might differ, but the goal is the same: to make users feel proud of what they’ve accomplished with your product.
No matter the approach, the steps to adapt this strategy are pretty universal:
Gather the Data: Start by identifying what information you’re already collecting that’s meaningful to your users. This could be time saved, progress made, or milestones hit.
Choose the Key Metrics: Narrow down to the metrics that best highlight your product’s value. For example, a project management tool might focus on tasks completed or time saved.
Make It Visually Appealing: Design matters. Use charts, graphics, or animations to present the data in a way that’s both clear and delightful to look at.
Make It Shareable: Finally, ensure users can easily share their recap. Whether it’s a “Share to Instagram” button or a downloadable image, make the process seamless.
With this in mind, let’s look at two examples of companies that have successfully adapted the Spotify Wrapped idea into other industries:
Duolingo: Every year, Duolingo compiles user stats into a personalized “Year in Review.” It highlights metrics like total XP earned, streaks maintained, and the number of new words learned.
Mastodon: This year, Mastodon launched its first-ever year-in-review feature, dubbed "Wrapstodon." It showcases data such as the number of new followers, most-used hashtags, and total posts.
Should I?
Why This Works
It Highlights Your Value: Recap strategies give users a clear picture of what they’ve gained from your product. Whether it’s time saved, tasks completed, or milestones achieved, showing users the tangible impact reinforces the importance of your tool in their lives.
Easy and Cost-Effective: If you’re already collecting user data, implementing a recap strategy is surprisingly simple and budget-friendly. The heavy lifting—gathering and organizing the data—is already done. All that’s left is packaging it in a visually appealing way, making this a low-cost, high-impact way to engage your audience.
Turns Users into Advertisers: If you can design a year-in-review that people genuinely want to share, you’ve unlocked a powerful form of free advertising. A well-crafted recap can turn your users into enthusiastic promoters, spreading the word about your product across their social networks at no extra cost to you.
Strengthens Retention: By regularly reminding users of your product’s benefits, you reduce the risk of them churning. It’s much harder to walk away from a tool that’s consistently showing you how much it’s helping.
How to Apply It
Focus on Metrics That Tell a Story: Choose data points that resonate emotionally with your users. It’s not just about what’s measurable—it’s about what feels meaningful. For instance, instead of just showing how many tasks were completed, highlight milestones like “You saved X hours, enough to binge-watch your favorite show!”
Make Sharing Irresistible: Don’t just slap a share button on the recap. Add something extra, like fun visuals or badges users can show off. For example, award “Productivity Master” or “Top Achiever” titles to make the recap feel like an achievement worth sharing.
Leverage User Comparisons Carefully: Show how users compare to peers, but tread lightly. For example, framing it as “You’re in the top 10% of task completers” can feel empowering, but avoid anything that might come off as judgmental or discouraging.
Consider Value Recap Emails: Even if creating a Spotify Wrapped-style feature isn’t feasible for your product, value recap emails are a great alternative. They’re simpler to implement and achieve a similar goal: reminding users of how much they’ve gained from your tool.
Use Humor and Tap Into Trends: Add a touch of humor or reference current social media trends to make your recap feel fresh and relatable. Notice how Duolingo and Mastodon both use humor in their reviews. This makes people more likely to share them.
Yes, But
It’s Not Universally Exciting: Unlike music, which naturally carries emotional weight, some industries struggle to make their data feel compelling. For example, showing “20 invoices processed” might not spark the same enthusiasm as “Your top artist of the year.”
Sharing Isn’t Always Natural: In many industries, users might not feel comfortable—or interested—in sharing their recap publicly. For instance, productivity stats or financial savings could feel too personal or unremarkable to broadcast.
Requires Reliable Data: If your platform doesn’t collect accurate or meaningful data, the recap can come across as irrelevant or even misleading. Users won’t be impressed by generic stats or estimates that don’t feel precise or tailored.
It Can Backfire for Inactive Users: Sending a recap to users who haven’t engaged much with your product can highlight a lack of value rather than success. For these users, the strategy might inadvertently push them closer to churn instead of re-engaging them.
Keep Learning
Others Playing It
Reddit Recap shows users a summary of their activity in the platform. It includes things like total upvotes and downvotes, most frequent subreddits, and even total scroll distance (measured in bananas for some reason).
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That’s all for this edition.
Cheers,
Nico