Verkout
The daily Instagram workout
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Brian Dainton

Verkout - The daily Instagram workout

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Verkout
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Every day, Verkout turns one Instagram workout into a routine you can run in the app. Rounds, reps, timers, more.
Always a new fitness professional.
Always a full-body effort in 30 minutes or less.
Social: @verkoutapp

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Tom Bielecki
I'm wondering about how sustainable this is. Are you collaborating or revenue sharing with the creators? Or getting permission to use their workouts? On one hand you are amplifying their reach, but you're also monetizing on the content.
Brian Dainton
Maker
@tombielecki Thanks for the question. Indeed, the use of each fitness professional’s IG content was a huge early question mark as I built this, so...I asked. I reach out personally to each fitness pro about a week in advance of their workout’s release, letting them know that I run Verkout, an app that turns Instagram workout posts into runnable routines, then (a key point I didn’t express in my first comment above) promotes THEIR top money-making products at the end of the workout. Not all of the pros get back to me, of course, but a high percentage do. To IG personalities with large audiences, I suspect my message gets lost in the shuffle or disregarded. It’s expected. I’m small potatoes, for now. When I’ve indicated that the promotion of their Instagram account, their workout/content, and their top endorsed products to a new audience is all completely free, no strings attached, I’ve received many thumbs up and have had a lot of conversations as well about how they make money and how I can best support them. Indeed, part of my motivation for building the app was to support and celebrate the fitness pros who haven’t necessarily hit such elite status that they get an app of their own (where they’re featured solo or with a small group). Some who DO have apps promote them directly within Verkout at the end of a workout! There is no rev share opportunity. I just ask that they let me know if they want me to pull the workout before it features. So far, no one has made such a request. 🤞 For the fitness pros, since I manually package/structure each workout and product endorsement on their behalf (they don't do it themselves), Verkout represents a fitness-centric, zero-cost, zero-effort lead gen channel for their existing money-making products. Certainly, it’s early innings, but this effective trade of content for account and product promotion is showing the symptoms of sustainability.
Brian Dainton
Maker
Hi! I'm Brian. I built Verkout. Yes, it's a fitness app, but don't roll your eyes or click away YET. Yes, there are *countless* options for getting in shape (apps, OrangeTheory, Peloton, yoga, 5x5 lifting, Barre, more) and THEY ALL WORK if: - you stick to it regularly, and - you are fairly discipined in the kitchen. As COVID has pushed all of us indoors and as I've used other workout apps, I've found that -- if I blur my eyes a little bit -- they all feel very much the same, not necessarily UX-wise, but flow- and value-wise. I've found them universally FULL of friction, especially for someone trying to get (back) on the fitness wagon: - give me your stats (height, weight, age, current fitness level) - let's set your workout schedule. should we do 3 times each week? morning, noon, or night? - create an account and give us your email so we can send you healthy meal options - tap here to track your calories - sync your smart watch so we can track your vitals - ok time to do a workout... - do you want to do 15mins, 30, 45, or an hour? - beginner, intermediate or advanced? - arms/legs/glutes/core/cardio, which do you want to do? - ... GAH. Too many questions. Too much effort. I'm already tired. So, I built Verkout to be as FRICTIONLESS as possible and to be consistently FRESH and interesting. No signup. No email. No goal-setting. No pestering. No credit card. No questions. No thinking. JUST MOVING. Every day, Verkout showcases a new fitness pro from the world of Instagram and a full-body workout pulled from their posts. We convert their Instagram workout post into a structured routine that you can run through in the app: rounds, reps, timers, pause, skip ahead or back, more. We alternate between men and women, promoting a diversity of faces, body types, and workout difficulties. Not a huge fan of today's Daily Verkout? Swipe up to access older content, or search to find something a little bit more specific. The last 5 days of workout content is always free, or you can upgrade to Verkout Premium for $3/mo to access every workout in the archive. This focus on Simplicity + Surprise results in a product that: - makes fitness consistency easy and enjoyable, and - showcases and supports the incredible diversity of inspiring fitness professionals on Instagram. I've connected with hundreds of them and they're great. My wife and I (and a handful of friends) have been doing the Daily Verkout nearly every day since I quietly launched the app in mid-December (2020). Of course we're biased, but we love it. And we're getting definite personal results. Six-pack at age 45? It's gonna happen. It's only available on iOS atm. Sorry, Androids. I'll get there once I prove out the model. Thanks for reading, y'all. Questions, comments, concerns?
Omar Mohamed
Big Verkout fan! Makes it super easy to just get a workout done for the day and is way more surprising than your normal workout app.
Brian Dainton
Maker
@o__mohamed Thanks Omar!
Bruce Massey
Take a Bow
Brian Dainton
Maker
@brucemassey Thanks! Building and iterating has been incredibly fun and rewarding. Now...I'm off to find others who see the same value the early adopters have. 🤞
Scott Faust
Have been an early user of the app and love it! Verkout has become the daily way I stay fit and not get bored. Excited to see where the app goes from here!
Brian Dainton
Maker
@togga_scott Thanks, Scott!
Dheeraj Bhardwaj
If the last 5 days are actually free, I'm totally up for trying it for a week or so. If I can get back on track, I wouldn't mind actually paying for some diet related or custom workout routines. Btw, is there any plan for an Android or a Mac app? 😁
Brian Dainton
Maker
@dheeraj_bhardwaj Terrific. Yep, the most recent 5 days are ALWAYS free. Thanks for giving it a go, Dheeraj! Please ping me or @verkoutapp if you encounter any issues. Yes, I intend to ship an Android version as soon as I feel like the model's been proven on iOS. No plans for a Mac app atm. If you're seeking a display on a larger screen, you can either 1.) share to an Apple TV via Airplay (we do that a lot here at home), or 2.) be on the lookout for Chromecast support (I've heard this request from a few regular users who don't have Apple TVs, and I intend to build it out). In building this out, I'd ALSO like to support landscape display, which is not a dealbreaking feature, imho, but just makes a lot more sense for those who want to see it on a big screen.
Dwamian Mcleish
I totally had the NAFAA (not another fitness app attitude) at first but after downloading I am totally mind blown! I am a fan of grabbing workouts from IG but was usually annoyed that they were really organized in a way that helps me follow along properly. Great job @bdainton with making IG workouts sane! Super simple interface and I also love the notifications in the morning that keep me accountable! Can't wait to see how it grows!
Brian Dainton
Maker
@dwamian_mcleish Thanks so much for your interest and support.