The broken funnel
Echo lets you share a precise timestamp inside a podcast. Sharing was feature #1… but 41% of recipients closed the link before playback.
Why? https://echo.fm/p/123?t=42 opened the mobile browser, which asked “Open in Echo?” via a Smart App Banner — easy to miss, easy to ignore.
The fix
Migrated every share link to https://e.shoort.xyz/<id> with config:
- iOS / Android:
echo://p/123?t=42(deep link) - Web: web player page
With Universal Links, iOS opens the app directly when installed — no user interaction.
30-day results
- Drop-off: 41% → 8% (−33 points)
- Sessions per user: +27%
- NPS: +14 points (no more “it doesn't work” complaints)
Takeaway
Sharing is viral only if the experience is smooth. One more banner = one more drop-off. Universal Links turn a link into a direct shortcut.