Pillow Play: Using Technology To Reconnect Couples

Describe Pillow Play in 50 words or less.

Pillow Play is the app teaching the art of intimacy to busy couples in a whole new way. Couples pick an episode, press play and follow along as they are lead through an intimacy nurturing experience.

How did you discover the need for this app? What real life problem do you think you’re solving?

I work as a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist in London and constantly found myself working with people who felt like technology played an unwanted role in their relationships. When I met Darren. J. Smith, Pillow Play’s Founder, our conversations turned into an idea about how we could turn the problem into the solution. How we could make taking your phone into your bedroom a good thing, and use it to actually connect with the person next to you, rather than being distracted by it.

The problem that we face in today’s world is that we are never really on our own, our phones are always beside us, we are constantly interrupted, and the ability to switch off is rare; and this isn’t going to change. Technology is great when we are away from those we love, but can get between us when we are together, and this is where we think Pillow Play can help.

When listening to the sessions in the app, I personally felt more relaxed in an instant – what are your other user’s experiences?

The thing that we hoped for making this product is that it would help bring couples together and give them a space to just be completely focused on each other, and that’s the feedback we are getting which is so wonderful to hear. We worked hard on choosing the right voice artists, calm but happy, playful but confident and most importantly that it’s someone people would want to listen to and take into their private spaces with them. A huge positive for us has been about how comfortable people have felt listening to the episodes, that they find them calming and enjoyable. The feedback in general has just been that it works and it’s fun!

Are your clients using the app like you imagined it in the beginning?

Yes, and at the moment we have a subscription model which means that users are trying more than one episode which we are really happy about. We also introduced a free mini introductory series, with five minute episodes, that allows people to try before they buy.

Our hope is that people will see that taking as little as five minutes out of your day can be of much bigger benefit to your relationship. It’s also moving away from the model of ‘read now, do later’ as the advice is given in real time.

What do you think is the main benefit for people to download and use the app over others?

The main benefit is that it just brings two people who are in a relationship together. Whether or not Pillow Play is for you, the message is clear. We want to help people invest in their relationships, it’s about setting aside some uninterrupted time just for you as a couple and committing to it. Life is really busy and it creeps into our relationships with others, whether it’s having no time, being too tired for sex, not communicating – we are all guilty of it.

Why download Pillow Play over other apps? It’s got all the tips you need in one place and offers you a genuine experience via technology but it’s all about the users.

What were the biggest challenges you faced building Pillow Play?

Our biggest challenge is around services not allowing SexTech products. Although our app has no sexually explicit language and is based around intimacy rather than sex, inevitably the subjects are connected. Some of our episodes are more physical and touch-based, so it is about making sure that we can fulfil all the criteria for both the providers and our customers so that everyone is happy.

In what ways do you measure your success and how do you make sure you don’t lose track?

Success at the moment for us is about every new download, subscription, and good review. Our mission is to help one million couples boost intimacy in their relationships by 2020 and so each and every user is a step towards that. Making sure we don’t loose track is the easy bit, we are all so dedicated to our product and our mission, and we have a great team of people behind Pillow Play making it happen.

What are your plans for the near future and how do you plan to address them?

Darren is currently away on Start Up Chile which is our first cash injection, and then we will be going for funding later this year to raise capital so that we can do all the things that are on our to do list! One of the first things to do it set up the app so that it can be used on Android as it is currently iPhone only, and then just to really develop the app and make it the best that it can be, and get the word out, so that people know about it.

We also have guest writers and sex and relationship experts getting involved and writing episodes, so it is about building a platform on which we can share these amazing expertise, and giving them a way of being easily able to spread their knowledge.

7 years from now: How did the app change the world?

By hitting our target of having boosted intimacy in one million relationships worldwide. There are so many products that exist to create relationships, but very few that actually focus on maintaining and helping them. As a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist I know that this is the hard bit, relationships take work and we have to put in the effort, but often people just expect relationships to exist and be perfect like a Hollywood movie.

If Pillow Play could change the world in one way it would be about helping people to appreciate each other, and encouraging them to look away from their screens and look into their partner’s eyes and realise how that feeling is irreplaceable.

What was your most memorable moment so far?

When we found out that Esther Perel is recommending Pillow Play in her online workshop Rekindling Desire, which helps people reignite passion in their relationships. She is a thought leader and world renowned intimacy expert so to have someone like her recommending Pillow Play is so exciting and encouraging for us.

What advice would you give fellow founders for their startup?

Don’t give up. It feels hard at times, especially when you are giving so much of your time but don’t really feel like you are getting anywhere, but it will happen. If you have passion and a clear vision you will get there, it is just about taking every small step at a time, even though you just want to rush to the finish line.

Sounds interesting? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Kate to learn more!

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