Everyone wants to think of themselves as the kind of person who will hop out of bed to go watch the sunrise, or to explore a new corner of their city on a Friday night instead of staying in. But the reality that many of us struggle with is that those things go against the grain, while sitting on the couch and scrolling is the path of least resistance. Sometimes, what you need is a gentle reminder to break out of your comfort zone — a nudge in the right direction, if you will.
The Nudge, a text-based personal planning app, is there to be that reminder by sending things-to-do suggestions right to your text inbox three times a week, in the same way you might expect to get a text from a friend inviting you out for a weekend activity.
The app began in San Francisco in 2018, and has since spread to 10 cities across the U.S. The DC branch began just over a year ago, in September 2021. Since then, they’ve amassed a significant userbase; nationally, there are over 800,000 users. According to Hallie Richie, the DC city director, over half of the female Gen Z and Millennial population in DC are subscribed to the Nudge.
The plans can range from an early-morning excursion to watch the sunrise over a sunflower field — one of Richie’s favorite past plans — to an unexpected fitness class or a hole-in-the-wall wine bar. There are also Nudge-hosted events, where users get the chance to meet and mingle with other Nudgers if they’re looking for new friends.
The activities and recommendations that are featured in the plans are bona-fide recommendations from the team at The Nudge, and are not influenced by sponsorships.
“We are always … just kind of living our lives in DC, finding new places. All of the spots that we recommend are always places that we’ve been and vetted and love,” Richie says. “And that’s how we really try to maintain our authenticity as people in your inbox.”
And, unlike many of the text notifications that may fill your phone, there are real people managing the notifications at The Nudge — meaning you can send a text right back and it’ll reach a member of the team, not a bot. Richie says that back-and-forth model is one of the ways they can stay connected with their audience and get feedback to inform new itineraries.
Users have the option to either subscribe for free, or to pay $5 per month for access to The Nudge Plus. The premium subscription comes with a few added bonuses: deals with local businesses, plans that are seasonal or more exclusive (think small-capacity venues that can’t take the full mailing list), and perhaps the most significant bonus, access to “the vault,” a feature of the app that allows users to view every past itinerary no matter when it was originally released.
How can you get the most out of the app? Richie says the best way is to start off with the free version, and “treat the texts you receive like a friend is sending you suggestions.”
“Commit to doing one every two weeks or something like that … I think we all really get in ruts of going to the same place and doing the same things,” Richie says. “This is really just a free way to do something new and get outside your comfort zone.”
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