In recent years, with the popularization of remote work and cross-border collaboration, global consumers' demand for efficient information recording tools has grown significantly. Especially in scenarios such as office work, education, and interviews, people urgently need a device that can quickly capture voice, automatically transcribe text, and intelligently organize content.

Traditional recording devices are often bulky and single-functional, while the voice transcription function of smartphones is frequently limited by privacy protection and scenario adaptability. Amidst this contradiction between demand and reality, the maturity of AI technology has brought revolutionary opportunities to the voice recording field, helping users meet various needs through features such as real-time transcription, intelligent noise reduction, and multi-language translation.

According to data from sphericalinsights, the global market size of smart recorders was estimated at $1.78 billion in 2023, and from 2023 to 2033, the market is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of about 4.52%. By 2033, the global market size of smart recorders is expected to exceed $2.77 billion, showing a vigorous development trend.

Image source: sphericalinsights

Against this market backdrop,Shenzhen brand Plaudsaw a business opportunity and entered the market with a mini AI recorder. Through correct product positioning and differentiated operational strategies, it quickly achieved impressive results in overseas markets.

According to public information, in 2023, the Plaud brand raised 78.99 million yuan in crowdfunding on the Kickstarter platform in just one month, breaking the category record for AI recorders; it then moved to the Indiegogo platform, where the crowdfunding amount directly doubled.

In 2024, its products also topped the Amazon BS list, with cumulative shipments exceeding 100,000 units,and annual revenue surpassing 700 million yuan, achieving tenfold growth.

So, what exactly makes the Plaud brand stand out in the fiercely competitive overseas market? Let’s start with its origin.

Image source: Plaud

A Brand Born from User Pain Points

It is understood that the birth of the Plaud brand originated from founder Mr. Xu's keen insight into market pain points. He found that although there are many recording devices on the market, products that truly have real-time transcription, multi-scenario adaptability, and intelligent noise reduction functions are few and far between.

For example, the well-known Google "Live Transcribe" APP, although it has over 1 billion downloads, has obvious functional limitations and cannot store audio or text records. Traditional recording pen giants such as Sony, Olympus, and Philips have seen slow and stagnant product iteration in recent years, failing to meet users' growing and diversified needs.

Based on these insights, Mr. Xu officially established Shenzhen Smart Connection Technology Co., Ltd. in 2021 and founded the Plaud brand, leading a core team from companies such as Sogou, DJI, and Anker to develop AI-powered smart recording devices, dedicated to solving users' real pain points.

Plaud's product positioning is very clear: to help users solve daily recording problems, and on this basis, also have the capabilities of voice collection, content organization, and cloud storage.

Image source: Plaud

Social Media Layout: Opening the Market with Differentiated Marketing​

In Plaud's overseas strategy, social media played a key role. The brand chose TikTok and YouTube as its main platforms, reaching target users through differentiated content. ​​

1. TikTok: Lightweight Content Resonates with Users​​

On TikTok, Plaud mainly promotes its products by collaborating with influencers in vertical fields to shoot short videos. By having influencers record real usage scenarios in daily life, users can intuitively feel the practicality of the products.

TikTok influencer @sebajurban, who has 4.3 million followers, shot a creative promotional short video for Plaud's newly launched world's smallest wearable AI smart recording device, PLAUD NotePin, in February this year. The video was released on May 30th and has so far received 882,400 views and 29,100 likes.

Image source: TikTok

In the video, influencer @sebajurban demonstrates various ways to wear the NotePin: it can be clipped to a collar, hung on a necklace, worn on a watch, or even hidden behind curtains, and he demonstrates the entire process of connecting to a smartphone for voice-to-text conversion in real time. This unedited, authentic operational style perfectly matches TikTok users' preferences, resulting in a lively response in the comments section:

Some people were influenced and said: "I want it."  

Others humorously mentioned: "My neighbor who loves gossip would probably be interested."

Some began to consider practical applications, saying: "If your child is in kindergarten or school and you want to know how the teachers treat him when he is very young, you can let him wear the PLAUD NotePin as a necklace, using technology to care for and pay attention to your child's situation!"

Image source: TikTok

2. YouTube: Professional Reviews Build Trust​​

Compared to TikTok's relaxed tone, Plaud focuses more on technical endorsement on YouTube, collaborating with professional tech influencers to release in-depth review videos to strengthen the brand's technical image.

Tech influencer Michael Soledad, who has 78,300 subscribers, is one of the brand's collaborators. He filmed an outdoor review video for the PLAUD NotePin mini AI recorder, which has reached 80,000 views so far.

In the video, Michael Soledad decorated the PLAUD NotePin recorder as his watch, deliberately choosing noisy environments such as supermarkets for actual testing, and then connecting to a smartphone at home for text export. The operation is convenient and the recording is accurate.

Image source: YouTube

From the comments below the video, it’s clear that everyone loves this mini recorder:

"Just pre-ordered, this review was very helpful to me, thank you."

"Thank you for making such a great video, because it was after watching your video that I decided to start saving up to buy one."

"Great review, thanks for sharing your thoughts!"

"Great overview, can't wait to get mine!"

Image source: YouTube

Independent Website: Building a Brand Moat​​

In addition to attracting traffic through social media platforms, Plaud also established its own overseas independent website.

The independent website is not just a sales channel, but also a carrier of the brand story. Through detailed product function analysis, usage case displays, and user data collection, Plaud can accurately analyze consumer preferences and optimize subsequent product iterations.

More importantly, the independent website also reduces Plaud's risk of relying on other platforms. When third-party stores are restricted due to policy changes, Plaud can still maintain operations through its own channels.

Image source: Plaud

Conclusion

As the global consumer market ushers in a new round of upgrades, the integration of AI and hardware remains a blue ocean full of opportunities. For Chinese companies eager to go international, Plaud's story fully proves that opportunities always belong to those who dare to break out of their comfort zone and speak with product strength.

The road to going global is certainly full of challenges, but as Plaud has shown, as long as you are down-to-earth and move forward steadily, even seemingly small products can leverage a vast market.

In the overseas market with unlimited potential, the next success story may be waiting for your brand to write!