This was, hands down, the #1 question in our initial focus groups and surveys: But, what’s going to incentivize the people who are sharing their career experiences in oyster 1:1 Chats?
The truth is, high-value career conversations—the ones that lead to insights, referrals, and a new perspective—are already happening. The problem is that they are dependent on tired, transactional networking strategies that offer unpredictable outcomes. oyster changes that. We’ve intentionally designed the platform to manufacture serendipity, making candid, high-impact connection a systematic and common occurrence.
At oyster, we’ve fundamentally changed the equation by baking reciprocal value and recognition into the DNA of every 1:1 Chat.
Three reasons to partake in an oyster 1:1 chat
1. The Intrinsic Reward: The Joy of Paying it Forward
People fundamentally like talking about themselves! This holds true for their career journeys, experiences, and lessons learned. And when you remove the pressure of a job ask, focusing purely on insight gathering, you’ll find that most people are happy to chat, and the conversation flows naturally.
- Proof-is-in-the-pudding: Our founder’s personal experience found a 80% hit rate when reaching out to senior executives, proving the appetite for conversation is there (even with execs that don’t know you!) when the outreach is thoughtful and genuine, coming from a place of curiosity and exploration, not transaction or with ‘strings attached’.
- It’s in the oyster design: To ensure every chat remains exploratory and candid, oyster provides users with recommended prompts (e.g., “Can you tell me about your favorite project? What skill sets were you using on a day-to-day basis?”).
By the way, at oyster, we believe EVERYONE has a career story worth sharing. This remains true whether you’re actively looking to pivot or you believe your work is too niche or ordinary to be interesting. On oyster, there is always someone who will find your current and prior career experiences interesting and valuable.
2. The Social Reward: The Pearl Progression System
Forget the vanity of follower counts. We use a Pearl Progression badging system (mirroring the integrity of a two-way review system like Airbnb) to recognize and reward people sharing their career experiences and advice.
- Every 15-minute chat (rated 4 or 5 pearls) earns you a pearl, and certain amounts of pearls equate to tiered badges that go on your profile.
- Over time, these different tiers denote you as a trusted Lighthouse in the oyster community.
- Down the line: Inadvertedly, this verified activity is organically creating a high-quality talent pipeline that organizations might see as valuable currency, worthy of reward and acknowledgment.
- For Beta Users: Get exclusive early perks like stickers, T-shirts, and gift cards for coffee!
3. The Reciprocal Reward: AI-Powered Matching for Mutual Gain
We use our proprietary AI matching not just to pair you with people who need your advice, but with people who have something to give to you.
- We track your preferences for what you want to gain from oyster (e.g., knowledge about a new tech stack, collaborators for a side hustle).
- Our system strategically connects you with individuals who synergistically match that need—be it a younger professional with platform expertise or a potential collaborator in an adjacent field.
The true incentive is simple: oyster makes helping others feel good, gives you tangible recognition, and ensures that the act of giving also results in unexpected opportunities for receiving.
oyster Beta is launching in 2026.
Bringing out the best of humanity.
https://oyster.thekindsocialmediacompany.com
