Nostr’s Retention Problem: A Structural Diagnosis
Nostr retains 1-2% of new users by week one, dropping below 1% by week three. Independent analysis of five public relays shows zap value highly concentrated, with the top 1% of recipients capturing over 60% of all value and the median recipient receiving around 100 sats. Default follow lists appear to play a role: A small number of accounts are followed by a large proportion of new users, creating an engagement gap between listed and unlisted accounts. The article proposes onboarding flows that prioritise user agency, letting new users build their own feed, as a structural way to distribute attention more broadly over time.