Why Blinkist Is Every Nerd’s Favorite App

‘Nerd’ used to be used as an insult but as tech-focused culture became mainstream, being seen to be smart is now a mark of pride. People once called nerds are now setting the standard of what it is to be cool.

As staying up-to-speed intellectually is now more important than ever, one app has gained popularity with nerds worldwide. It helps them fit reading and learning into their day, allowing them to quickly expand their knowledge about a wide range of things. That app is Blinkist.

Blinkist shares key insights from nonfiction books in 15-minute reads and listens. It has 4,000 titles across 27 categories like productivity, psychology and personal development.

The app was first created in 2012 by four friends—Niklas Jansen, Tobi Balling, Holger Seim and Sebastian Klein—who loved to spend time reading and learning. However, with full-time jobs and busy schedules, they struggled to find time for it. The friends discovered that they could share the main lessons from nonfiction books with each other in about 15 minutes, and so created an app that does exactly that.

When we started most apps were for social media or gaming. We wanted to do something different and build an app that would add genuine value to someone’s life. – Holger Seim, CEO of BlinkistFrom left: The Blinkist founders: Niklas Jansen, Tobi Balling and Holger Seim. (Not pictured: Sebastian Klein)

Fast forward eight years and now Blinkist is a hugely successful app in the education space. It’s got 14 million users in almost every country around the world, has won awards from the likes of the UN and Google, and has raised $35 million in funding.

What started with an idea by four book-loving friends has grown into a tool nerdy knowledge-lovers use to read and learn. Here’s why those who love to learn rate it so much.

1. A Book Explained in 15 Minutes

Many people love to read, especially anyone who loves to learn. However, between work and personal commitments, reading can often fall to the bottom of the to-do list. That’s where Blinkist comes in.

The app shares only the most informative parts of a book, so users can access all of the key messages in about 15 minutes. People looking to learn new things love this efficient way of getting information and the fact it allows them to fit reading into even the busiest of days.

Get the most important parts of a book in 15 minutes

For example, if users wanted to read Yuval Noah Harari’s bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind it would take them about nine hours. With Blinkist, they can get the core information in 19 minutes. With the time they’ve saved, users could also check out Harari’s other books, Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, taking in all three in about 45 minutes.

I’ve just finished reading/listening to my 5th book in 3hours on @blinkist ! Amazing App!!! Can’t wait to read more!👌🏼😘❤️🥰💯💃🏻

— 👑BellaChy🍯 (@thebellachy) September 23, 2019

Learning On the Go

Those who love to learn often want to make the most of their time by squeezing in learning wherever they can. However, in daily life there are plenty of small pockets of time where it’s hard to get anything productive done—just take your commute for example.

Blinkist offers a solution to this problem with its audio content. Every book explainer on the app can be listened to as well as read, meaning users can learn on the go and can multitask while commuting, cooking or working out, making it another efficient way of learning.

What’s more, Blinkist’s audio content uses sound effects and more than one narrator to make the audio as engaging as possible.

We created Blinkist as a way to make it easier for people to fit more learning into their lives. With the addition of audio, we’re moving closer to our vision to become the ultimate destination for lifelong learners. – Holger Seim, CEO of Blinkist

It’s Backed by Science

Everyone who loves to learn knows if something is backed by scientific theories, it’s worth checking out. The Blinkist app uses neuroscientific research methods in its content to help its users learn.

These include things like case studies and real-life examples that turn big ideas into easy-to-understand takeaways. These examples also make the content more memorable, so users remember everything they learn on the app, from dinner party conversation-starters to useful life hacks.

For example, let’s take a look at Sapiens again. Blinkist’s explainer of this epic book includes all of the overall messages and some interesting specific facts, too, including how the first laws were made and how to visualize the history of humankind in a way that makes it easy to remember.

Blinkist uses science-based learning techniques to help users remember what they learn

Always Find Something New to Learn

Intellectual types usually love learning just for the sake of learning itself and can turn their attention to anything interesting. With Blinkist, there’s an endless library of things to learn about.

There are already 4,000 titles in the app and the team adds insights from 70 new books each month, covering everything from AI with Human Compatible to history with Origin Story to biography with Einstein.

Users can get help deciding what to read with the app’s expertly-curated lists. These include books around certain topics, like stoicism or astrophysics, or recommendations from interesting figures, like organizational psychologist Adam Grant and Blinkist’s own CEO, Holger Seim.

There’s so much information in the world today, and it seems as if there is less time than ever before. Blinkist’s team of experts sifts through books for me to find the signal and avoid the noise. – Aidan McCullen, Athlete & Media Personality

To make the most of this breadth, users can check out the “Blink of the Day” on the app. This suggests a new explainer to check out each day that can range from anything from entrepreneurship to philosophy. This is a favorite feature of many users as they love the randomness of the daily recommendation. They can learn about something they may not have ever thought about, keep their minds open and dive into random interesting topics.

Explore thousands of titles across 27 categories on the Blinkist app

Learn About a Wide Range of Things

Who doesn’t love to be well-read? As well as catching up on their own reading lists, users can broaden their knowledge even more. They can learn about topics from a wide range of categories, with everything from psychology to philosophy and science to history.

For example, for someone interested in all things science, they could check out titles like The Chemistry Book, Happy Accidents and Adventures in Human Being and dive into topics like the history of chemistry inventions, accidental medical discoveries and how the human body works.

Users can follow their current interests, become an expert in something completely new, and keep up-to-date with the latest in several fields.

To make finding new books easy, Blinkist uses machine learning in its recommendation feature. Here, the app learns what users like and gives them tailored recommendations for other titles they’ll probably like, too, so they’re never stuck for what to check out next.

I read a lot of management, self-improvement, and entrepreneurial books through Blinkist because I can gain specific knowledge on my industry or on ways to improve myself. – Steven Renwick, CPO of Regis24

One of the World’s Best Apps

Clever people love anything that’s built by other clever people. The four Blinkist founders are all self-confessed lifelong learners and each employee and expert behind the app loves to learn, too.

Apple CEO Tim Cook likes the app and it’s even been mentioned in Tim Ferriss’ latest book Tribe of Mentors. Big organizations have also taken note. The app has won awards from Google for its design and from the UN for its work in the learning and education field.

With Blinkist you can boost your knowledge and gain new perspectives so that you can be a better professional, a better partner, or a better you. – The United Nations

Nerds love Blinkist because they can learn widely and quickly. If you, too, want to learn like a nerd, download Blinkist to get started.