How We Made $17,000 in One Month with a One-Time Payment SaaS—No Ads Needed 🚀

3 weeks ago, I shared my first article on IH about our tool, Gramlab.io. The article, titled "How We Built an Instagram Tool in 15 Days—and Turned Down $85,000," resonated with so many of you builders. 🚀

Today, I’m excited to share the next chapter of our journey. Spoiler: We just hit $17,000 in revenue in a single month without spending a cent on ads. And guess what? We didn’t even use subscriptions. Yep, you read that right. 😉

In this article, I’ll share:

• Why we chose a one-time payment business model instead of the typical SaaS subscription.
• The results we’ve seen so far (spoiler: +3 million Close Friends added on Instagram!).
• What’s next for Gramlab and our plan to scale in 2025.

Let’s dive in! 🌊

Why a One-Time Payment Model for SaaS?
When we started brainstorming Gramlab’s pricing, the default was obvious: subscriptions. That’s the SaaS playbook, right? But the more we thought about it, the more we realized something:

Does every SaaS really need to be subscription-based?

Here’s why we leaned into a one-time payment model instead:

1. Immediate ROI for Customers
   With Gramlab.io, the value is instant. Users pay once, and their Instagram story views skyrocket. Between 5x and 10x more views = more engagement, more leads, and more sales for our customers. No waiting months to see the impact. 💥

2. Low Friction = High Conversion
   Subscriptions are a big mental hurdle. “Do I really want another monthly payment?” With a one-time purchase, users don’t hesitate. They pay, they get results, done. It’s simple. It’s clean.

3. Dynamic Pricing = Higher Revenue
   We designed our pricing to scale with the size of the Instagram account. Larger accounts pay more, but they also get more value (think massive reach and engagement). For example:

Accounts with 10k followers pay $100.
Accounts with 1M followers pay ~$3,500.

4. The Power of FOMO
   One-time payment creates urgency. It’s not an ongoing decision; it’s now or never. And that mindset drives sales. 🛒

Our Results After 1 Month: $17,000 and Counting
Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve achieved since launch:

✅ 3 million Close Friends added on Instagram.
✅ 250+ signups and 85 paying users—a conversion rate of over 30%!
✅ $17,000 in revenue (gross), with a $15,000+ profit margin.
✅ Zero dollars spent on ads.

Breaking Down the Market Insights
As we scaled, we started to notice patterns in our users. Here’s a breakdown of our top markets:

🇧🇷 Brazil

210 users
15% conversion rate
$170 average spend
Unexpected, right? Brazil is Instagram’s second-largest market, but lower purchasing power means lower conversion rates.

🇫🇷 France

176 users
53% conversion rate
$115 average spend
France was our natural starting point. It’s our home market, and we know the audience well.

🇺🇸 United States

41 users
42% conversion rate
$375 average spend
This was the biggest surprise. While we had fewer users, the average basket size was 3x higher than in France. Clearly, the US market is where we should double down.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Early traction, similar to the US, but not enough data yet. Promising!
Distribution: How We Sold Without Ads
So how did we get all those sales without spending on ads? Here’s our playbook:

Telegram Groups of Infopreneurs
We shared Gramlab in Telegram communities full of creators, coaches, and consultants. The ROI was a no-brainer for them.

Affiliate Program
We launched a generous 30% revenue share affiliate program. It helped us tap into networks we’d never reach otherwise.

SEO
We invested in SEO early. Gramlab is already ranking high for keywords like “Close Friends automation” and “Instagram growth hacks.” 📈

Instagram DMs
We targeted profiles using tools like Linktree (a sign they’re monetizing Instagram). A quick DM, and they were hooked.

What’s Next for Gramlab.io?

Focus on the US Market
Higher spending power, better conversions, and huge potential. The US is our top priority moving forward.

Launch Ads
We’ve validated the product and pricing. Now it’s time to scale with ads and influencer partnerships.

Expand Features
We’re working on advanced analytics and more integrations to add even more value for our users.

What Do You Think About One-Time SaaS Models?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Let's grow with no VCs guys 🚀