I had no idea TikTok slideshows could get apps to 1000s in MRR

I kept seeing people on X talk about getting their apps to 1000s in MRR using slideshows. They were not polished ads either. A lot of them looked more like normal UGC posts that someone had made for their own account.

That got me curious.

I wanted to understand why it worked and whether there were patterns behind it. So I started looking through a lot of these posts.

Pretty quickly, I noticed that the same formats kept showing up across completely different niches.

The topic changes, but the reason people keep swiping is usually the same. They want to see the answer, the result, the next part of the story, or what other people chose.

These are the 10 formats I found most interesting, along with the types of apps they could work for.

1. Educational tips, lessons, and mistakes

This is probably the easiest format to adapt.

The post usually starts with something like:

• 5 things I wish I knew before...
• 3 mistakes I kept making...
• What I learned after 30 days...

Then each slide gives one small piece of advice.

This could work for budgeting apps, fitness apps, language learning apps, productivity apps, creator tools, and basically anything that helps someone learn or improve at something.

The important thing is that the creator should talk about the lesson in their own way. The app can appear in the screenshots or as part of how they did it, but it should not feel like a list of product features.

2. Emotional advice & reveals

These posts usually start with a feeling that people recognise, then build toward a line, piece of advice, or reveal.

This seems like a good fit for mental health apps, meditation apps, journaling apps, dating apps, relationship products, and wellness apps.

For example, a creator could make a slideshow about anxiety, overthinking, or trying to move on from someone. The app might appear as something they used along the way, but it does not need to be the main point of the post.

The emotion gets people to stop. The reveal or advice gets them to keep swiping.

3. Curated roundups and rankings

This format is just a list of recommendations.

For example:

• 5 apps I actually use
• My favourite apps for planning trips
• 5 tools that made working from home easier
• The best apps for learning a language

This could work for travel apps, shopping apps, food apps, productivity apps, finance apps, and marketplaces.

It is also useful because the app does not have to be the only thing in the post. It can appear as one recommendation among several, which makes the whole thing feel more real and less like an ad.

4. Problem-solution checklists

This format starts with a problem that the viewer might recognise in themselves.

For example:

• 3 signs your routine is not working
• Why you keep losing track of your money
• If you struggle with planning, try this
• Signs you need a better way to organise your day

This could work well for finance apps, fitness apps, productivity apps, skincare apps, dating apps, and wellness products.

The creator starts with the problem, goes through the different signs, and then shows what helped them.

That gives the app a natural place in the post. It becomes part of the solution instead of being introduced as a random product at the end.

5. Interactive choices and participation

This was the strongest format in the examples I looked at. The top five interactive slideshows added up to 221.5M views.

The basic idea is to get the viewer to make a choice:

• Which one would you choose?
• A or B?
• Pick your favourite
• What would you do?
• Which room looks better?

This could work for design apps, fashion apps, dating apps, food apps, shopping apps, quiz apps, and community products.

It works because people want to look at all the options before deciding. It also gives them an obvious reason to comment.

6. Transformations and proof

This is a before-and-after format.

You show where someone started, what changed, and what the result looked like.

This could work for photo editing apps, video editing apps, fitness apps, language apps, habit apps, skincare products, home design apps, and finance apps.

The result should be real and easy to understand. Screenshots, dates, and visible changes make the post feel more convincing.

The app works best when it is shown as part of the process. Normally people put the app / product as the last slide with some text like "thanks to this"

7. Relatable one-liners and memes

These posts are usually built around one very specific frustration.

The goal is for someone to see it and think, “That is exactly me.”

This could work for almost any app that solves a common annoyance. Budgeting, productivity, dating, fitness, shopping, travel, and creator apps all have problems people can relate to.

The important thing is not to force the product into the joke.

The creator can make the post about the frustration, and the app can show up naturally through the creator’s profile, comments, or a quick screenshot if it actually makes sense.

8. Audio and music showcases

In this format, the sound is the main content. The slides create a mood or give the sound some context.

This is the most obvious fit for music apps, meditation apps, sleep apps, playlist apps, ASMR products, and audio tools.

A creator might show a mood, a playlist, a sound they use to sleep, or a song that matches a particular feeling.

For other types of apps, this format is probably less useful unless audio is part of the product.

9. Personal stories and timelines

This format tells a story across several slides.

The first slide introduces a situation or problem. Each next slide answers one question while creating another.

This could work for dating apps, travel apps, wellness apps, habit apps, education apps, and creator tools.

The creator might talk about how they found the app, what they used it for, and what happened next.

The app should appear as part of the story. It does not need to be the entire story.

10. News, scores, and updates

This format depends on something happening right now.

It could work for sports apps, news apps, event apps, travel apps, weather apps, gaming apps, or community products.

The first slide should explain what happened. The following slides can add context, updates, or consequences.

This is not really an evergreen format, but it can work very well when the app is connected to something people are already paying attention to.

What I found interesting

The app does not need to be the entire post.

That is probably the most important part of using UGC to promote an app. The creator is making something that fits their own account and audience. The app just appears as part of the story, the recommendation, the result, or the thing they used to make the post.

That is very different from giving someone a list of product features and asking them to turn it into an ad.

The interactive format was the strongest one in the examples I looked at, followed by problem-solution posts and educational content. But the best format probably depends on the type of app and the kind of content the creator would normally make anyway.

Looking into all of this is what eventually led me to build Autovirality since I wanted to make it easier to find slideshow examples that already worked, understand the format behind them, and use those structures to create new UGC content to promote my own stuff.

I am still learning this space, but the more I look at it, the more I think slideshows are an underrated way for apps to get users.

Full breakdown with more interactive examples:
https://autovirality.com/blog/best-tiktok-slideshow-formats