I made an app but I don't know how to be independent off it
Hello, I'm new here. I made an app, you can read more about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/jxc6z2/i_made_an_app_to_improve_your_mental_health/
My problem is this: I really want to be able to do this full time because it's something I believe in, but I don't know how to make a living off of it. Does anyone have ideas of how to make money?
Essentially its an app for people to talk about their problems. I want it to be accessible so I don't want to charge people for it. The only idea I have is to get sponsored by a company and allow that company to advertise but purely visually (not by tracking the users of the app because I'm against that).
I'm not looking to be a millionaire or anything, I just want to make around 60k a year so I don't need to work another job (I'm currently employed full time).
Also how many people do you think I would need to join for a company to be willing to sponsor me for around 60k a year?
Sorry if this is kind of too open ended, literally any advice to push me towards the right way to approach this would be so helpful.
Affiliate with LICENSED mental health professionals and advertise their services on your app. This is what I would do because it is a "no lose - no lose" situation and it gives your app a lot of credibility (if you do it right).
Huh I like that idea, haven't thought of that. I will def look into that, thanks for the suggestion.
I think most Indie Hackers would argue that these too things are not mutually exclusive. If you are adding value and not overcharging, many people will be happy to pay for it. (Think about the cost of actual therapy.) You could look into freemium pricing models where the app is completely free for the majority of users and a small percent pay for extra features. Those extra features don't have to be deeply function things, just fun ways to stand out - look at Fortnite, for example.
I'm building a mental health app too and I find it really rewarding. Your users will be a lot kinder than you might find elsewhere and it's a huge motivator to know that you're working on something that actually helps people feel better!
True, def an option. Thanks for the feedback I'm gonna spend some time thinking about ways I can do this and maybe I'll make a new post with ideas.
It's simple: you just need to find people who find your app so valuable that they would be ready to pay for it (it's called "sales").
NB It's really simple. But I'm not saying it's easy.
Good luck.
The big question I have for you is: how's your user engagement? Not the number of users, but the people you have, are they using it? Are they loving it? Are they coming back? If so, why, if not, why not? Would they refer a friend? Would they be impacted if it went away? It's not a question of breadth but depth.
I've actually had people say they like it enough to recommend it to their friends. I'm also slowly gaining users even though the only way to access the app right now is by downloading it through the link on the post I made like 2 weeks ago. People are also continuing to use it even in the beta with a lot less people than I'll have once it launches most probably. I've honestly seen a really good response that I'm pretty sure I can build up a community that sticks around. Do u have any advice on the next step? Once I launch I don't know how many people will join and Im scared that in the off chance too many people join I won't be able to afford the database costs so I need to be smart enough to have a strategy to monetize quickly if that happens
I mean the easy quick monetization steps you don't want to do. Which isn't how I look at it, but to heck with it, why not? Personally, I think getting the consistent usage is tougher than scaling out the database. Run ads if you gotta, although that stuff kinda sucks for monetization. A hundred or so a month can sustain a pretty respectable amount of usage, and when you've got a good amount of eyeballs, you can sell them off a lot easier.
Please keep in mind though-- you're selling the product or selling the users. There is no other option. Neither is inherently wrong, although for sensitive stuff like medical info... I personally would rather pay directly.
Yeah that makes sense, Im gonna try to come up with some freemium ideas that might work I guess. Thank you
Honestly in your situation I think I'd probably focus on user growth-- a lot of the time the way will become clear when you're ready to take the next step. If your db is too hot and it's starting to impact quality of service, ok, that's time to think about getting some dollars in the door to pay for more metal, but you'll have a lot more tools and options at that point. Now you're forced to guess where you think you're going to be and how to resolve that problem ahead of time.
I'm just not smart enough to think that far ahead. Too many moving pieces, too many unanswered questions.
This may sound harsh but basically you said
I have a project, and I want it to be my full time job. How do I do this?
Way too open ended (you even mentioned that yourself).
Instead ask yourself "What problem am I solving for others with my product and how much is that worth?"
Then figure out how to capture that value.
If you have something really valuable just make a way for people to pay you.
If you can't get people to pay you, you might be in the wrong niche, or not communicating your value well.
Good luck.