$400 in MRR
by Matt KandlerReally excited to hit my next big milestone toward becoming a profitable Indie company.
I added "Plus" subscriptions ($2.99/mo or $24.99/yr) last year in May and it's been steady, linear growth since then. Adding a new feature here and there seems to give it the occasional bump. Most recently that was a data export feature.
Subscription breakdown:
- 103 yearly
- 83 monthly
Retention:
- ~90% mo/mo
- ~30% yr/yr
My total costs are around $200/mo and the rest of the funds are put into App Store Search Ads to keep our search rankings competitive.
Recently added some more in-app ques to encourage older users to sign up for Plus at high points in the experience. I'm hoping it will be a pleasant surprise and boost the growth rate a bit!
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90% retention is amazing, any interesting strategies you use to keep retention that high? Keep up the great work!
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Thanks David! It's a bit of a guess, but I think high retention is due to a few things:
- I don't really prompt users to signup for Plus until they are getting a lot of value out of the app, generally after a couple of weeks of consistent. I have about 1500 DAUs for reference here. I'd like to see a much higher % signing up.
- The features themselves. I've added a lot of features by now - offline mode, more posts/day, export option, etc.
- It's pretty cheap! Maybe this is a hint to consider increasing the price, but I'd prefer to get a higher % of DAUs paying first.
- This is a long shot, but maybe it's the personalization? I write unique reminders every day, respond quickly to feedback, and keep the app feeling fresh and inviting. I think that builds a lot of loyalty.
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Congrats man! My wife is bipolar and this could really help her
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Thanks! Be sure to let me know if it does!
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Congratulations!
Adding a new feature here and there seems to give it the occasional bump.
I'm just wondering why you think this is the case? Does adding a new feature temporarily boost your rankings in the Apple Store search algorithm? Or do you think it's from more word of mouth exposure from your users who are happy to see the extra feature?
rest of the funds are put into App Store Search Ads to keep our search rankings competitive.
Have you experimented with other methods of distribution? Ads on Facebook/Google/Reddit/whatever? Do you have a website for your app as well (and try and play the Google SEO game)?
Thanks a lot for sharing! I've downloaded the app and will try it out today!
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Thanks @ceater259 - would love to hear your feedback on the app too!
I should clarify that it leads to a bump in subscriptions not necessarily user growth (freemium model). Usually, I announce new features with an email and blog post which can bring old users back to the app or remind active users that "Plus" is getting better and better.
I've done really, really limited tests with Facebook and Google and have seen by far the best CAC in the App Store. Maybe that could change if I took the time to optimize, but most of my downloads come from App Store search as-is. Since downloads have a huge impact on search ranks, each download from a Search Ad helps boost my regular search downloads too - making it especially helpful.
Also, trying to get more into SEO/content marketing because the small amount I've done has been really effective. Might even be worth shifting money to pay for blog posts if I could find the right writer.
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