App Marketing by App Masters The Path to $100,000 ARR - What Flopped with Paid Ads
Aug 23, 2025
Asher Herbstman and Thatcher Clough, co-founders of Clear30, dive into their app's journey from concept to $100K ARR, focusing on user onboarding's pivotal role. They explain how a broken onboarding flow nearly derailed them and the psychology-driven A/B tests that saved the day. Discover their insights on optimizing advertising strategies, including what flopped and what succeeded. Plus, they share tips on leveraging data for community engagement, creating compelling paywalls, and increasing conversion rates through user-centric design.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Clinician Co‑Founder Opened Grants And Credibility
- Their co‑founder Dr. Fred, a senior addiction clinician, provided clinical rigour and helped secure an NIH SBIR grant.
- That partnership let two young founders combine consumer design with evidence‑based treatment.
Great Product ≠ Monetizable Product
- Building product features without testing monetization can make paid UA fail.
- Marketing will bring users in but onboarding must convert them into paying customers.
Onboarding Should Sell The Outcome
- Focus onboarding on users' pain points and dream outcomes rather than listing features.
- Use narrative and pacing to keep users engaged during the first five minutes when they decide to pay.
