Business of Apps Podcast

Even if you aren’t a tech pundit, who has been following all stories about social media companies, inevitably you stumble upon a breaking story about Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok that talks about their negative impact on our society, on teenagers’ mental health and even on the democracy itself. You may get an impression that there is no way how you can design a social network differently, so you won’t get such a flip side. But that’s not the case and Sacha, CEO of Yubo, will tell us how it’s actually possible to achieve. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️Sacha is on a mission to improve how people interact online, hence his involvement into developing multiple social media apps prior to Yubo ✔️Yubo is a social media platform for Gen Z to interact with each other in small groups ✔️ It doesn't compete with big social media platforms like Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat.  ✔️ Yubo is the social media app that doesn't push its users to be hooked on such concepts as Likes, Comments and Followers. ✔️ The app applies 8 age-verification procedures to make sure it has on board legit age users only ✔️ The platform is ads free, it's freemium based with paid options & subscriptions to get more engagement ✔️ Yubo is used by Gen Z on their leisure time - after school, on weekends or holidays ✔️ Once COVID-19 hit both usage and engagement shot up ✔️ Yubo is available on both iOS and Android but the bulk of users on iOS ✔️ On which side of the Android & iOS duopoly Sacha is? iOS ✔️ What apps would Nico miss the most if he leaves the smartphone home. Good old placing calls function :-) ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology?  Links and Resources: Sacha Linkedin profile Yubo website Quotes from Sacha Lazimi: "...with the same mission "To improve how people meet each other and connect online" Yubo is just an iteration of what I've done with my co-founder and we always have the same mission. Yubo is a social platform to socialize online all over the world and designed for Generation Z. It's a public space where you have a small group that interacting publicly through video, audio and chat." Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

On the enormous landscape of mobile apps, there are two special categories that have been grabbing a lot of businesses attention - SAAS (stands for Software As a Service) and App Subscriptions. Both generate tens of millions of dollars for such companies as Slack, HULU, Netflix, Spotify and others. While there are obvious differences between these two, like it's a lot easier to get loads of users for a SAAS app (because all these people are employees of a particular company) as opposed to doing your best to reach out people who will benefit from an App Subscription app, but there are similarities too. In this episode we've got Nico Wittenborn from Adjacent to tell us about these similarities and lessons that can be applied from the world of SAAS apps to the App Subscriptions. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️Nico's career's trajectory: from re-selling refurbished iPhones to investing into big SAAS apps ✔️What is an App Subscription ✔️App Subscription model advantages and limitations ✔️Enterprise SAAS vs. Consumer App Subscription model ✔️SAAS and App Subscription apps growth indicators ✔️What's coming up in the mobile space ✔️ Android or iOS? both iOS and Android ✔️ What apps would Nico miss the most if he leaves the smartphone home. Not much, he does leave it on purpose to limit the time he interacts with the phone ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? Having better tools for the smartphone screen time moderation Links and Resources: Nico's Linkedin profile Quotes from Nico Wittenborn: "Yeah, it did. It sounds like a bit of exaggeration but in retrospect the iPhone definitely changed my trajectory. It's not really new that we pay for something on a recurrent basis that we use for a long time, it's just for software it seems to be the evolution - first we paid for a license once for a product on a CD and now we pay on a monthly basis The interesting thing is that after one or two years, if the company is still stick around, they're flatting out in terms of their reach and retention and so there might be a big drop in the first year for a company with an app subscription but the second year they almost don't drop anymore" Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

At this point, It wouldn’t surprise any app marketer that to acquire users for their apps they need to do both - App Store Optimization to get native traffic and run paid search, among many performance marketing, ad campaigns. It’s given. But the question they may have - what about bidding on their brand keywords? Should they do that? They’ve heard other folks do it and now they’re trying to answer this question for themselves. In this episode, we have Simon Thillay, Head of ASO at Apptweak, the leading ASO tool driven by data science, to riddle this question for you. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️Simon’s trajectory in business: from a small mobile game studio, to Deezer and finally one of the leading App Store Optimization agencies. ✔️Apptweak - ASO and marketing intelligence tool, covering both major app stores and expanding beyond to cover the Facebook Ads platform and more. ✔️Apple’s iOS 14.5 ATT framework and how it changes app marketers UA campaigns. ✔️Keywords cannibalism - what is it, how and why app brands need to pay attention to it closely. ✔️The role of ad creatives in the App Store Optimization, how app screenshots may help to communicate the app’s message to specific audiences. ✔️Apple’s A/B testing tool and custom landing pages - what should we expect ✔️ Android or iOS? iOS ✔️ What app features would Simon miss the most? Texting via WhatsApp and music streaming via Deezer ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? Offline mode for mobile games Links and Resources: Simon Thillay’s LinkedIn Apptweak website. Quotes from Simon Thillay: If you look at the direct impact of the ATT on Apple Search Ads it’s almost zero because Apple Seach Ads was the one marketing channel that was going to be exempted from it. If I’m seeing a small pirating app that is based on pirated shows on YouTube, I don’t think it’s possible anymore, but just for the sake of the argument, I won’t feel the same level of threat. This is where you need to think “ok, not every threat is equal” Don’t expect too much out of it, we still see a lot of people only now finding out what is ASO and thinking that they can get 300+ downloads just out of the thin air” Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

ASO (aka App Store Optimization) has been an app marketing service for a quite a while. Soon after the Apple’s App Store was launched back in 2008, people began to wonder how to get more downloads for their apps on the store and Google Play market joined the party shortly after. It’s 2021 and it’s time to take a fresh look at ASO and see how it can actually work with other areas of the digital marketing , such as performance marketing, together. In this episode, Anton Tatarynovich, Senior ASO Consultant of Phiture, a multi award-winning mobile growth consultancy, tells us all about it. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ Anton’s path: from a Sales Manager in a A/B testing company to the Senior Consultant at the top app marketing agency ✔️ Phiture - a hundred employee Berlin-based mobile agency with a broad spectrum app marketing expertise, famous for its Mobile Growth Stack concept ✔️ So what is App Store Optimization? ✔️ What ASO tools do we have and should use ✔️ How ASO and performance marketing can actually work together and feed each other with useful data ✔️ What results app marketers should reasonably expect from ASO plus performance marketing combo? ✔️ How ASO and Apple Search Ads can be useful to each other ✔️ What updates for app marketers has Apple’s WWDC 2021 brought? ✔️ Android or iOS? Actually both, no real preference here :-) ✔️ What app features would Seth miss most? Messaging via Telegram and listening music on Spotify ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? Better Apple’s App Store experience, tech & financial media for GenZ Links and Resources: Anton’s LinkedIn profile Phiture website. Quotes from Anton Tatarynovich: I think a lot of companies still approach ASO as new, even though it’s been around for a quite a few years. Essential ASO tools - two main ones, obviously the App Store Connect and Google Play Store Console. That’s pretty much are high level analytics what we check day to day to understand how the app is doing. It’s really the key to align performance marketing and ASO for apps, especially when the sheer of downloads coming from paid sources is substantial. Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024  

Everybody loves music, right? Maybe not the same music, but all the songs you want to hear are at your fingertips. What if you want to do more than just listen, like create and write music? Our today’s guest, to tell you the story of an app growth, is Seth Miller, CEO at Rapchat, which lets you create music and beats without using a computer to be heard, record, share, and get noticed. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ Rhyme Time: It’s like Snapchat for rap, so just call it Rapchat ✔️ Game Changer: Viral loop of ability to create and share songs with more than friends ✔️ Retention: Build a great product/product-market fit to minimize app users’ churn ✔️ Recording Studio: Too many core features can clutter the music experience ✔️ Product Market Fit: Qualitative survey data positively impacts engagement and retention ✔️ Business Models and Monetization: Rapchat went from ads to subscription products ✔️ Seth’s Key Takeaways: Don’t get lost in the sauce as you start to scale your app ✔️ Back to Basics: Who’s coming and why? Clarify and analyze user research and data ✔️ Android or iOS? iOS ✔️ What app features would Seth miss most? Sleep tracker and Twitter ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? Ability to turn off all notifications and distractions Links and Resources: Seth Miller on Twitter Rapchat Quotes from Seth Miller: “It’s like Snapchat for rap.” “Rapchat - the easiest way to make music on your phone. We really put a recording studio in your pocket for the everyday artist.” “Build your own philosophy, your own system, and figure out what works for your product, your users.” Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

The app growth is the most popular and challenging topic among mobile app marketers. Pull away couple app marketers, get them some coffee and chances are they will drag you into a conversation about mobile app growth. A mobile app lifecycle is a marathon that, like any other growth of a 🌱, crystal,  👶, it requires knowledge, planning and dedication.  In this episode Nicole Chin, growth marketer at Mindvalley will tell you how to approach an app growth as a system and even somewhat automate it. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ Nicole’s path: from a management consulting to a growth marketer at Mindvalley ✔️ Mindvalley - a subscription-based app tech platform to sells online courses with a mindset of a startup, even after being for years on the market ✔️ AARRR - acquisition, activation, retention, referral, revenue, what the marketing funnel is all about. ✔️ App growth as a system, a holistic look at growing your mobile app ✔️ Is it possible to automate app growth? ✔️ How long should you wait to let your app audience to check out your app to see if it works for them? ✔️ How to get people who aren’t your app loyal core users to get back to your app? What puts they away? ✔️  Strategies to achieve mobile app users retention. Achieve the real engagement with the app, not clicking on the app for the sake of inflating the MAU to report your share holders on a quarter financial call. ✔️ The hardest part of the mobile app growth business ✔️ iOS vs. Android: iOS ✔️ First mobile phone: Nokia ✔️ Smartphone feature Nicole would miss the most leaving the phone at home: taking picture to stay safe from harassment on the street. ✔️ New software / hardware features Nicole would love to get on her iPhone: totally happy with what it does for her now. Links and Resources: Nicole LinkedIn profile: Nicole Chin Mindvalley website - https://www.mindvalley.com/ Quotes from Nicole Chin: There is a foundation that an app and a business has to reach first and it’s a product / market fit. A lot of times if you don’t reach a product / market fit, no matter what you do it’s gonna be difficult to growth. It’s not a one size fits all, even within your product you can really drill down further for 20% who are coming back and what about the other 80%? What you really want to know whether or not there is any traction for the app. So it’s really defined by users, installs and  downloads. Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

It’s mostly certain that many of you may being following so-called influencers on social media. You may follow Kim Kardasian or The Rock on Instagram or one of the came-out-of-nowhere girl or guy on TikTok who turned out to be so cool. And every once in a while you may even buy something that they introduced you to in videos. In other words - you know what is Influencer marketing first hand. By now - it’s a huge industry. On this episode we have Lucia of TATAM.digital influencer marketing agency to tell you about why and how this brand new kind of online marketing can help you acquire users for your beloved app. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ Lucia’s path from Unilever to own influencer marketing agency to promote mobile apps ✔️ TATAM.digital - influencer marketing with focus on performance to advertise subscription-based mobile apps ✔️ Influencer marketing KPIs tracking is real. Full stop. ✔️ Influencer marketing powers incrementality for a mobile app user acquisition. It provides less intermediary steps between a person’s intent and an instance of a mobile app download.  ✔️ Influencer marketing works for any kind of a mobile app. ✔️ Influencers can give future app users the best video intro that will make it crisp and clear what the app is about and how to use it. ✔️ In the world of iOS 14.5 Influencer marketing has a leg up against social media ad platforms and networks - it does not imply collecting and using mobile app users personal data. ✔️ As time goes by, more and more companies jump on using Influencer marketing to acquire users but still - marketers may don’t use analytical tools to track Influencer marketing campaign performance ✔️ Scammers continue to muddy the water of Influencer marketing and this is what Lucia would really love to see going away. ✔️ iOS vs. Android: iOS ✔️ First mobile Lucia owned was Alcatel T-331 ✔️ The mobile tech Lucia can’t live without is Apple Pay. No cash. Mobile payments only. Links and Resources: Lucia LinkedIn profile: Lucia Aguilar Lucia Instagram profile: @luliinvierte TATAM.digital website - TATAM.digital Quotes from Lucia Aguilar: I think they (people who believe it’s impossible to track KPIs for Influencer marketing) like 60 years behind. Great influencers are great content creators and communicators. I haven’t found one (an app category for which Influencer marketing doesn’t work) Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

Every June, software developers around the world eagerly wait for Apple to release what it has in store for them. Usually, it’s technical iOS and marketing application updates. Today’s guest is Justin Welter, VP of Brand Performance and Business Development at AdColony, which is a mobile in-app video network that helps publishers monetize their content through video ads. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ WWDC 2021: Apple announced APIs that’ll be easy for developers to use and save time ✔️ A/B Testing: Apple adds this feature that’s especially important for growth marketers ✔️ App developers still waiting for more info and insights from Apple about changes ✔️ Favorite Part of WWDC21: At the very end when earnings were announced ✔️ Apple’s armageddon? ATT impact was better than expected opt-in rates, best practices ✔️ Marketing 101: How well do you know your customers? What’s the benefit? ✔️ Android or iOS? iOS ✔️ What app features would Justin miss most? Google Maps ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? Reduce addiction to phone use Links and Resources: Justin Welter on LinkedIn AdColony Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC21) App Tracking Transparency (ATT) Privacy Protection Framework Quotes from Justin Welter: “Everybody knows apps, everybody has them.” “From a developer’s stand point is, I think first and foremost, the APIs that they announced are going to be very useful for developers.” “It feels like Apple had a big, kind of emphasis on the communication aspect of things.” “I certainly think that there are enough reasons for people to want to develop on iOS.” Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

In the 1980s, the world was all about personal computers. In the 1990s, computer games became a thing. Starting in 2009, the last decade has been about mobile apps. Why do apps either have a short lifetime and fail to find space in people’s lives, or are spectacularly successful because of implemented systems, processes, and frameworks? Today’s guest is Sean Casto, CEO at PreApps. Sean talks about the past, present, and future of the app marketing business. PreApps’s mission is to continue to be the #1 app marketing agency that provides world-class services designed to help launch and grow app businesses. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ Launch Status: Development was fairly easily, but marketing to consumers was more difficult > ✔️ Why start PreApps? Support and implement the same systems, processes, and frameworks ✔️ PreApps Mission: Continue as #1 app marketing agency providing world-class services ✔️ Positive Impact: PreApps does what it does to transform the world for the better ✔️ People’s Needs: Same fundamentals, always wanting app marketing roadmap and path ✔️ Common Traits: Successful app businesses have two basic principles around customers ✔️ How does app destruction work? Pure innovation and ability to adapt to changes ✔️ App Business Owners: Fall in love with users, not products to solve their problems ✔️ App Growth Marketing: Hacks are not sustainable, make app unique and irresistible ✔️ Pre-interested, pre-motivated, pre-qualified, and predisposed? Download app instantly ✔️ Virility and Retention: Apps don’t really go viral by accident, there’s a science to it ✔️ Win-Win Referral System: Incentives cause conversations, which lead to referrals ✔️ How apps make money? Value Ladder - combine every business model to make profit ✔️ App Features in the Future: Innovative technologies (i.e., cryptocurrency, AI, privacy) ✔️ Android or iOS? iOS ✔️ What app features would Sean miss most? Calendar ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? ✔️ Hardware: Make it thinner and lighter ✔️ Technology: Remove notifications and other distractions Links and Resources: Sean Casto on LinkedIn PreApps Apple Worldwide Developers Conference Quotes from Sean Casto: “Everyone was so passionate and excited about the products they were creating, but unfortunately, 98% of them failed to be discovered.” “It still continues to be the wild, wild west as Apple and Google algorithms continue to figure things out and adapt with modern times.” “Any successful app business really comes down to two basic principles: 1) Attract high-quality,  high-value customers at an affordable cost, and 2) Retain, nurture, and grow the value of your customers.” “Growth marketing is really the process of driving your users to your app to download your app and purchase what you’re offering while increasing the appreciation of your app in the process.” Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024

Are you interested in rockets? Do you watch SpaceX launches? Then, you know what a rocket is and the launch metaphor came to mobile apps from the space industry. Today’s guest is Luca Mastrorocco, co-founder of REPLUG, a mobile app marketing consulting agency based in Berlin. Luca talks about a holistic approach to app growth scaling. Today’s Topics Include: ✔️ REPLUG: Services include ASO, paid acquisition, retention/CRM, and tracking/ analytics ✔️ Rocket Analogy: Upgrowth business approach that’s simple to understand, communicate ✔️ Digital Infrastructure: Engine is the basis of the app that makes everything work properly ✔️ User Acquisition (UA): Plays role in upgrowth strategy from organic, paid perspectives ✔️ Acquisition Process: Meaningful conversion funnel goes from download to monetization ✔️ UX and UI: Make sure marketing works hand-in-hand with look and feel of product ✔️ Engagement: No business wants to just acquire users for the sake of it ✔️ External Factors: App growth depends on market conditions, competition, and COVID ✔️ Android or iOS? iOS ✔️ What app features would Luca miss most? Calendar ✔️ What is missing from mobile app technology? Virtual reality (VR) and surround sound Links and Resources: REPLUG Luca Mastrorocco on LinkedIn Luca Mastrorocco on Twitter Luca Mastrorocco’s Email Quotes from Luca Mastrorocco: “Without the right infrastructure, obviously, the app cannot really work properly. We like to give the digital infrastructure or the infrastructure of the app a very prominent role in our work.” “Conversion fund is being how we make sure that we don’t just stop where our user downloads. We make sure to convert them into paying users.” “We really care about the look and feel of the app.” “No business wants to just acquire users for the sake of it.” Brought to you by Business Of Apps App industry marketplace Insights App Growth videos App Data App Events A message from App Promotion Summit Discounted ticket prices are currently available on all of our 2024 summits https://apppromotionsummit.com/   London - 25 Apr 2024 NYC - 27 Jun 2024 San Francisco - 26 Sep 2024 Berlin - 5 Dec 2024