On the podcast: Microsoft 365 app monetization and optimization, and how Microsoft is building successful apps–recorded live in Vegas at the Mobile Apps Unlocked (MAU) conference.Key Takeaways:📱 The App Store advantage: Microsoft's data reinforces that the App Store, despite the fees attached, offers significant advantages. The seamless experience from things such as pre-attached payment methods results in a conversion rate from trial to paid that is five times higher than on other direct channels.🚀 On the App Store, think like a startup (even if you’re not): Despite Microsoft’s strong brand, success in the App Store requires the agility and innovation of a startup. The platform's democratic nature allows new startups to challenge established companies. Continual innovation is essential and you need to be at the top of your game with ASO.🔗 Bundling apps can mean better retention: Combining multiple apps into a single subscription can boost user retention by meeting a variety of needs. Even if a use case is one-off, there will be other use cases met by other apps. This strategy generally involves developing a wide range of features rather than focusing deeply on a single application.🧠 Integrate AI thoughtfully: When integrating AI, it's important to consider if it genuinely enhances the tasks users perform and brings a desktop-level experience to mobile devices. This ensures the technology is both practical and user-focused, and not simply jumping on the bandwagon. ⚖️ As you scale, prioritization never becomes any less important: As the number of monthly active users grows, you need to think bigger and bigger in terms of impact. Focus on optimizations that affect large user groups. Simple improvements in app reliability, performance, and the purchase process can often impact the largest number of users.About Guest👨‍💻 Product Manager on the Microsoft 365 (Office) Mobile and Mac team.🚀 An expert in subscription management, growth, and monetization strategy, Ramit leads the apps like a start-up.👋 LinkedInEpisode Highlights[1:14] From desktop to mobile: Microsoft is famous for its desktop software, but it’s increasingly prioritizing its mobile apps to keep up with consumer trends.[3:09] Paying by phone: Users prefer to make purchases using their mobile device — trial-to-paid conversion rates are nearly 5x higher on mobile than other channels.[4:56] The start-up mindset: Think like a start-up to stay agile against the competition in the app stores.[6:21] Value they can’t refuse: To retain users over the long term, Microsoft bundles multiple products and features into a single cost-effective app.[8:22] Staying ahead of the curve: The key to becoming and staying a leading app? Neutralize the competition, differentiate, and incubate.[17:19] Lighting up the small screen: Apps like Photoroom and Microsoft Copilot are using AI to make tasks historically done on a desktop easy on a mobile device.[21:09] You can’t do it all: Prioritize the app optimizations and features that will have the biggest impact on your business.

On the podcast:The importance of passion for the product you’re working on, how to differentiate in a crowded market, and why achieving the ‘viable’ in Minimum Viable Product is harder than ever.Key Takeaways:📉 Ad-based revenue models too often lead to a degraded user experience. For ad-supported products, the real customer is the advertiser, not the end user. This causes a conflict between doing what’s going to create the best product and what’s going to drive the most advertising revenue.  🚀 The bar for what makes a “viable” MVP is always getting higher. While no app first ships as a fully-formed 1.0, it’s now rarely viable to launch an app as a barebones MVP (minimum viable product). There are just too many apps offering too much competition to not offer a compelling reason for a user to switch. 🔍 The “Jobs to Be Done” (JTBD) framework allows you to dig deeper than surface-level features. Gathering user feedback is essential, but users rarely request what they truly want. JTBD demands going deeper than feature requests by addressing the underlying need that the user wants to fulfill. ❓ To get to the root cause of a user problem, ask the “five whys”. When a user makes a request, get into the habit of asking “Why?”. The more times you ask, the more clarity you’ll have on what you actually need to build, giving you jobs-to-be-done that can best meet the needs of your users. 🌀How to capitalize on “black swan events”. Adaptability and swift action are key to managing unexpected high-impact events. It's essential to pivot from past decisions without being anchored by sunk costs and to act and ship quickly to capture new opportunities.About Guest:👨‍💻 Seasoned Internet entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building groundbreaking apps.🌿Formerly an early employee at Mint, Val had a vision for a better, more user-centered financial health app.💡“Try to pick a problem that you want to work on for 10 years — even if it were to fail. That’s how I feel. Even if Monarch were to fail, I would feel good that we moved the ball forward, we did something, we helped people along the way.”👋 LinkedInEpisode Highlights:[7:54] Ads vs. subscriptions: Why subscriptions (not an ad-supported model) were Val’s first choice for Monarch.[9:12] The real MVP: In today’s subscription app world, the bar for a minimal viable product has gone way up.[13:46] Just ship it (or don’t?): Getting customer feedback during the design phase may take more time up front, but it means identifying your users’ key “jobs to be done” in fewer product iterations.[23:10] The five “whys”: Ask yourself… what is your app really selling?[24:56] Disappoint-Mint: How Val went from the Mint team to creating Monarch — and what happened when Mint shut down.[34:17] Modern marketing: Talking to potential users on forums like Reddit can be an effective way to build trust and win fans.[36:31] The butterfly effect: What’s next for the Monarch team and business.[38:02] On a mission: Val and the Monarch team are passionate about helping users improve their financial health.

Marcus Burke, an Independent Consultant specializing in Meta ads, discusses the benefits of Meta Ads's vast reach and precision targeting. He shares tactics for scaling subscription apps, including starting with broad targeting and gradually becoming more specific. Burke emphasizes the importance of strategic targeting, creative diversity, and navigating SKAN with patience for successful ad campaigns.

David Barnard discusses the failures of his recent app launch, the value of continuous updates over big launches, the unpredictability of press coverage, the importance of value-based pricing, and how A/B testing insights depend on user cohorts.

The podcast discusses RevenueCat's 2024 State of Subscription Apps report, highlighting the need for optimization in conversion rates and pricing strategies. It emphasizes the importance of strategic focus on different markets and the crucial role of retention in app success. Reactivation of churned subscribers becomes more impactful as the app grows, prioritizing acquisition and retention early on.

Learn from Fares Ksebati about content marketing flywheels, lean app validation methods, and the benefits of startup accelerators. Understand the marathon of content marketing and the importance of consistency and patience in building brand awareness. Explore social media platform strategies and revenue streams for content creators, as well as the integration of calls to action and pricing evolution in marketing strategies.

In this episode, RevenueCat's CEO and Head of Product join other industry experts to discuss Apple's response to the EU's DMA. They explore the impact of the DMA on app stores, Apple's new business terms, alternative marketplaces, and the complexities of Netflix's IAP challenge. They also discuss the dominance of Apple's iPhone and the challenges and opportunities for developers in adapting to the changing market.

Paul Ganev, VP at Surfline, discusses strategic pitfalls in modeling the market, the balance of freemium models, and monetizing through partnerships. Highlights include understanding serviceable addressable markets, price sensitivity, and growing freemium conversion rates. Ganev also shares insights on monetizing free users with ads and forming partnerships for exclusive benefits.

Kenneth Schlenker, an entrepreneur experienced in scaling a company to $5M in ARR and conducting 121 A/B tests, discusses scaling on paid ads, the power of a single metric, subscriptions as a market fit gauge, flexibility in attribution methods, prioritizing creativity in paid marketing, and choosing a single platform for initial launch.

Matthew Panzarino, Formerly TechCrunch, discusses the importance of targeting specific users through PR, customizing pitches to individual writers, and the significance of design and presentation in catching reviewers' attention. They also delve into pitching an app as an alternative to a popular app facing issues, the evolving role of journalists in 2023, and understanding new developments in the tech industry.