My mobile app made $800K in 365 days

Quick Overview

The creator built an AI makeup app called GlowUp, which generated over $800,000 in sales within the first year after launching, achieving this success by identifying a viable niche through studying TikTok comments, creating viral content using a specific playbook, and implementing strategies like bulk posting and anchor links.

Key Points: The creator built and launched the AI makeup app, GlowUp, one year prior to the interview, which subsequently generated $802K in sales over the last 365 days. The idea for GlowUp was derived from studying TikTok comments on viral makeup videos, specifically looking for user requests or pain points, such as asking for product codes. The app uses a subscription model costing $9.99 per week or $39.99 per month for unlimited AI makeup looks, which generated $15,000 in monthly recurring revenue at the time of filming. The TikTok marketing playbook involved warming up a US-based TikTok account (using a VPN or US SIM card), posting 4-6 times a day, and replicating viral trends. The creator achieved 100,000 users in 3 days and eventually reached 2 million users and 70,000 paying customers, hitting #1 in the Lifestyle category on the App Store. Key technology used included FlutterFlow for building the MVP ($39/month), Firebase for the backend (free tier initially), Superwall for payments ($49/month), and Mixpanel for event tracking (free). The final advice given to aspiring builders is to 'Take action before you're totally ready' and focus on creating content that entertains first, rather than trying to achieve perfection.

Context: This video is an interview from the 'Starter Story' series, featuring Louis-David Paul-Hus, a Canadian developer who successfully monetized a mobile application called GlowUp, an AI-powered makeup and beauty app. Louis details his journey, which began with building about ten failed apps before pivoting based on market research gleaned directly from TikTok comment sections, leading to the viral success of GlowUp.