Episodes

  • The Post-Attribution Playbook for Growth — Eric Seufert, Mobile Dev Memo

    The Post-Attribution Playbook for Growth — Eric Seufert, Mobile Dev Memo
    Sep 3 2025

    On the podcast I talk with Eric about how measurement dysfunction paralyzes growth, why diversifying channels for the sake of diversification actually hurts performance, and the futility of trying to interpret why ads win.

    Top Takeaways:

    📊 Broken measurement kills growth

    The biggest pitfall isn’t creative or channel choice—it’s disorganized measurement. When finance, product, and UA each use different models, growth stalls. The fix isn’t another dashboard; it’s alignment. Build one coherent, incrementality-aware framework everyone trusts, with clear definitions of success and outputs that meet each team’s needs.

    🌊 Don’t diversify just to diversify

    Spreading budget across more channels feels safer but often reduces performance after integration, creative, and reporting overhead. Start with a waterfall method: max out your primary channel until ROAS hits your threshold, then move to the next. Diversify for scale or cross-channel effects—not optics.


    🎲 Stop asking why an ad worked

    Winners often defy tidy explanations. Treat individual ad outcomes as stochastic and largely uninterpretable. Put your energy into the system: feed diverse concepts, automate prospecting/synthesis, and measure whether your process is increasing the rate of wins over time. Learn from inputs and process—not post-hoc stories about outputs.


    ⚡ Ship speed over certainty early


    You won’t have fully baked LTV or incrementality in week one. Push spend methodically: kill obvious losers immediately, let plausible winners age, track cohort ROAS at day-7/30/60, and widen budgets as curves support it. Iterative frontier-pushing beats premature “terminal LTV” guesswork.

    🧩 Engineer better signals


    Algorithms optimize to the signals you send. Create intentional, high-intent events (light “hurdles” that correlate with LTV) and send those back to platforms. Better signals shift spend toward durable users and compound efficiency, especially as automation on major platforms accelerates.


    About Eric Seufert:

    👨‍💻 Quantitative marketer, media strategist, investor, and author.


    📈 Eric shares expert advice on the Mobile Dev Memo blog and is an investor at Heracles Capital.


    💡 “The way I approach creative testing is trying to identify losers as quickly as possible. The winners take time to prove out, but the losers are pretty quick to prove out.”


    👋 LinkedIn

    Follow us on X:

    • David Barnard - @drbarnard
    • Jacob Eiting - @jeiting
    • RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
    • SubClub - @SubClubHQ


    Episode Highlights:

    [1:00] Intelligent design: How to effectively incorporate AI into your business strategy.

    [4:52] I, Robot: Machine learning =/= generative AI.

    [8:36] AI Pitfalls: AI works best for automating tasks and coming up with ideas — not generating brilliant creative assets.

    [17:29] Predictive AI: Brand-specific, full-fidelity video ads generated by AI could be a reality within 18 months.

    [33:25] Risky business: How to effectively diversify across advertising channels to optimize ROAS-adjusted spend.

    [37:43] Measure of success: Above all, make sure your measurement system is coherent and has cross-team alignment.

    [42:04] Tortoise vs. hare: To balance speed and efficiency, identify your ad “losers” as quickly as possible.

    [44:43] Missed opportunity: Good marketing comes down to embracing some uncertainty and minimizing the rest.

    [49:23] Human touch: Why generative AI creative tools probably aren’t a worthwhile investment right now.
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    55 mins
  • Signal Engineering: Strategic Data Filtering for Better Ad Performance — Thomas Petit, Independent Consultant

    Signal Engineering: Strategic Data Filtering for Better Ad Performance — Thomas Petit, Independent Consultant
    Aug 20 2025
    On the podcast I talk with Thomas about using signal engineering to optimize ad spend, how AI is changing creative testing, and why most people should avoid app2web… for now.Top Takeaways:🧠 The biggest AI opportunity in ads is smarter analysis, not faster productionAI is now good enough to produce ad-quality video and variants at scale — but that’s where 95% of the industry focus stops. The underused frontier is AI for analysis: spotting winning hooks, predicting performance, and even pre-testing creatives with “AI humans” before spend. The teams that combine rapid AI production with AI-driven analysis can iterate faster and scale what works more reliably.🔍 Signal engineering starts with fixing broken dataIf the events you send to ad networks are inaccurate or poorly mapped, you’re sabotaging the algorithms. First step: make sure event counts match internal analytics within ~5–10% (not 30–50%). Then move from “normal” to “sophisticated” by filtering for quality — for example, optimizing to high-LTV trial signups instead of all trials — and sending value-adjusted revenue that reflects predicted LTV, not just day-one spend.⚖️ Balance exploitation of winners with exploration of new conceptsWhen a creative crushes it, it’s tempting to flood your account with variations. But over-reliance on a single concept speeds fatigue and leaves you exposed when performance drops. Keep iterating on winners and testing new hooks in parallel — especially on fast-moving platforms like TikTok, where trends expire in weeks.🌐 App-to-web works best for big brands with deep resourcesMoving checkout to the web can bypass app store fees, but it’s a high-commitment experiment. Success usually requires brand trust, team bandwidth, and a well-tested flow — often with different plan structures than in-app. For most smaller teams, the opportunity cost outweighs the benefit. “Saying no to good ideas” is often the smarter prioritization.💳 Hybrid monetization is powerful, but not plug-and-playCombining subscriptions with one-time or usage-based purchases can capture more revenue from different segments — especially for AI-powered apps with real compute costs. But designing it to avoid cannibalizing subscriptions is complex. Treat hybrid as a later-stage lever: exhaust easier wins in pricing, packaging, and paywall optimization first, then experiment, possibly starting with Android or non-US markets. About Thomas Petit: 👨‍💻 Independent app growth consultant helping subscription apps like Lingokids, Deezer, and Mojo.📈 Thomas is passionate about helping subscription apps optimize their ad spend and increase ROI through smarter testing.💡 “The whole idea of signal engineering and optimization of the data that you're sending back is: send the network something better, and they're gonna do a better job. They are doing a better job — it's you who are not doing yours.”👋 LinkedInFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights: [1:21] Testing smarter: How AI may be changing the game for testing ads.[13:09] Untangling the web: App-to-web can work for some, but it’s not a slam dunk.[21:19] Hedge your bets: The benefits of moving away from subscription-only and embracing hybrid monetization strategies.[26:50] Going global: When and why to consider experimenting with hybrid monetization outside the US.[31:15] Signal vs. noise: The signal engineering framework for sending the most valuable user interaction data to ad platforms.[44:47] Multi-platform: Optimizing your data and event mapping for multiple ad networks.[53:01] Low-hanging fruit: Scoring easy wins with signal engineering.[1:08:04] Hands-off: Why ad networks likely won’t (and maybe shouldn’t?) implement built-in signal engineering tools for app marketers.[1:14:05] Going deep: Advanced signal engineering techniques.[1:26:09] Volume vs. quality: Why sending fewer events to ad networks may actually yield better results.
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Optimizing Funnels, Pricing, and Retention at Zumba — Nicole Page & Lucy Levy, Zumba

    Optimizing Funnels, Pricing, and Retention at Zumba — Nicole Page & Lucy Levy, Zumba
    Aug 6 2025
    On the podcast I talk with Lucy and Nicole about how customer-driven iteration led Zumba from VHS tapes in 2001 to launching an app in 2024, their app2web experiments that boosted LTV by 17%, and how they are able to charge for content when countless Zumba classes are available for free on YouTube.Top Takeaways:🗣️ Listening has driven 24 years of product evolutionEvery Zumba breakthrough — from instructor certifications born out of VHS buyer calls, to an app tailored for shy beginners — came directly from customer insights. The roadmap is data-led, not intuition-driven, ensuring they're always building what users genuinely want.🎯 Subscribers pay for structured programs, not endless contentZumba realized users were overwhelmed by free YouTube videos. By creating curated, goal-oriented programs, subscribers now watch twice as many videos and retention doubled. People will pay for guidance and curation — not just more content.🚀 Your growth ceiling depends on beginner retentionWith 70% of new users identifying as beginners, Zumba redesigned onboarding and UX to quickly move them toward completing three classes. Annual-plan signups reached 60%, and churn dropped dramatically. Early milestones for beginners unlock long-term growth.🌐 Web checkout can lower conversion yet raise revenueZumba shifted paywall taps to a simplified web checkout with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Immediate conversions dropped 25%, but higher annual plans, better retention, and no store fees drove a 17% lift in LTV. Optimize for long-term value, not just instant conversions.🔁 Speed of iteration beats legacy processes every timeZumba’s lean, agile team tests and pivots relentlessly — from paywall pricing to removing unsuccessful features. Daily checks in Mixpanel dictate what scales or what’s cut. Moving quickly and iterating beats established practices and keeps growth steady.About Nicole Page & Lucy Levy: 📱 Nicole Page is Senior Product Manager at Zumba, leading app development with a focus on user research and fast iteration. From onboarding experiments to web-first paywalls, she brings a data-driven mindset to every launch.💡 “Every launch is a hypothesis we’re testing, and we’re never afraid to pivot if the numbers tell us to.”👋 Nicole🚀 Lucy Levy is Chief Consumer Officer at Zumba, guiding the brand from VHS to app, boosting LTV 17% along the way with innovative strategies and beginner-focused design.🌍 Together, they’re modernizing Zumba’s global community.👋 LucyFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights: [00:02:44] From VHS to app store: How three Albertos turned dance fitness into a global brand.[00:06:26] Community is the product: Why Zumba built its business around instructors, not just workouts.[00:11:01] Research at scale: How hundreds of interviews revealed why “The Shy Beginner” is their most important user.[00:14:30] Better churn than never: Why people leaving the app for live classes still counts as a win.[00:15:54] Can’t compete with free? Yes you can: The Zumba app’s curated programs outperform YouTube.[00:17:25] Double the value: Adding structured programs led to twice the content engagement and better retention.[00:20:04] Cracking community: Why their first chat-based social feature failed and what they’re planning next.[00:22:56] Test everything: Zumba’s app team operates with a growth mindset inside a 24-year-old company.[00:25:22] Data before breakfast: Why daily Mixpanel check-ins drive fast iteration and culture change.[00:26:09] App-to-web win: How a 25% drop in conversion still led to a 17% lift in LTV.[00:30:19] Checkout optimization: Using Stripe, Apple Pay, and Google Pay to simplify the paywall experience.[00:35:07] Push, don’t annoy: The team’s smart notification timing strategy based on user habits.[00:38:44] Beginner, please: 75% of users identify as new to fitness, so the app is built just for them.[00:39:01] Add friction, raise conversion: How a longer onboarding flow improved paywall success.[00:40:51] One class to hook them: Why Zumba offers just one free class before locking the app.[00:43:25] Three’s the magic number: Users who complete three classes are much more likely to stick.[00:44:56] No trial, no problem: Ditching the monthly trial increased upfront revenue and annual plan adoption.
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    48 mins
  • The Past, Present, and Future of Building on Apple — John Gruber, Daring Fireball

    The Past, Present, and Future of Building on Apple — John Gruber, Daring Fireball
    Jul 23 2025
    On the podcast I talk with John about the fascinating 40-year history of Apple’s developer relations, how almost going bankrupt in the 1990s shaped today’s control-focused approach, and why we might need an ‘App Store 3.0’ reset.Top Takeaways:🕹️ The 1980s: Apple’s developer DNA was born Apple’s earliest wins came from nurturing third-party developers, even spinning off its own apps to avoid competing with outsiders.💸 Microsoft saved Apple (literally) Apple’s near-bankruptcy in the ’90s made them both humble and wary—forever shaping how they deal with developers and competition.🍎 From “please build for us” to “we choose you” WWDC 2008 saw Apple begging for apps and evangelist emails on slides; today, it’s the other way around.🖥️ The “Delicious Era” fueled iPhone success Mac indie devs (Panic, Delicious Monster, Bare Bones) built a design-obsessed, passionate community—setting the stage for the iPhone App Store boom.🚪 App Store 1.0: A new world for indies For the first time, solo developers could launch businesses from home. No server costs, no payments hassle—just build, submit, and sell.🏦 Apple’s rules got stricter as the App Store grew As the App Store became a services giant, the partnership vibe faded. Developers went from partners to “users” of Apple’s marketplace.📉 App Store math now feels upside down Today, indie devs can pay Apple millions, while giants like Meta pay almost nothing. The fee logic and incentives don’t fit 2025.⏳ The platform needs an “App Store 3.0” reset John and David call for a new era: lower fees, clearer rules, and Apple acting as a true platform partner—not just a toll booth.🔄 Developer enthusiasm is Apple’s long-term moat Apple risks becoming a “legacy only” giant if it loses developer goodwill. The most important apps are still built by outsiders.👥 A generational handoff is coming With Apple’s senior leadership nearing retirement, now is the time to set new priorities: empower developers, invest in the ecosystem, and ensure Apple’s platforms stay vibrant for decades to come.About John Gruber: 🚀 Author of the Daring Fireball blog, host of The Talk Show, and co-creator of Markdown.🍎 John is a lifelong Apple fan and is passionate about discussing all things iPhone, App Store, and developer relations.💡 “I feel like Apple is dwelling on the success and the innovation that completely revolutionized the phone industry […] for too long and that they should move on and build something else new.”👋 Daring Fireball Resources: Bill Gates in 1984 promoting Apple Macintosh Bill Gates on stage with Steve Jobs in 1983The Macintosh Way — Guy KawasakiCocoa Programming for Mac OS X — Aaron HillegassDaring FireballFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights: [0:00] Apple Kremlinology: Why understanding Apple requires a special kind of obsession - and a long memory.[4:58] Fanboys unite: David shares how his love of Apple led him from audio engineer to App Store developer.[8:48] Turning point: John’s link to David’s iPhone mileage app in 2008 helped jumpstart his indie career.[13:37] Joz, Phil, and Eddy: The developer relations and most of the App Store are overseen by three Apple execs who joined in the ‘80s.[17:01] The crossroads: How Apple’s early decision to unbundle first-party apps in the ‘80s encouraged third-party innovation.[21:25] Hands off: Why Apple’s decade-long retreat from building software paved the way for a thriving developer ecosystem.[27:07] Vision parallels: John compares Vision Pro’s slow start to the original Mac - and explains why it doesn’t have to be perfect (yet).[30:32] Betting on the future: How Apple playing the long-game is their biggest advantage in launching and sustaining new platforms.[33:55] What comes after the Mac: The ‘90s were filled with failed next-gen Apple platforms - and it almost killed the company.[36:47] Burned by success: Apple’s trauma from near-bankruptcy shaped their need to control developer relationships.[41:13] The App Store revolution: Why the 2008 launch of the App Store wasn’t just a business move, it was a turning point for software itself.[45:07] Developer momentum: How passionate indie devs and Mac software of the 2000s primed the iPhone for success.[53:46] iPhone jailbreakers: Why the jailbreak community may have pushed Apple to launch the SDK sooner than expected.[57:39] App Store 2.0: In 2016, Apple dropped some commission rates, opened up subscriptions, and kicked off a new era.[1:03:03] Time for 3.0: Why David believes the App Store needs another reset - and a shift in mindset.[1:08:26] Humility and hardware: Steve Jobs’ 1997 apology to a developer at WWDC still echoes - and it’s exactly what developers need to hear in 2025.[1:13:30] Holding on too tight: How Apple’s fear of ...
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    2 hrs and 17 mins
  • Turning a Side Project into a Six-Figure Subscription Business – Eric Duffett, Shot Pattern

    Turning a Side Project into a Six-Figure Subscription Business – Eric Duffett, Shot Pattern
    Jul 9 2025

    On the podcast we talk with Eric about his journey from a failed first app to success with his second, the advantage of building for problems people are already talking about, and why he turned down a lucrative acquisition offer to keep building.


    Top Takeaways:
    🔍 Demand-first discipline wins
    Testing for willingness to pay before writing a line of code can spare you five years of false starts. Quick interviews or landing pages that capture real purchase signals reveal genuine demand—an indispensable early litmus test against building in a vacuum.


    🔄 Ride existing habits
    Rather than convincing users to adopt completely new rituals, plug into behaviors they already practice. When pros were manually measuring holes on satellite maps, the real breakthrough was automating that exact process in real time—sidestepping the steep education curve of a brand-new workflow.


    🛑 Bet on a long-term vision, not a quick exit
    An early $75K acquisition offer can feel like a no-brainer, but sometimes the best move is to walk away. Turning down a strategic buyout kept ownership in entrepreneurial hands and paved the way for multiples of that valuation through continued iteration and growth.

    💼 Treat side projects like businesses
    A side hustle stays a hobby until you put real money on the line. Investing $5K in core data and infrastructure forced a shift from tinkering to professional-grade execution—transforming assumptions into data-driven priorities and unlocking deeper product opportunities.


    🤝 Niche community fuel sparks growth
    No launch strategy outpaces genuine community engagement. By sharing expert tips in specialized forums and social channels before and during build, small audiences morph into early adopters, trial converts, and your most effective brand advocates.

    Resources

    • Very Good Ventures (Website)
    • Seth Miller (LinkedIn)
    • Curtis Herbert (LinkedIn)
    • Eric’s story (RevenueCat blog post)


    Follow us on X:

    • David Barnard - @drbarnard
    • Jacob Eiting - @jeiting
    • RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
    • SubClub - @SubClubHQ


    Episode Highlights:

    [3:24] If at first you don’t succeed: How (and when) Eric realized his first app, Undaunted Golf, didn’t have good product-market fit.

    [7:28] Try, try again: Why Eric’s second golf app, Shot Pattern, was a success.

    [11:21] If you build it: Instead of just launching on the App Store, Eric implemented a content marketing strategy to promote Shot Pattern.

    [13:18] Back to black: How Eric’s $5,000 upfront investment in Shot Pattern unlocked some key product differentiators and paid off in a big way.

    [20:23] Sell, sell, sell?: After receiving an acquisition offer from a potential buyer, Eric used RevenueCat’s app benchmarks to analyze Shot Pattern’s performance data and determine a rough valuation.

    [25:06] Have a little faith: What happened when Eric turned down a $75,000 buyout offer and kept working on Shot Pattern.

    [31:25] Video games: How Eric increased Shot Pattern’s annual revenue to $185,000 with video ads.

    [37:24] Quit your day job: What would make Eric consider quitting his full-time teaching job to focus on his growing subscription app business.

    [39:18] One-man show: Besides partnering with some content creators, Eric does most of the work for Shot Pattern by himself.

    [42:25] Success story: How RevenueCat helped Eric launch and grow a successful app business that changed his life.
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    45 mins
  • WWDC 2025: What Subscription Apps Need to Know

    WWDC 2025: What Subscription Apps Need to Know
    Jun 18 2025

    On the podcast, I talk with Charlie about why Liquid Glass represents a big opportunity for new and existing apps, Apple’s new on-device AI models and their practical limitations, and why the improved App Store Analytics complement rather than replace third-party tools like Appfigures and RevenueCat.


    Top Takeaways:

    🫧 A style refresh is a growth hack

    A major UI overhaul—like Apple’s new “liquid glass” design—creates a once-in-cycle chance to stand out. Apps that ship the new look on day one dominate screenshots, roundup articles, and “App of the Day” slots. It’s free reach: adopt the guidelines early, respect the new hierarchy (avoid stacking glass on glass), and you can siphon users from slower rivals without a bigger ad budget.


    🎯 Keywords deserve their own landing pages


    You can now pin specific search terms to specific custom product pages. A running-focused page for “5k training,” a cycling page for “bike tracker,” each with its own screenshots and messaging. App Store Connect then breaks analytics down by page, turning guesswork into clear attribution. The result: higher paid-per-download and a shortcut to segment-level A/B testing—no SDK required.

    ⚡ Tiny, local AI = instant delight

    Apple’s on-device foundation models aren’t GPT-4, and that’s fine. Their super-fast, private inference (with a 496-token context window) shines at micro-tasks: sentiment tags, quick text rewrites, lightweight image badges, feature-name suggestions. Treat them as edge helpers, not flagship features. For deep research or long context, hand off to a cloud model. Paired wisely, the mix keeps experiences snappy without sacrificing quality.


    🪟 Build like screens will fold

    iPadOS 26 finally lets apps run true windows, offload background work, and juggle tasks like a desktop. That’s great for tablets today and a rehearsal for rumored foldables tomorrow. Audit your layouts: do panes resize gracefully? Can a process finish if the user drags your window aside? Investing in this responsiveness now means you’re launch-ready when new form factors arrive.


    🔑 Promotions should be measurable

    Offer codes used to be subscription-only; now they work for consumables and one-time purchases too. You get up to ten trackable code groups (each with up to a million codes) plus UTM-style links and the expanded App Store analytics to see which podcast promo, TikTok ad, or partner giveaway actually drove revenue. You can finally run seasonal sales or affiliate deals without duct-tape spreadsheets and double down on what moves the needle.


    About Charlie Chapman:

    👟 Senior Developer Advocate at RevenueCat and indie app creator behind a suite of iOS and macOS tools.

    🎯 Charlie blends indie instincts with platform insight, translating Apple’s latest changes into real opportunities for developers.

    💡 “Don’t build a chatbot around this (on-device models). But if you’re looking for a fast, free way to make your app better in small, thoughtful ways, the new on-device models are really interesting.”

    👋 LinkedIn


    Follow us on X:

    • David Barnard - @drbarnard
    • Jacob Eiting - @jeiting
    • RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
    • SubClub - @SubClubHQ
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Building Apps Faster: How AI and React Native are Changing the Game – Charlie Cheever, Expo

    Building Apps Faster: How AI and React Native are Changing the Game – Charlie Cheever, Expo
    Jun 11 2025
    On the podcast we talk with Charlie about why React Native has become the default for VC-funded apps, how AI is accelerating development cycles, and why speed of iteration matters more than programming language.Top Takeaways:⚡ Instant iteration cycles unlock agility React Native and Expo supercharge development by collapsing long build times into mere seconds. With tools like Expo Go enabling live updates, teams can experiment, test, and improve their apps in real time. This instant feedback loop fuels innovation, cuts dev time, and helps startups move faster than ever.🧱 React Native unifies teams and code By choosing a cross-platform stack like React Native, companies can maintain a single codebase for iOS, Android, and web. This unified approach reduces silos, simplifies hiring, and streamlines development. The result is faster feature delivery, consistent UX, and the agility that startups need to scale.📈 Iteration speed drives growth Shipping faster beats obsessing over tech stacks. Companies that iterate quickly can test ideas, learn from real users, and ship improvements faster than competitors. This leads to better products, higher retention, and stronger monetization, giving them a competitive edge in crowded markets.🔍 Consistency across platforms builds trust Users expect apps to work seamlessly, whether they’re on iOS, Android, or the web. React Native helps deliver that uniform experience, aligning with modern product expectations. Consistency reduces friction, boosts trust, and enhances user satisfaction—key drivers of long-term growth.🤝 AI is the co-pilot, humans set the course AI tools like Claude and Copilot are transforming app development, making it faster to scaffold code and build features. But the real breakthroughs come from human oversight—making smart UX decisions, handling platform quirks, and bringing creative problem-solving. Pairing AI speed with human insight unlocks the best of both worlds.About Charlie Cheever:🚀 Co-Founder and CEO of Expo, a platform that simplifies the development of native apps using React Native, empowering developers to build apps for iOS, Android, and the web with ease.📱 Charlie is dedicated to empowering developers to create seamless, cross-platform apps with less friction. He’s focused on improving the developer experience by reducing complexity and enabling rapid iteration.💡 “One of the biggest advantages of Expo and React Native is the ability to move fast and iterate quickly without worrying about maintaining separate codebases for each platform.👋 LinkedInResources: State of Subscription Apps 2025 — RevenueCat ReportFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights: [1:12] Chain reaction: What React is and how Expo enables developers to use it.[6:30] Positive feedback loop: How Expo dramatically shortens the product development and iteration cycle.[12:08] React vs. native: Why React has become the default development framework for modern apps and websites — enabling seamless product iteration across platforms with fewer engineering resources.[23:13] 1+3+4: How Bluesky was built for three platforms by one developer in just four months.[28:07] All-in: Why it’s better to build with React from the start instead of developing a native app first and implementing React later.[35:20] Cause/effect: Do React Native subscription apps monetize better than native apps?[39:37] Coding smarter: How AI is speeding up development times and pushing developers towards rapid-iteration tools like Expo.[58:52] Mobile shift: More and more people are consuming software on mobile devices instead of PCs… shouldn’t the app development process align with that shift?
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • What Reading.com Learned Testing Prices and Funnels — Tim Dikun, Teaching.com

    What Reading.com Learned Testing Prices and Funnels — Tim Dikun, Teaching.com
    May 28 2025

    On the podcast I talk with Tim about the importance of trust in web2app funnels, replacing free trials with money-back guarantees, and how they’ve found success with contractors after struggling with in-house marketing hires.


    Top Takeaways:

    🔁 Replace trials with trust to attract high-intent users

    A 30-day money-back guarantee can outperform traditional free trials—especially in web funnels. Paying upfront sends a stronger signal to ad platforms, helping them optimize for the right users. And when refunds are rare, overall LTV improves. It’s a bet on product confidence and customer intent.


    🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Learning apps work better when parents are part of the experience

    Apps that require co-use between a parent and child show far better educational outcomes and retention. Research shows kids learn up to 19x more effectively with adult involvement. It’s a smaller market—but a deeper one—if you design for it.


    🏗️ Rigid methods can stifle product innovation

    Strict adherence to frameworks like Scrum can turn creative engineers into ticket-takers. Giving teams room to rethink and revise—even late in development—yields stronger products. Empower developers as collaborators, not executors.


    🌐 Trusted domains outperform in web-to-app conversion

    When onboarding flows are moved to the web, conversion often drops—unless users recognize and trust the brand. Memorable, credible domains help users feel confident making purchases off-platform. Trust is the friction reducer.


    🧰 Specialized contractors deliver more with less overhead

    Instead of building an in-house team of marketing generalists, using seasoned channel experts—paid media, lifecycle, SEO—can deliver faster results with less management. It’s a scalable model for lean teams aiming to punch above their weight.


    About Tim Dikun:

    🧑‍🏫COO of Teaching.com, a suite of educational apps for children that’s been helping kids learn to read and type for nearly 30 years.


    📖 Tim is passionate about building world-class educational tools that leverage both the power of AI and the parent-child connection.


    💡“There's a lot of tooling out there for mobile apps that we just can't use because Apple won't let us — because it's a kids’ app. And I get it, it makes sense. It just means we have to get a little creative and find ways to get the information that we're looking for.”


    👋 LinkedIn


    Follow us on X:

    • David Barnard - @drbarnard
    • Jacob Eiting - @jeiting
    • RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
    • SubClub - @SubClubHQ


    Episode Highlights:

    [0:37] Storied history: How Teaching.com found product-market fit in the early days of subscription apps.

    [4:41] (A)syncing up: Why Teaching.com disables Slack and Basecamp notifications in their team communications.

    [8:12] Ch-ch-ch-changes: Teaching.com’s approach to product development encourages ideation and late-stage changes, rather than sticking to an arbitrary design.

    [11:48] Intelligence (artificial and otherwise): Finding the right balance between AI and the human touch in an educational product.

    [15:40] Testing the waters: Experimenting with higher prices, money-back guarantees, and annual plans to increase LTV.

    [23:03] Context switching: Teaching.com’s experiments with web-to-app resulted in a 50% increase in trial starts and a 30% increase in paid conversions.

    [28:35] Upselling: Increasing LTV with downloadable in-app purchases and physical products on Amazon.

    [33:02] Land and expand: Increasing the size and LTV of your user base by serving additional customer needs.

    [35:34] Kid-friendly: The unique challenges of developing subscription apps for children.

    [38:36] Expert advice: Why Teaching.com contracts with marketing channel experts instead of building an in-house marketing team.
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    44 mins