How Boost App Social grows

Scraped creator email addresses from Instagram bios (creators list them to get work). Loaded 1,000 Gmail accounts into a shared inbox; an internal script sends 10-30 emails per account per day, used in bursts when more creatives are needed. VAs handle replies ('Yes, I'm interested') and move them down a diagrammed flow: VA emails back with a video pre-recorded by the founder, then moves them to Telegram. Built in-house over years; guest calls it 'a little bit black hat-y'. Host notes Instantly/Smartlead and creator-list platforms now do this.

Ran all acquisition on Meta (Facebook/Instagram), scaling from $100/day to $500, $1K and $10K/day. Accepted that ~97% of creatives fail regardless of quality (Meta must 'like' it and the audience must convert), so the operation was built to produce enough creative volume to find the rare winner. Some 'great' creatives got $20K and still flopped. Later gained a Meta rep because of spend.

When accounts were restricted (algorithmic bans despite no policy breach for an Instagram marketing tool), kept escalating through outsourced support, legal calls and appeals, explaining internally at Meta why the app should be allowed to advertise. Each fight took months. With enough spend they got a dedicated Meta rep and kept a warmed-up account, both of which transferred at the sale.

After email interest, a VA moves each creator into their own Telegram group (chosen for back-and-forth chat, group format, and hosting large MP4s and contracts). Once a creator looks promising, the founder sends ~$100 upfront along with the contract so they feel it isn't a scam; creators then install Telegram, get push notifications, and send finished videos there. A head of VAs runs the process.

Creator contracts grant perpetual rights to run the videos as ads (no 1-year licenses to renew) and freedom to edit and mix-and-match footage. Avoids creators demanding e.g. $100K when an ad takes off. At the sale, all creatives were handed to the buyer together with the signed contracts.

Recruited creators who already made TikTok-style videos. Sent them an A4 document: the app, what the team thinks is good marketing, and the triggers/hooks that work for their customers, inviting them to adapt in their own style. Contracts allowed rejecting a creative when the hook was obviously low effort. Formats: talking-head 'I found this app' videos, green screen over a Notes-app to-do list, and lifestyle 'I couldn't believe it was possible' videos.

Three rules from years of Meta testing: (1) always burn in captions because most users watch Instagram muted; (2) use green screen so a person talks while a large app demo plays behind them (features, value prop); (3) go hard on hooks in the first 5 seconds, both copy angle and the visual. Typical structure: hook around a desired outcome ('I can't believe I just discovered this app'), then ~30 seconds of product demo.

Example winning hook: 'How to avoid getting stuck on 1,000 views', aimed at Reels posters who hit that exact ceiling. Paired with green screen of the creator's account with followers pouring in, an orange stroke around the frame, and a button-like text label.

After receiving footage, trim noise and add faster MrBeast-style cuts; mix screen recordings with footage of the phone being used in the hand (filmed with a second camera), and combine clips across videos. Contracts grant editing freedom. Target roughly 5 received videos -> ~15 ads, using judgment rather than spinning into thousands of micro-variants.

Used broker Charlie from Appflip. Negotiated without rush from strength (proven ad process, warmed-up Meta account, Meta rep, 300 rights-cleared creatives, strong conversion/profit as a business app). Hired a lawyer qualified in both Europe and the US; ~100-page contract; funds via an escrow in Singapore; broker connected them with another founder who had sold to the same buyer, who vouched on a call. Founder spent ~1.5-3 months mostly on legal.

The hashtag search/generator started as a web tool with little traction. Seeing competitor Hashtag Expert gain traction as an app, and noting users research hashtags and immediately paste them into Instagram on the same phone, they went all-in on an iOS subscription app with their existing (better) database.

Beyond hashtags, added fonts, video editing and photo editing for Instagram growth, so users saw more value, stuck around longer and would pay more than the ~$40-100/year a hashtag-only app commanded.