How Pep AI grows

Take creator videos that performed best organically on TikTok/Instagram and upload them as regular Meta ads (not partnership ads through the creator's account). Increase budget every week on winners as long as cost per download stays under $5. ~$400/day total; plan 50-100 campaigns next month.

Ads hire made a square static image ad in ChatGPT in ~2 minutes listing ~8 features/key facts; separate versions aimed at men and women. Also testing AI-generated pictures of the app. Founder is now making cleaner, copy-led statics (e.g. 'If you started a GLP-1 and your doctor gave you zero instructions, you're not alone') to compare.

Noticed successful GLP-1 apps ran only ads and no influencer marketing, while breakout apps (Cal AI, Quitter) led with influencers. Found and signed essentially every creator who consistently posts about peptides (~100 creators posting, multiple posts per day). Held off on paid ads until there were proven organic winners; started Meta ads only in month 3.

Cedric noticed he trusted everything peptide creators said, so he reasoned their followers would download an app they promoted. Before launch he reached out to a few niche creators to make posts testing interest (all said yes). He aimed to reach them before any competitor and get them to present Pep AI as 'the tool I use'. One creator's single Instagram story drove ~$1K revenue; his first feed post got 50K views and ~$4K that day, and ~$10K+ total. Compensation terms were not stated.

After a roommate mentioned peptides and a peptide TikTok hit his For You page a week later, Cedric saw peptides were huge on social media and that the few existing peptide apps (some a couple of years old) hadn't succeeded. His process: scroll TikTok/Instagram daily to spot what many creators are obsessed with, then check whether apps exist; a couple of unsuccessful apps is a good sign (demand proven, nobody has marketed it well). He chose a narrow audience after his broad first app failed to monetize.

Apple repeatedly rejected the app for seeming to give medical advice. He studied how similar apps presented their features to find wording Apple accepted, and used Apple's expedited review request for major fixes, which returned reviews in ~2 hours instead of ~2 days. Approval took about a week overall.

Before launch, had a few niche creators post about the upcoming app and made Reddit posts to gauge interest, collecting sign-ups on a waitlist. About 300 people joined, which confirmed demand.

Trial month: 1 feed video + 1 story per week (4 videos, 4 stories) plus tracked link in bio for the whole month, including TikTok stories. Price on average views/engagement, not followers: ~5,000 views/video -> ~$200 for the month; bigger creators up to $4,000/month. After the month, raise/keep/lower pay based on the creator's tracked signups; strong performers go straight to a 3-month deal.

4 dedicated outreach hires plus the team send the same DM on TikTok and Instagram (100+/day, 1,000+/week). First line: 'Paid promo / affiliate deal?' then a short app pitch and fit with their content. On reply, ask for their number, move to WhatsApp/iMessage and call immediately. Two marketing managers (friends trained by the founder on his own playbook) run calls, deals, contracts, payment, code/link setup and the video guide; founder takes calls with bigger creators. Outreach hires are briefed on exactly which creators to target.

Almost every creator gets an affiliate component: usually 20% of the subscription sale attributed to their code/link, paid once (not recurring). Rates vary by creator. Sales are visible via the tracked links.

Each creator gets a code (e.g. 'code Moose') for a discount/referral field at signup plus an AppsFlyer OneLink in their bio that tracks click -> download -> subscription and routes to App Store or Google Play by device. Per-creator stats decide who to keep, and at what price.

Require the tracked link in bio for the full deal. In an information-hungry niche, creators post informational videos that push viewers to their link in bio (for their own Skool/Discord communities or calls), so viewers see the app link there without any sponsored video. Tested by having one creator keep the link in bio but not post for two weeks.

Slideshow format: e.g. 'most important things to do on [peptide]' -> prioritize protein, water/electrolytes, work out 3-5x/week, low-intensity cardio -> final slide 'tracking your progress: Pep AI makes it easier to track', with 'Pep AI, Apple + Android' text. Top performer (creator Ethan) uses this.

Ask age in onboarding. Under 25: short flow (key points, disclaimers to accept, straight into the app). 25+: longer flow on nutrition/sleep/water that builds a personal nutrition plan (height, weight -> recommended calories/protein) to convince them tracking matters.

Group chat with the creator, founder and marketing managers; creator sends the first video before posting. Ask for a redo if it shows no app value (e.g. only their transformation).

Before a deal, have creators download the app and give them lifetime access so they genuinely like it. Text nearly every creator almost daily, share their signup numbers, call to check in. No formal view bonus; discretionary extra pay when they perform well.

After the deal, send a Google Doc of best-performing videos as optional inspiration and tell creators they know their audience best. Formats that emerged: slideshows, informational videos with the app as the tracking CTA at the end, comedic skits. Founder's own early videos did little.

Added dosing cycles (on a week / off a week) and a reconstitution calculator (vial amount + water added + dose -> units to pull shown on a syringe) after repeated user requests; checked with attorneys that it isn't medical advice. All data is user-input; no recommendations.

When a notable feature ships, tell all creators it will be big and that promoting it will earn them more commission through their code.

Skip tiny accounts (~200 followers, no views) and creators with only a couple of niche videos. Judge by views and especially real comments. Learned after signing creators who bought views (120K views in an hour, no comments, no signups).

Pitched a fraternity acquaintance with drop-shipping money on a call; used the whole investment for marketing. Built v1 himself, then recruited two developers from the university founders club for equity about a month in so he could focus on marketing, product, pricing and ads.

Went through every review of every existing peptide app, noting what people like, dislike and wish the app had. Fed that into Claude (or ChatGPT) to come up with the app concept and had Claude run research searches so the content (peptide library, PubMed sources) was actually useful.

Early on, gave creators scripts imitating ads that worked for GLP-1 apps and ran them as paid ads.

Tried running creator peptide videos as TikTok Spark Ads.

Searched the App Store for peptide apps: only a few calculator apps, years old, with a couple of reviews and no marketing, while peptides were trending on social media. Positioned as a broader peptide tracker (not only GLP-1 weight loss) because peptides have more use cases to market.

The app (named Pep AI) ranks in App Store search for peptide terms. When a copycat called Peptide AI blew up in a post on X, people searched 'Peptide AI' and Pep AI was the top result, picking up that traffic. Host found it #3 for 'peptide tracker' behind ads. No deliberate keyword work was described.

Couple of slides before the paywall saying 'we want you to try Pep AI for free' to lower commitment; paywall lists features, yearly ($40, 3-day free trial) and monthly ($10) plans. Continuously testing prices, trying to go cheaper.

Removed AI body scan and blood-work logging (no usage); simplified achievements to basic streaks.

Sources: in-app feedback, email, App Store reviews, Instagram and TikTok DMs, and walkthrough calls with creators (who are domain experts). Two developers ship 2-3 updates per week.

Repost as many creator videos as possible to the brand account.