BibleBuddy · B2C · AI Bible chat companion
Start as a WhatsApp bot before building the app
Grew at first, but WhatsApp's ~$0.02 per conversation got too expensive
What they did
What happened
- Stage
- early
In their words
Lotanna Ezeike - He Built a Simple $120k/Yr App, Then Sold It For Multiple 6 Figures!
HostSo you've had other apps in the past, right? So you had BibleBuddy. You hit 100,000 monthly active users.
LottsI created BibleBuddy to be more so like a therapist for Christians specifically, and so instead of it just kind of regurgitating like chapters to you, it was more so like, okay, like you can use this as a therapist or a journal that you can chat to. And then afterwards, it kind of responds to you and then kind of relates it to a chapter in the Bible. And actually how we freshly originally grew it wasn't actually an app. First it was a a WhatsApp bot, and then like it started costing me like crazy, because the WhatsApp Business API or whatever charged like $0.02 per conversation window or something like that.
HostAnd then you grew through some weird marketing channels, like Twitter ads.
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New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from this episode
- Copy a proven app idea and rebuild it for Christians~$120K ARR in 5-6 months; first 'Bible focus' app, then 70 copycats
- Post shock-value TikToks across 10-12 accounts to get people arguing in commentsEarly comments were angry, then turned to 'I needed this'; main driver of growth
- In videos, flash the app's opening animation, then the main screen and the success screenFounder says it brands the video without showing onboarding; no numbers
- Put well-loved Christian songs under the TikToksViewers commented on the songs; founder says it helped
- Run the TikToks that already went viral as Instagram ads$0.39 best-day CPI, $0.70-0.80 average in the US; one video took 70% of spend
- Give non-payers a free version with an ad before each daily prayer~$0.05 per user per day; ad spend paid back in 14-15 days
- Run X ads aimed at followers of the 20-25 most famous pastorsHost calls it an underpriced channel; no costs or results given
- Earn money only from banner ads, skipping full-screen adsCouldn't crack monetization; founder was wary of charging for faith content
- Build an app around a new AI tool within 4 days of its launch
- Show a text that's only arguably a red flag so viewers argue in commentsFounder says the formats worked; 330 videos ready, ads never tested
- Tweet that the app is for sale and take a fast close over top priceBuyers DMed; sold within a week (3 days) to a past BibleBuddy suitor
- Don't translate your apps yourself; leave it as upside for the buyerBuyers usually translate first; founder says it makes the app easier to sell
- Get apps to $5-10K a month, sell them, and take many shotsSeveral exits; buyers and funders now come back to him
- Grow a simple first app with one TikTok and one Instagram account$8K MRR in about 4 months
Tags: whatsapp, chatbot, messaging-bot, mvp