An AI app in validation · B2C · host's client
Build just the viral feature as a TestFlight and let creators film it
What they did
In their words
Steve Young - Beginners Guide to Buying & Selling Apps 2026
Steve Young… perfect. And then if I can't get downloads, then I don't really try to invest in the monetization or building out the features. But then forcing the start trial and the if the trial-to-paid is not there, then I know I have a product problem, not a a channel problem. So at least the the market wants this product, market channel-market fit, but my product didn't live up to the promise. So now I know I have to build a finish building the product.
Joseph ChoiYeah. One cool thing I would add to this, also, it's like, yeah, you can use SpyTok to find viral videos, and then you can even make a TestFlight. So I'm working with a client right now where we're just building a TestFlight that has only the viral feature, and then we give that to the creator. So then the creator just can make viral videos with just the TestFlight. And then those people that watch, if it goes viral, then people will, you know, go and like try to download the app, it won't exist. But you still got that validation of like, "Wow, this People thought there was an app, it got tons of views."
Steve YoungIs the TestFlight just to because you want to show the product and you know, showing the product tends to do better? Is that why?
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More from this episode
- Buy an app that ranks #1 but charges $2, then add a $60/year hard paywallRevenue up from $1-2K to $8-10K a month with the same downloads
- Remove the X from the paywall so users must start a trialTrial starts doubled from 6% to 13%; trial-to-paid unchanged; some one-star reviews
- Name your new app after a keyword with ~30 searches that nobody uses in their title#1 in week one, 100 downloads a day, $1,600 first month, ~$20K MRR years later
- Pick keywords where the top 3 apps have few reviews and lack the keyword in their titleUsed to launch and buy apps that reached #1; no pooled numbers
- Name the app after the keyword and use the App Store autocomplete phrase as subtitleReached #1 for 'green noise'; still #3 with little upkeep
- Target 24 more versions of the keyword you already rank #1 for, and cut Apple Ads
- Buy a profitable app with a 10-year loan and pay it back from the app's profitMoney back in 3-4 months on one purchase; example leaves ~$5K a month after loan payments
- Buy apps that already get organic downloads but earn too little or skip a channelBest buys fit this; one $18K purchase without it flopped
- Try Meta ads on a small organic app, including a hard paywallOnly ~$1 revenue per install; economics didn't work
- Send Meta sign-up, paywall-view and checkout events while still optimizing for purchasesGuest says the ad account got smarter; no numbers
- Show paid Instagram and Facebook users a paywall with no X; let organic users close itReported to perform a lot better; no numbers shared
- Switch from a closable paywall with no trial to a hard paywall with a free trialPerformed a little better; no numbers
- Launch a good-enough app, and only finish it if downloads show upSpeaker's standing process; no numbers
- Rank for a niche keyword first, then climb to broader onesOutranked Canva on a keyword
Tags: tiktok, testflight, fake-door, viral-feature