Apollo · B2C · Reddit app for iPhone
Post an early beta in a popular subreddit, then launch to the waiting crowd
Beta filled up; lots of launch-day downloads and paid upgrades, profitable from day one
Workedcommunitypr-launchvalidation
What they did
Posted an early build of Apollo in the Apple subreddit, where it took off and many people asked to beta test. The beta filled up, leaving a backlog of people who couldn't get in. After a long beta (1.5-2 years, with feature creep and testers asking for release), launched with a $2.99 pro upgrade.
What happened
Big launch-day downloads from people who saw the full beta; many bought pro immediately; financially viable from day one.
- Stage
- Pre-launch (pre-launch / launch)
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · The Advantages of Working On an App You Care About — Christian Selig, Apollo“I ended up posting it in like the Apple subreddit, I think, and it really took off in a big way, and people were really interested in beta testing it.”
“the first day, like it it got a ton of downloads because there was a lot of pent-up demand from people who saw the beta, but it was full and weren't able to get in.”
“So, pretty it was like financially viable from day one of the actual release”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Apollo: Build each month whatever your app's subreddit complains about mostFounder says it shaped the app and worked well for about 9 years; no numbers
- Apollo: Turn down popular feature requests by explaining why, not just saying noUsers mostly agreed once they heard the reasons
- Apollo: Charge the same $2.99 one-time price as the main rival appProfitable from day one, but founder calls the price too low in hindsight
- Apollo: Raise the lifetime price from $19.99 to $30-40Take rate didn't change at all
- Apollo: Live cheaply with roommates and build full-time on savings until a set dateMade it to a launch that paid from day one; savings almost gone
- Juno: Build the YouTube app YouTube skipped for Vision Pro, in two weeks, for launch dayStill earns about $100 on some days months after launch