Practitioner pattern · Thomas Petit (Thomas Petit client that requires 2x immediate return on paid, Thomas Petit marketplace client with lopsided categories, VC-backed startup where Thomas first ran the whole budget)
Hook viewers with the topic they care about, then make clear it's an app
Too much clickbait crushes install rate and the platform stops delivering
Workedpaid-social
What they did
Ads that just say what the app does rarely stop the scroll. Find what the audience is interested in (e.g. funny or hard facts about rain for a weather app) and use it as the hook in the first 1-3 seconds, then transition to the product, even abruptly or with an end card. Always make it clear it's an app so the store visit isn't a surprise. Avoid clickbait that drives engagement but not installs: platforms eventually punish ads whose impression-to-install-to-trial ratio is poor.
What happened
Indirect hooks are often the best ads; transitions without app signal crash install rates.
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · What it Takes to Succeed with Paid User Acquisition — Thomas Petit, App Growth Consultant“The hook is like kind of the first second or three seconds of your ad and it's extremely important because if people don't stop in the scrolling, you're dead already.”
“I would recommend telling people that this is an app, otherwise when they get to the App Store, the rejection is hard”
“I don't like to do that because, one, it may not work, but also very often because it crash my install rate hard.”
Related topics
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