Ladder · strength training app
Sign a celebrity like Hilary Duff for brand ads
Big influx almost at once, secondhand; ROI hard to measure
Workedinfluencer
What they did
Ladder signed actress/singer Hilary Duff for brand ads.
What happened
Per Ladder's CEO on a panel (relayed by David), a pretty big influx almost immediately; ROI hard to measure.
- Stage
- scale
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Make Ugly Ads to Grow Your App – Yuliya Lennox (Solid Starts)“they took a huge bet signing Hillary Duff as a influencer for the app, and it has already paid off. And he shared in the panel that almost immediately they saw a pretty big influx.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- BetterMe: Keep testing new ads until one sharply cuts costs, even if current ads work
- BetterMe: Run ugly ads that show the product and the pain in the first secondOne ran for years; called 'the best ad ever'; no numbers
- Solid Starts: Run a trendy AI 'fruit babies' ad for a doctor-backed baby feeding brandBacklash: parents questioned whether to trust the brand
- EWA: Learn English: Have the founder join every marketing meeting and write the ads himselfApp reached #2 after Duolingo; link to this is loose
- EWA: Learn English: Win your home market first, then add languages one by oneLiked locally, then expanded; later #2 after Duolingo
- Test new ads at $10/day in Indonesia, not $1,000/day in the USSame test signal at ~1% of the cost
- Replika: Fully translate and adapt an app for Japan with a Japanese speakerDidn't work at all; harder than expected
- EWA: Learn English: Run paid ads from the start alongside organic growthOrganic-only apps plateau; paid added late often ate into organic
- Palta: Share test results across apps and with a weekly peer group
- Make the paywall's continue button blinkRaised conversion, secondhand; no numbers
- Solid Starts: Hire people obsessed with the problemCredited for product quality; no numbers
- Higgsfield: Have the core team work ~17-hour days, six days a weekSaid to lead the field now; no numbers
- Translate the app into many languages with AI and test nearby marketsHer biggest win of the year; Turkey converts well; no numbers
- Sell a $1 plan after a 60-question quiz, then stack add-ons to ~$350Buyer got half back after demanding a refund; invites regulationBlack hat
- Run three apps at once with one teamBiggest fail of the year: attention spread too thin