An app ranking #1 for a keyword · B2C · App Masters boosted app
Pay for searches-then-installs on one quiet keyword until the app ranks #1
#1 for both keyword spellings and stuck there; ~$5K/month mostly organic
Workedaso
What they did
Pick a keyword with low ASO competition that nobody is paying attention to and a search popularity score of at least 30. During the initial launch phase, run a keyword install/boost campaign through a boost source: many people search that exact keyword and download the app, raising the app's relevancy for it (similar to a very aggressive exact-match Apple Search Ads campaign). Target both the one-word and two-word spellings. Stop once the app hits #1. Steve also runs small boosts on arbitrary apps as keyword research, to see whether a keyword can move with a little push. Violates store rules; Steve explicitly does not promote it.
What happened
App reached #1 for both keyword variants during launch and stayed #1 after the campaign stopped; now makes about $5,000/month mostly from organic downloads.
- Stage
- launch
- Effort
- One launch-phase campaign, then stopped
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · App Store Ethics, Dark Patterns, and Rule-Breakers — Steve P. Young, App Masters“You pick a keyword, and then you boost that keyword by getting downloads from that keyword.”
“we ran a keyword boost campaign within the initial launch phase, we got it to number one. It's stuck. It's still number one for this keyword.”
“And so I can run this for any app, for anybody. I'm not hurting them, I'm only helping them, but it's my way of getting a sense of, is this keyword—can it move, if I gave it a little bit of juice?”
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