Payout · B2C · class-action settlement finder app
Build your own version of an app that offered you a lowball sponsorship
The first idea tried took off; app reached ~$100K/month
Workedvalidationpositioning-niche
What they did
On one call with his developer partner, Casper pitched ~5 ideas taken from companies that had tried to sponsor him but had low budgets or didn't work out. One was a class-action settlement app that offered $500 per video, which he declined as too low for his following. The developer judged it the easiest to build; they agreed to try it and move to another idea if it flopped.
What happened
The first idea blew up and became Payout (~$100K/month; $217K in 5 months per the host).
- Stage
- Pre-launch (idea)
Related topics
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New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from Payout
All 21 Payout tactics- End each video with 'comment claim and I'll send you the app'9,400 comments on a 288K-view video; about as many downloads as organic
- Give a creator part of the app, then build it for their followers~$45K/month almost entirely from influencer posts; partner drove 35K+ clicks
- Post every creator video on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and FacebookInstagram beats TikTok; YouTube similar (206K views) with a download spike; Facebook minor
- Show a creator five app mock-ups for their audience and let them chooseSettled on one idea, which became Payout; founder says most creators find this appealing
- Give each creator link its own App Store page to see what drives installsShowed ManyChat and organic installs are about even
- Ask creators which apps pay them for posts, then build one of thoseLed to Payout, a not-very-unique app now at ~$45K/month
More from this episode
- Payout: Reuse the hook of your best sponsored video to promote your own appRemake got ~500K views, ~20K comments and $5K+ in subscriptions
- Payout: Give a big creator half the app: you build it, they post the videosTook the app from zero to ~$100K/month, mostly from the creator's own videos
- Check likes vs views to spot which sponsored videos really went viral2K likes on 2M views means paid boost; 50K likes on 2M means organic
- Payout: Remake a winning video again and again, changing only the number and backgroundKept working until the format dried up; only two formats ever made real money
- Payout: Film a skit asking a sued company for your cut, then show the stepsFirst skit video made ~$10K+ in revenue; one of only two money-making formats
- Payout: Talk about the money viewers can claim, not why the company got suedLawsuit-story videos got views but few signups; payout-focused ones converted
- Payout: Ask viewers to comment 'claim' and auto-DM them the app linkAbout 50% of people who comment click the link; 6.7% of downloads pay
- Payout: Never say your app's name in the video; just say 'go to this app'Speaker says it keeps videos from reading as ads; no numbers
- Payout: On TikTok and Shorts, cut the call to action and name the app in a pinned comment'Link in bio' didn't work on YouTube; shorter videos without it hold viewers better
- Payout: Turn the creator's best organic videos into Meta adsOne video ran profitably for a few weeks
- Payout: Get five creators to post on the same day to climb the App Store charts$9,700 revenue that day; reached about #70-80 in Finance
- Payout: Get creator friends to post for free or ~70% off by trading favorsRates ~70% below list, but some posts still lost money, e.g. a $1,500 one
- Payout: Pick an app that fits your steadiest topic: side hustles over saving tipsSide-hustle videos always get 300K+ views; saving-money ones swing 100K to 10M
- Pay $1,000-1,500 per creator ad, expect 20-30% to work, scale the winnersWinning brand creatives boosted to 35-40M views, earning back ~10x the creator fee
- Coupon.ai: Sign creators for a year, exclusive, to film 'Hey Amazon' discount skitsOne creator video drove 300K+ downloads; Casper's version got ~12M views
- Give the developer 15% instead of 50% once your videos have proven they sell