Payout · B2C · class-action settlement finder app
Give a creator part of the app, then build it for their followers
~$45K/month almost entirely from influencer posts; partner drove 35K+ clicks
Workedinfluencerpartnerships
What they did
Met creator Casper (life-hack/savings finance content) through a mutual connection and partnered with him for equity on an app built specifically for his audience. Casper owns the content format: scripted skits that end in an app demo, a hard integration rather than a subtle mention. He posts often with no per-post fee because both own the app. Connor uses a different creator partner for each app, with terms that depend on the creator's size and how complex the app is. Pitch: creators on brand deals and affiliate links have unstable income and want to own something with value. Once his apps made enough, he switched to paying creators and keeps equity only for creators who can also run distribution/UGC.
What happened
Payout does ~$45K/month almost entirely from influencers; Casper alone drove ~35,000+ website clicks, plus uncounted organic installs.
- Stage
- Growth (launch and growth)
In their words
The Superwall Podcast · Connor Burd - This 23 Yr Old Genius Makes $1M/Year with No-Code Apps. Here's How“So, one of the influencers and like my partner for this app, uh his name's Casper, and he has been driving like insane traffic to the app.”
“And, you know, I built this app specifically around his audience.”
“different influencers depending on their size and how complicated the app is, like I'll have different kind of structures for that. But yeah, like every app that I've built basically is like I'm working with a different partner on that app.”
“You can kind of just be like, "You know what? Post as much as you want. Like, you know, here's my my expectations of how much you should be posting." But it becomes a lot simpler when you know that you're both in it together.”
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- Reuse the hook of your best sponsored video to promote your own appRemake got ~500K views, ~20K comments and $5K+ in subscriptions
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Build your own version of an app that offered you a lowball sponsorshipThe first idea tried took off; app reached ~$100K/month
More from this episode
- Payout: 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
- Payout: 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
- Payout: Give each creator link its own App Store page to see what drives installsShowed ManyChat and organic installs are about even
- Payout: Post every creator video on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and FacebookInstagram beats TikTok; YouTube similar (206K views) with a download spike; Facebook minor
- Email big creators instead of DMing them; find addresses on their YouTube pageBetter replies from self-managed creators; an April email led to a deal months later
- Payout: Pay creators with 500K-1M followers about $1,500 per video
- Payout: Read a creator's comments: pick ones whose fans ask personal questions
- Payout: Ask creators which apps pay them for posts, then build one of thoseLed to Payout, a not-very-unique app now at ~$45K/month
- Pick niches between broad and tiny, aiming for $30K-$200K a month
- Hand an idle app to a big fitness creator: their photos, 60-70% of the app
- RidePal: Sign niche creators to equity deals before launch and launch on their accounts10,000+ downloads on day one; tens of thousands of active users