Rootd · panic attack relief app
Launch on World Mental Health Day and pitch local journalists first
Brought the first few hundred users; later list placements fed bigger press
Workedpr-launch
What they did
With no ad budget and no traction, launched on World Mental Health Day (October 10) and sent the story to local journalists, who like promoting local businesses. Once the app made lists (Healthline) and got a Glamour article, used that coverage to pitch more press in the US and Europe. Every October 10 since, issues a big press release and update.
What happened
Got the first few hundred users; later coverage in Healthline lists and Glamour. Each press day gives a bump that fades.
- Stage
- launch
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Hitting 2M Downloads Without Funding, Employees, or Learning to Code — Ania Wysocka, Rootd“So, I launched on World Mental Health Day. And my strategy there, since Rooted had no background yet, no traction or validation, I sent it to local folks and journalists.”
“So, that helped in getting that first few hundred. And then later on, you know, Rooted started making these different lists, like on Healthline, and an article came out in Glamour magazine and stuff. So, then I would basically amp that up and send it to even more press in the States, even in Europe, to get more stories behind it.”
“Again, going back to World Mental Health Day, pretty much every October 10th, we'll do a big press release and an update on what's going on with Rooted.”
Related topics
Get tactics like this every Monday
New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from Rootd
All 25 Rootd tactics- Go after 'panic attack' first, then climb to 'anxiety relief'Now #2 for 'anxiety relief' and #1 for 'anxiety' (search score 36)
- Show the paywall during onboarding, with a close buttonRevenue doubled
- Read reviews of rival apps to find the gap, then ship a rough first versionFirst few hundred users asked her to keep going despite bugs
- Spend hours writing helpful replies on anxiety posts, with a link to the appNamed her top growth tactic; no numbers
- Cold-email journalists who write about mental health, telling your own storyFew replies, but features in Cosmopolitan, Women's Health and Time
- Make the app deliver what searchers want so reviews repeat your keywordsFounder calls it a strong App Store presence; no numbers
More from this episode
- Rootd: Target the low-volume 'panic attack' keyword instead of the crowded 'anxiety'Now #1 for 'panic attacks' and #2-3 for 'anxiety'; glowing reviews from day one
- Rootd: Hire an outside ASO contractor to manage App Store keywordsRankings fell from #2 to tanking; recovered only after reverting to her own keywords
- Rootd: Run a small Apple Search Ads budget on your brand name and 'panic attack' termsFounder says it has worked; spend kept at bare minimum so far
- Rootd: Show the paywall at the start of onboarding instead of hiding itRevenue up 5x with almost no negative feedback
- Rootd: Ask new users to set a daily reminder during onboardingSetting a reminder is one of the strongest signs a user will stay
- Rootd: Send new users a daily quote by push for 7 days, then make it paidReceived very positively, per founder; no numbers
- Rootd: Plan a year of monthly feature stories, each with press and an App Store eventEach moves the needle a little; no single spike, bumps fade
- Rootd: Keep sending Apple feature requests; about 15 tries before the first yesFeatured, later Editor's Choice; big jumps in browse installs, especially when featured in the US
- Rootd: Hire a local ad agency to run paid ads before the paywall was fixedLost money; founder says she tried too early
- Rootd: Hit trial-conversion targets and drop required email sign-up before buying ads again
- Rootd: Ask users to share the app right after it calms a panic attackBiggest share rate after the success screen; founder calls sharing a big growth driver
- Rootd: Give the app a mascot that starts scary and gets friendlier as users improveUsers treat the mascot as a friend; no usage numbers
- Rootd: Drop email marketing and keep in touch with users by push insteadEmail cost more than it earned, so it was dropped
- Rootd: Try lower prices country by country to earn more from Android usersNo clear win; subscription uptake stays low in those markets
- Rootd: Sell premium access to health insurers and veterans groups for their members