Rootd · B2C · panic attack relief app
Spend hours writing helpful replies on anxiety posts, with a link to the app
Named her top growth tactic; no numbers
Workedcommunityorganic-social
What they did
Spent hours going through social media posts, writing helpful comments and leaving links back to Rootd. Don't lead with 'download my app'; answer the question the app answers, e.g. reuse a Rootd lesson to explain why someone had anxiety on a run and that it's normal.
What happened
Listed first among her top three growth tactics.
- Stage
- Growth (early growth)
- Effort
- Literal hours of manual commenting
In their words
Starter Story · This app made over $1M“I used to spend literal hours going through posts, writing helpful comments, leaving links back to Rootd, and really trying to be helpful in what I wrote.”
“I'd say not leading with, "Hey, this is my app, go download it," but actually maybe even answering something like a question online that your app answers.”
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- Hire an outside ASO contractor to manage App Store keywordsRankings fell from #2 to tanking; recovered only after reverting to her own keywords
- Show the paywall at the start of onboarding instead of hiding itRevenue up 5x with almost no negative feedback
- 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
- Launch on World Mental Health Day and pitch local journalists firstBrought the first few hundred users; later list placements fed bigger press
- 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
More from this episode
- Rootd: 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
- Rootd: Cold-email journalists who write about mental health, telling your own storyFew replies, but features in Cosmopolitan, Women's Health and Time
- Rootd: Make the app deliver what searchers want so reviews repeat your keywordsFounder calls it a strong App Store presence; no numbers
- Rootd: Release an app update every weekFounder says it shows the app is maintained; no numbers
- Rootd: Sign B2B deals and get therapists to recommend the app to patientsFounder says it's been helpful in 2025; no numbers
- Rootd: Track reviews and star rating over revenue, and build what reviewers ask forKept a 4.8 rating; founder credits it as a big growth factor