Rootd · B2C · panic attack relief app
Track reviews and star rating over revenue, and build what reviewers ask for
Kept a 4.8 rating; founder credits it as a big growth factor
Workedfeature-developmentcustomer-support
What they did
Founder still reads every user review (someone else now writes responses) to keep a pulse on users. Treats user reviews and the 4.8 rating as the most important metric over revenue. Builds requested features, e.g. simple relaxing games users asked for over many years.
What happened
Maintained a 4.8/5 rating; she believes focusing on reviews and quality over revenue was a big factor in growth.
- Stage
- ongoing
In their words
Starter Story · This app made over $1M“I think actually our focus on tracking user reviews and the quality of Rootd over revenue has been a big factor as to why we've grown.”
“to this day, I still read all the user reviews. Even though I have somebody else do the responses now, I still go in and I make sure I know what's going on”
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: Spend hours writing helpful replies on anxiety posts, with a link to the appNamed her top growth tactic; no numbers
- 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