Runna · B2C · running training app
Give each running influencer their own workout plan in the app
Guest says it built a strong brand and rocketed up the charts; no numbers
Workedinfluencercontent
What they did
Runna mostly grows via influencers: professional runners, each with their own workout routines in the app and targeting a different niche (hybrid athletes, long distance), plus lifestyle and educational content.
What happened
Built a 'phenomenal brand and just rocketed up the charts'
In their words
The Superwall Podcast · Peter Gillan - My App Makes $600k/Year Using This Easy Growth Strategy (copy me)“I think it's mostly they've grown via their influencers, but they'll do different workout routines for each influencer, and they're all quite professional runners.”
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 Runna
All 8 Runna tactics- Target serious runners with training plans that adapt after every runWon the race-training niche; later bought by Strava
- Use AI tools to go from tens to 400+ ad concepts a month400+ concepts/month; said to lower CAC and speed up learning
- Aim the app at first-time runners doing couch to 5K, not all sportsEarned a strong valuation; Strava bought it to reach beginner runners
- Give each runner AI coaching feedback on every run, built by an ex-coachGrew fast and was bought by Strava; no growth numbers given
- Buy a beginner running app so new runners later move up to your app
- Buy a beginner-friendly app and sell it to your users as a bundleDeal closed; adviser calls it '1+1=6'; no post-deal numbers shared
More from this episode
- Stronger: Post the same 6-second fade-in app screenshot Reel over and overEst. 150-300M views, a 100M-view month; low conversion and now fading
- Stronger: Copy a winning video across many accounts, changing a few words or colors each timeAdopted after a rival did it with ~10 accounts; no separate numbers
- Copy a rival's viral video format and post it from 10 accountsDownloads visibly ramped up; out-scaled the team that invented it
- Stronger: Design every feature to look great as a screenshot for social postsScreenshots are the main money-maker; founder claim, no numbers
- Stronger: Post 2-3 slide TikTok carousels of real, unpolished app screensHistorically their best-converting channel; weaker in the past year as 20 rivals copied
- Stronger: Post a rough founder video of a fun app feature before launch~15K followers in week one; then hit #3 in Health & Fitness at launch
- Stronger: Reply to comments with videos showing their lift as random objects in the appA series of viral videos; likely most of the account's 4.9M likes
- Stronger: Make everyone start a free trial first; free version only after they cancel~25% boost, their biggest ever; few complaints, but less sharing
- Stronger: Test when and how often the paywall shows before testing its wordingFounder says they now monetize per user among the best workout trackers; no numbers
- Stronger: Turn workout numbers into a strength rank users can show off12 months with no copycat; became the main marketing asset
- Stronger: Adapt viral video formats from other app niches, then test hooks by watch timeHow they find each new format; no numbers given
- Stronger: Keep content in-house; hire agencies only to scale a proven formatTwo founders make almost all content; few affiliates
- Stronger: Fund the app with government grants instead of investorsStayed bootstrapped; no amounts given
- Copy a rival's strength score and add game-style ranks for each musclePerformed 'brilliantly' per the guest; Stronger later added ranks too
- Build the new app as a tile-based game that AI tools can't copy yet