Shot Pattern · B2C · golf strategy GPS app
Run image-only ads for a couple of weeks
About break-even; switched to video
No effectpaid-social
What they did
First paid attempt in July 2024: an image-only campaign for a couple of weeks.
What happened
Roughly break-even; moved on to video ads.
- Stage
- growth
- Effort
- A couple of weeks
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Turning a Side Project into a Six-Figure Subscription Business – Eric Duffett, Shot Pattern“I tried an image-only campaign for a couple of weeks. It didn't really go anywhere, it was about break-even.”
Related topics
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New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from Shot Pattern
All 33 Shot Pattern tactics- Run a quick screen recording of your app with your own voiceover as an adGot 80-90% of spend and beat both creator ads; $1.57 per install
- Run Meta install ads with at least three videos and about $300 a day$1.57 per install (under $1 early); $1 spent returned ~$4
- Use an interest-free credit card to keep profitable ads running until Apple pays you~$100K net income in one summer push
- Fill your paywall with a long feature list so buyers see a great deal12% fewer trial starts (21% to 18%) but significantly more revenue
- Launch in weeks with just two features no competitor offers$1,000 revenue by the end of the first June; users asked for more
- Post a teaser of a feature you're halfway through buildingFirst viral tweet; reached a pro who won a tournament and led to a $75K offer
More from this episode
- Shot Pattern: Build an app for something golfers already do by handEarly trials and paying strangers with little effort, unlike the first app
- Shot Pattern: Post helpful golf tips on X with app screenshots, starting before launchA few trial starts after each helpful post; slow steady growth
- Shot Pattern: Pay $5,000 for golf course data, then dig through it for new featuresFound data for a new expected-value feature that went viral
- Shot Pattern: Tweet a teaser of a feature you are still building25-40K impressions from ~1,000 followers; influencer calls and a buyout offer
- Shot Pattern: Compare your trial numbers to public benchmarks before selling, then say noDeclined $75K; 2024 revenue ~$185K and $500K+ ARR a year later
- Shot Pattern: Add features users already want, then double the price to $75 a yearPrice now ~$75/year; no separate conversion impact reported
- Shot Pattern: Pay golf creators $750-$1,500 per video and run the videos as adsCreator ads were not the winner at first; still used as ongoing ad content
- Shot Pattern: Make a quick screen recording of the app with auto captions and run it as an ad$0.70 installs vs $3.50-4 revenue per download; drove 2024 to ~$185K
- Shot Pattern: Use an interest-free credit card to spend more on ads that pay back2024 revenue ~$185K; founder paid himself $100K
- Shot Pattern: Give golf video creators the app for free and ask them to mention itMany posted once; no numbers given
- Undaunted Golf: Email all 300+ college golf coaches one by one about the appAbout 5 replies: 2 'unsubscribe', 1 hostile, 2 asked for Android
- Undaunted Golf: Try a few Twitter adsDidn't work; founder calls it a weak effort
- Shot Pattern: Answer support for 30 minutes each morning and 30 minutes each night