Waking Up · B2C · meditation app
Build the app around a trusted podcaster, and put his voice in the first session
Tiny download numbers earn $200K-$1M+ a month; creator-dependence makes the app harder to sell
Workedfounder-brandinfluenceronboarding
What they did
Waking Up launched on Sam Harris's existing podcast and video audience, and the first meditation in onboarding is in his voice. Similar: MacroFactor pushed through Jeff Nippard's fitness content, and Mark Manson's Purpose app. Guest advises: if you have a connection to an influencer or YouTuber with deep audience trust, build an app with them for day-one distribution. Caveat for exits: the deal must keep the creator on board making content, and creators often refuse earn-outs.
What happened
Waking Up: ~25K downloads/month, >$1M/month revenue. Purpose: ~20K downloads/month, ~$200K/month (host research). Guest says conversion depends heavily on the persona, which complicates acquisition.
This shipped together with other changes, so the result can't be credited to this alone.
“in the onboarding, the first meditation track you listen to is Sam Harris's voice. So he's absolutely using his brand here.”
“if you have connections to a an influencer or a YouTuber with that kind of trust and distribution, you should be trying to build an app with them, cuz you get distribution from day one.”
“Here's the problem: your distribution is in an individual. Without him or her, you don't have distribution.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Flo: Pitch the app as #1 in women's health instead of competing in all of healthBecame the first women's health unicorn: $200M+ raised at a $1B+ valuation
- Runna: Aim the app at first-time runners doing couch to 5K, not all sportsEarned a strong valuation; Strava bought it to reach beginner runners
- Waking Up: Charge $20 a month or $150 a year for a meditation app~25K downloads a month bring in over $1M a month (Sensor Tower estimate)
- Flo: Run over 100 experiments a monthGuest cites it as part of what made it a top health app; no direct numbers
- Strava: Buy a beginner running app so new runners later move up to your app
- MyFitnessPal: Buy a viral food-scanning app for its knack for pulling in new users
- MyFitnessPal: Sell the app again after its growth has already slowedResold for over $100M less than the $475M paid five years earlier
- BlueThrone: Buy apps that already found fans, then add a full team to grow themWorked really well, per the guest; no portfolio numbers given
- BlueThrone: Buy apps that get lots of downloads but lose users, then fix the productA couple of such deals brought outsized returns for founder and buyer, per the guest
- If you charge under $10 a month, test $20 on 10-20% of users
- Use weekly plans for apps people need for a short time, like datingWorks well in dating and follower-tracking apps; fine for cash flow, weaker for an exit
- Pick a buyer type, study its last 5 deals, and start talking a year earlyGuest's favorite deals came from founders he'd messaged with for ~12 months
- Once a TikTok works, spin up 20 to 100 more videos on the same ideaBuyers value a repeatable viral machine over one-off hits; no numbers given