April 2023 Summaries

App Store Optimization (ASO) is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of app growth strategies, as discussed by Appfigures founder Ariel Michaeli on the Sub Club podcast. While many businesses focus on SEO, neglecting ASO can limit an app's potential for discovery and growth in the increasingly crowded app marketplace. Michaeli highlights that although ASO offers less content control compared to SEO, it is indispensable for product discovery, especially for subscription app developers. He emphasizes that ASO requires ongoing effort rather than a "set and forget" approach, suggesting that understanding the app and its competitors is crucial for effective keyword optimization. Furthermore, Michaeli advises focusing on key ASO elements such as app name, keyword order, subtitles, screenshots, and video previews, while noting the importance of ratings over reviews and cautioning against keyword duplication.

RevenueCat emphasizes its core value of "Always Be Shipping" by hosting a team-wide hackathon, which demonstrated the company's commitment to rapidly delivering high-quality projects despite the challenges of scaling. The hackathon, held in Q4 of 2022, was particularly noteworthy for its coordination among a fully remote team, leading to 15 diverse project demos, including a dark mode feature for the dashboard, an improved metrics system, and enhancements to support processes. The event was designed to encourage creativity and collaboration across departments, aligning with RevenueCat's culture of continuous improvement. The success of the hackathon not only showcased the team's ability to innovate and execute promptly but also set the tone for 2023, which the company has declared as "The Year of Shipping."

RevenueCat has introduced a new version of its REST API, designed with customer usability in mind, to enhance the management of products, offerings, and entitlements. Unlike the previous API, which was based on SDK endpoints, this version provides features like list pagination, improved error responses, and fine-grained permissions for API keys. The new API allows developers to programmatically create and manage RevenueCat products, streamlining the setup process and enabling server-side updates for apps with numerous products. Examples of its application include syncing new products from stores, creating internal dashboards, and integrating with tools like Fastlane for seamless product importation from App Store Connect. RevenueCat is also working on a more consistent data model and a RESTful API to improve data handling and customer information retrieval without side effects. Developers interested in exploring these features can join a beta program to provide feedback and gain early access to the evolving API.

RevenueCat has launched its Agency Partner Program to support development and growth agencies in helping clients succeed with mobile subscriptions, capitalizing on the growing subscription market which saw significant revenue increases in 2022. Already comprising over 25 agencies in 13 countries, the program offers benefits such as expert certification, recurring referral revenue, co-marketing opportunities, and hands-on technical support. The initiative aims to simplify subscription management, which is often complex, and enhance performance evaluation and experimentation for mobile businesses. Highlighted success stories include Applica, which achieved a 52% ARPU growth for a client, and Very Good Ventures, which collaborated with V1 Sports to rebuild their app using Flutter and RevenueCat. The program underscores RevenueCat's commitment to empowering developers and agencies to maximize revenue and improve client experiences through effective subscription solutions.

Jonas Åström, Founder and CEO of Recuro, discusses the shift from declining digital ad revenues to digital subscription models for publishers and media outlets, highlighting the success of The New York Times with over 10 million subscribers. In Northern Europe, up to 40% of the population pays for online news, benefiting incumbents with strong brands and organic traffic. However, Åström points out that in-app monetization offers potential yet presents challenges due to margin-sharing with app stores and the loss of direct user relationships. He explores strategies for publishers to utilize apps, such as differentiating pricing between in-app purchases and websites, and notes exemptions for "reader" apps that allow linking to external checkout flows, as seen with Swedish publisher Dagens Nyheter. Additionally, Åström mentions startups like informed.so, which fully integrate their news consumption and subscription models within app stores, presenting a model larger publishers might consider.

Alice Muir, a Senior Growth Consultant at Phiture, emphasizes the importance of re-onboarding existing subscribers, noting that many top apps lack targeted lifecycle messaging, which can lead to high churn rates. She highlights the need for simple in-app messages and personalized onboarding to enhance the premium experience and prevent user churn. Muir suggests that while larger apps can utilize correlation analysis for retention strategies, indie apps should leverage long-form email content and drip campaigns. She also warns about the potential downsides of using discounts, as they might attract low-intent subscribers and undermine long-term strategies. Muir shares insights on the podcast about effectively onboarding premium users, optimizing lifecycle strategies, and crafting campaigns to maintain subscriptions.