Intelligent Artifice, formerly the Mobile User Acquisition Show

Web funnels are like teenage hex.

Everyone claims they are crushing it. Almost nobody really has a clue.

Elise Zareie spent last year actually building them.

She has been in UA since 2019. Last year she became a part-time product manager just to ship funnels herself. That meant learning Figma, coordinating designers, front-end developers, back-end developers, and analytics teams. Running QA. Shipping it. Then using AI to test faster than she ever could before.

In this episode she talks through what the process actually involves, the three levers that move the needle in any funnel, the one benchmark she watches obsessively on landing pages, how she uses Claude to generate full funnel copy from screenshots of top-performing creatives, and why AI visuals are making consumers more suspicious, not less.

Key topics

• Why web funnels are harder to build than most people think and what the process actually looks like
• How to identify the dominant funnel in a vertical before building anything
• The 40% page-one to page-two benchmark and what to do when you fall below it
• How to match landing page copy to ad creative using UTM tags
• How Elise uses Claude to generate funnel copy and assessment questions from top-performing creatives
• How AI helped her launch a male-specific funnel in two weeks for an app with 80% female users
• Why AI-generated visuals are creating consumer suspicion and what to do about it

In this episode, I'm joined by David Barnard — indie app developer, RevenueCat Developer Advocate, and host of the Sub Club podcast — to talk about what happens when someone with 18 years of App Store experience picks up vibe coding for the first time.

David has launched 30+ apps, sold four, and seen every major shift in the App Store since day one. Now he's building a new app entirely on his own — no contractors, no coding partners — just Claude Code, Codex, and decades of product intuition.

This conversation goes deep on what's actually changed, what still requires human judgment, and why distribution matters more than ever in a world where anyone can ship an app.

What we cover in this episode:

- Why vibe coding finally clicked for David — and what changed in the last 12–18 months
- How 18 years of App Store experience shapes what you can build with AI
- Claude Code vs. Codex — how David uses both and plays them off each other
- Why product intuition is still the hardest thing to replicate with AI
- The real cost of building an app in 2025 vs. 2020
- Why distribution is the new moat — and how David is thinking about it
- RevenueCat's Rico: talking to your business, not just your data
- Why "if you build it, they will come" has never been true on the App Store

Whether you're an indie developer, founder, or operator, this episode will reshape how you think about building and shipping in the AI era.

Content Update: Rico is no longer just in beta! You can now access these insights directly in your RevenueCat dashboard.

Learn more:

— Podcast hub
🌐   https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/ — Podcast hub
🌐 revenuecat.com — Subscription infrastructure for mobile apps
🎙️ https://www.youtube.com/@SubClubHQ - App business insights from the people building them

🚀 In this episode, I’m joined by Patrick Stuart-Constant, who has been building AI-driven creative systems long before it became mainstream.

Patrick breaks down how his team scaled from producing hundreds to thousands of ads per month using generative AI — and why more AI actually required more humans, not fewer.

He explains why “AI slop” isn’t an AI problem but a creativity problem, how to balance automation with human taste, and why the future of marketing belongs to teams that can combine velocity with originality.

If you're running paid acquisition, building creative systems, or thinking about scaling with AI, this episode is packed with practical insights and hard-earned lessons.

🎙️ What we cover in this episode:

✅ Why early adoption of generative AI created a compounding advantage

✅ The real reason most AI ads fail (and why it’s not the AI)

✅ How to scale from 4,000 → 10,000+ ads per month

✅ Why adding AI increased the need for human creativity

✅ How “unicorn ads” actually emerge from experimentation

✅ Using Bayesian models to find signal in creative testing

✅ AI agents for pre-ranking ads before spending budget

✅ Why creative velocity is the new moat in paid acquisition

Whether you're a founder, growth leader, or creative strategist - this conversation will change how you think about scaling ads in the AI era.

🔗 Learn more:

🌐 rocketshiphq.com - Growth systems for high-spend advertisers
🌐 http://MobileUserAcquisitionShow.com - feat. all things mobile user acquisition

Our guest today is Bastian Bergmann, Co-founder and COO of Solsten. In this episode, he shares how psychology can revolutionize game marketing and creative advertising. Bastian discusses the power of understanding player motivations to craft ads that deeply resonate, driving better engagement and results. He explores real-world examples, like how a simple change in ad copy transformed performance for a Solitaire game, and highlights the role of AI in creating personalized experiences for players. I’m excited to share this deep dive into the intersection of psychology, AI, and marketing, and how these insights can reshape the way we approach creative strategy in the gaming industry.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/player-psychology-ad-creatives/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, John Gargiulo, founder of Airpost.ai, explores how AI is revolutionizing creative advertising. From transforming raw footage into high-quality, scalable ads to balancing human oversight with automation, John shares strategies for maintaining ad quality that rivals traditional production methods. We also dive into the future of AI-driven creative solutions and their potential to reshape performance marketing. Whether you're a marketer, creator, or tech enthusiast, this conversation offers valuable insights into the intersection of AI and advertising.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/ai-creative-production/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we dive into the elusive goal of achieving a 10% Day 365 retention rate in mobile apps. With so few apps reaching this milestone, I’ll outline the three proven paths to boost long-term retention: harnessing daily habits, fostering social connections, and delivering deep content. Tune in to discover how these strategies can drive not only retention but also LTV and ROAS, helping your app stand out in a competitive market.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/3-paths-day-365-retention-10-percent/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we explore the limitations of contextual targeting in mobile advertising. While matching ads with relevant content sounds promising, only past purchase behavior truly predicts conversions. I’ll break down why self-attributing networks that leverage purchasing data perform better and how to prioritize these networks over context-based DSPs.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/contextual-targeting-why/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we explore why early-stage founders should resist the temptation to diversify their ad spend across too many channels. While it may seem like a good strategy, spreading your budget thin can hinder growth. I’ll walk you through the mechanics of ad algorithms, explaining why fewer channels can lead to better results. We’ll dive into the importance of focusing on self-attributing networks and how driving more conversions in one or two places can accelerate learning and performance. Tune in to understand how optimizing your ad strategy early on sets the foundation for scaling successfully across multiple platforms.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/early-stage-diversify/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we dive into the complexities of incrementality testing in digital marketing. While measuring incrementality is widely recommended, it’s not a cure-all solution. I’ll break down the four key challenges you need to be aware of, from isolating the impact of multiple sources to dealing with inconclusive results.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/incrementality-4-challenges/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, Anton Bernstein unpacks the strategies behind building thriving virtual communities and empowering creators on platforms like HighRise. Anton explains how user-generated content and immersive social experiences drive engagement and shares insights on monetizing through cosmetics and in-game purchases. He also breaks down the development of creator tools that allow users to build and monetize their own games and experiences. Additionally, Anton discusses the balance between early monetization and fostering long-term social connections. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for anyone interested in virtual worlds, creator economies, and platform growth.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
🔑 The development of Highrise as a virtual world platform was driven by the desire to connect users through immersive social experiences.

📊 User-generated content (UGC) plays a central role in the growth and engagement of the Highrise community, enabling users to create and monetize their own content.

💵 Highrise Studio, a tool for creators, allows users to build games and experiences within the platform, providing monetization opportunities through creator-driven economies.

🔮 The platform’s monetization strategy primarily focuses on cosmetic items, which users purchase to express their identity and enhance their social presence.

🎁 Weekly events and mini-games are run on Highrise to offer top-tier cosmetic rewards, incentivizing user participation and driving engagement.

🧨 A key challenge for the platform has been balancing early monetization with fostering long-term social connections among users.

💈 Virtual worlds and social platforms are evolving to include more cooperative gameplay elements to facilitate social connections between users.

📍The platform is working to reduce the barriers for users to become creators by offering accessible tools and running regular game jams.

🕹 The transition from speculative NFT-driven models to a focus on creating virtual goods and communities that hold real, sustained value within the platform has been a significant learning point.

📟 The creative flywheel at Highrise revolves around attracting users, converting them into creators, and having those creators build experiences that attract more users, thereby reinforcing growth.

Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/ugc-creator-economies-anton-bernstein/

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Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:
http://RocketShipHQ.com
http://RocketShipHQ.com/blog