Subscription League

These are examples of successful apps in Kovalee’s portfolio. 

• Bend, the #1 stretching app worldwide: 9x User LTV, 150x MRR 
• PepTalk, a 5-star motivational companion: 22x MRR, 5x User LTV, 10x active subscriptions
• WeBurn, a workout app for women: 4x User LTV, 10x monthly recurring profits 
• PLAW, a phone customization app: 5x User LTC, 20x monthly

The secret sauce for such remarkable growth?

In short:

• Kovalee’s unique in-house tech & expertise
• Apps with high potential (the hidden gems)
• The test-and-learn methodology

Listen to the full episode to hear from Kovalee’s CEO and Co-founder, Vincent, about his journey of turning ordinary apps into world leaders, the company’s value proposition, and the 6 pillars of an app’s success.

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article -  Turning ordinary apps into worldwide leaders with Vincent Hart de Keating (Kovalee)

Episode Topics at a Glance

• The role of a publisher in app development 
• Examples of successful app partnerships with Kovalee 
• Onboarding and A/B testing 
• Forecasting and automation technologies 
• User acquisition with smart technologies 
• Monetization tips: personalization and segmentation

More about Vincent

After successfully founding one of the largest publishers of mobile gaming apps, Homa Games, Vincent is now the CEO & Co-founder of Kovalee - a company that brings the publishing model to non-gaming apps. Since it was founded in 2021, Kovalee has helped several apps reach #1 worldwide through its team of experts and in-house technologies. Vincent has over 10 years of experience working with apps and is passionate about empowering small teams of app creators to become resounding successes worldwide.

Vincent's LinkedIn

Timestamps

[00:05:12]: The role of a publisher in app development

[00:09:01]: Examples of successful app partnerships with Kovalee

[00:13:29]: Onboarding and A/B testing

[00:20:00]: Forecasting and automation technologies

[00:22:00]: User acquisition with smart technologies

[00:23:58]: Monetization tips: personalization and segmentation

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

Who could have imagined that walking could become a source of income? 

It may sound unbelievable, but Sweatcoin makes it possible.

Back in 2015, Sweatcoin burst onto the scene with an impressive $6.3 million in funding. Since then, it has experienced exponential growth, boasting an astounding user base of over 120 million people worldwide.

So, how does Sweatcoin work? The app, available for free, tracks users' daily steps. For every 1,000 steps, users earn one Sweatcoin, which can be exchanged also for Bitcoin. 

But how does the app generate revenue to pay its users? In a nutshell, Sweatcoin has three primary revenue streams: advertising revenue, brand affiliations, and premium memberships.

As we delve deeper into Sweatcoin's business model, curiosity arises. That's precisely why we invited Rowan Pereira, the group product manager at Sweatcoin, for this episode. Join us and listen to the full conversation to discover the app's effective growth strategies, user retention techniques, revenue generation channels, and the value of its premium subscription. 

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article -  Redefining motivation and user retention in the fitness app landscape with Rowan Pereira (Sweatcoin)

Episode Topics at a Glance

• Rowan's experience working with Multiply and Lingumi 
• Overview of Sweatcoin and its growth strategy 
• Reasons for habit formation 
• Metrics for measuring user engagement and retention 
• Focusing on early user experience and A/B testing for growth engine 
• The impact of premium upsells on retention 
• Competing with bigger brands

More about Rowan

Rowan is a dynamic growth-oriented professional with seven years of experience in product management. Currently serving as a Group Product Manager at Sweatcoin, she is fueled by a high-energy personality and a strong passion for promoting gender equity. Beyond her tech career, Rowan enjoys drawing portraits and seeks creative outlets whenever possible. Inspired by her father's tech background, she embarked on a similar path, finding fulfillment in making a positive impact. Notable achievements include spearheading an impartial campaign during the 2016 referendum and launching the UK's first regulated financial advice app, Multiply. In her current role, Rowan played a pivotal role in the unparalleled growth of Sweatcoin, acquiring 60 million new customers worldwide and topping the charts as the most downloaded health and fitness app globally.

Rowan’s Links

Rowan’s LinkedIn

Sweatcoin on App Store

Sweatcoin on Google Play

Timestamps

[00:00:01]: Introduction to Subscription League podcast 
[00:02:35]: Rowan's experience working with Multiply and Lingumi 
[00:04:35]: Overview of Sweatcoin and its growth strategy 
[00:11:39]: Reasons for habit formation 
[00:13:20]: Metrics for measuring user engagement and retention 
[00:18:57]: Focusing on early user experience and A/B testing for growth engine 
[00:22:54]: The impact of premium upsells on retention 
[00:23:35]: Competing with bigger brands 

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

In this podcast episode with Michael Ribero, Chief Subscriptions Officer at The Washington Post, we talk about challenges and opportunities that arise when transitioning from print to digital.

Michael shares his experience on how the new brand is succeeding through some time-sensitive challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and privacy policy changes.

Listen to the full episode to learn about The Washington Post’s success secrets including:  

• Running paper and digital subscriptions on distinctive strategies
• Accommodating and understanding changes in technology
• Optimizing the payment process for readers on Apple devices
• Personalizing with ethical considerations

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article -  Transitioning to Digital: Insights from Michael Ribero of The Washington Post

Episode Topics at a Glance

• Michael Ribero's transition to the media industry 
• Washington Post's strategy for transitioning to digital and personalization efforts. 
• Delivering personalized experiences 
• Using data to inform monetization strategies 
• Experimenting with pricing and cross-selling strategies 
• AI in Journalism 
• Reducing Friction for Subscriptions.

More about Michael

Michael Ribero is the Chief Subscriptions Officer for The Washington Post. In this role, Michael oversees The Post’s digital subscriptions business and plays a vital role in The Post’s international growth. Michael works across marketing, product, analytics, finance, and news.

Michael Ribero joins The Washington Post from Paramount+, where he was Vice President of Global Marketing. Previously, he was General Manager of Brand and Media at Sling TV. Prior to Sling, Michael worked at Visa, and, earlier in his career, he was a technology investment banker, advising emerging technology companies on key growth initiatives.

Michael graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Engineering modified by Economics and an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University.  He is happiest with his wife and 4 children either wearing cowboys or skiing in Colorado.

Michael’s Links

Michael’s LinkedIn

The Washington Post on App Store

The Washington Post on Google

Timestamps

[00:01:07]: Michael Ribero's transition to media industry

[00:03:16]: Washington Post's strategy for transitioning to digital and personalization efforts. 

[00:10:34]: Delivering personalized experiences

[00:13:27]: Using data to inform monetization strategies

[00:16:09]: Experimenting with pricing and cross-selling strategies

[00:21:15]: AI in Journalism

[00:23:39]: Reducing Friction for Subscriptions.

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

Education apps for children have become increasingly popular in recent years with growing competition in the market. In a recent podcast, We sat down with Gonzalo Rodriguez, CEO of Papumba, to discuss the app’s growth secrets. Papumba is a digital safe playground designed specifically for kids aged 2-7, offering a variety of educational games, books, videos, and audio stories that engage and educate young minds.

• Creating a trustworthy and safe app for kids
• Being Featured in Apple App Store
• Generating 40% of additional revenue by localizing the content 
• improving the adoption of annual plans to increase the lifetime value

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article -  Making a trustworthy and user-friendly language learning app with Gonzalo Rodriguez (Papumba)

Episode Topics at a Glance

• Introduction to Papumba
• Challenges of approaching the Kid's category
• Keeping a close relationship with Apple
• Getting featured by Apple
• Boosting credibility and appealing to the parents
• Optimizing the content for young children who can’t read
• Localizing the content to increase revenue
• Improving the Adoption of Annual Plans

More about Gonzalo

Gonzalo Rodriguez is an accomplished Argentinian entrepreneur and passionate CEO with a deep love for parenting and education. As a two-time startup founder, he currently leads Papumba, a VC-backed Edtech platform focused on helping families around the world raise confident and ready-for-school children. As a devoted father to a 2-year-old toddler, Gonzalo understands the importance of providing high-quality, expert-curated content to support children's development.

Gonzalo’s Links

Gonzalo’s LinkedIn

Papumba on the Appstore

Papumba on Google Play

Papumba on Instagram

Papumba’s website

Timestamps

[00:01:01]: Creating a parenting app

[00:03:19]: Papumba's deployment and top markets 

[00:14:05]: Increasing Annual Plan Adoption 

[00:17:07]: Failed Experiments and Lessons Learned 

[00:20:57]: Building Habits and Expanding Content Offering

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

For episode 23 of the Subscription League Podcast, we had the pleasure of discussing tips and frameworks with a behavioral science expert and the founder of a product growth agency, Applica Sviat Hnizdovskyi. Sviat shared valuable insights on how companies can improve their app subscription, LTV (customer’s lifetime value), and monetization. 

Listen to learn more about his tips for optimization subscriptions, Applica’s experiment history review framework, Sviat’s passion for behavioral science, and other key takeaways from the episode. 

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article - Framework for subscription optimization: tips from behavioral science expert Sviat Hnizdovskyi (Applica)

Episode Topics at a Glance

• Sviat’s Passion for Behavioural Science. 
• Strategy to increase ARPU 
• Tips for subscription optimization
• Experiment categories
• Applica’s experiment history review framework
• Pre-requisites to run Sviat’s framework. 
• Type of companies Sviat is working with to build this framework. 

More about Sviat

Sviat is currently the founder of Applica, a London based product growth agency. Sviat has years of experience in behavioral economics, social & cognitive psychology, and data-driven digital product analytics. During his time at Applica, Sviat has helped companies like Loona, FitMind, Fabulous, Drops, and Freeletics increase significantly their app ARR. Recently, he  founded the Open Minds Institute - an international think & do tank that cultivates open-mindedness and behavioral change for peace & freedom.

Sviat’s Links

Sviat’s Linkedin Profile

Sviat’s Twitter 

Open Minds Institude

Applica’s Experiment History Review Framework

Timestamps

00:37 - Sviat’s Passion for Behavioural Science. 

01:53 - Strategy to increase ARPU 

03:57 - Making the transition from employee to entrepreneur. 

05:33 - Creating steps of Framework. 

08:05 - Categories of experiments. 

11:50 - Recategorizing the experiments. 

12:31 - Next step after having category 

13:42 - Does this framework differs for different countries? 

16:29 - How to start experimenting after getting the data. 

19:08 - Tracking multiple metrics with the same framework. 

20:33 - How do you deal with long running tests? 

22:33 - Minimum setup required to run Sviat’s framework. 

24:58 - Type of companies Sviat is working with to build this framework. 

26:36 - Experiment that surprised Sviat. 

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

Mimo is an app that teaches coding through a gamified learning process. The company runs experiments to enhance its product by introducing new features and improving existing ones.

In the Subscription League podcast episode 22, Ekaterina Gamsriegler, Head of Growth and Marketing at Mimo, shares her experience overseeing the development of the experimentation culture in the company and other valuable app growth tips on 

• full funnel optimization
• growth metrics and their trade-offs
• importance of segmentation 

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article - 

How Mimo Builds an Experimentation Culture with Ekaterina Gamsriegler

Episode Topics at a Glance

• What is the Mimo app
• Ekaterina's motivation for her app course 
• Ekaterina's takeaways from launching the app 
• Challenges in building the experimentation culture at Mimo
• Different frameworks to nurture the experimentation culture
• Common mistakes made by app founders
• Importance of user segmentation
• The importance of retention and measuring it 

More about Ekaterina

Ekaterina is a seasoned marketer with 13+ years of experience in various growth and marketing roles. She started her career in SEO and later shifted to digital marketing and mobile, gaining experience across all parts of the funnel.

She has worked at both big and small companies, including dotDigital Group, IG, SEO PowerSuite, Runtastic, Storebox, and Mimo, where she currently leads the Marketing department.

In addition to her work, Ekaterina also teaches digital marketing at an online bootcamp, mentors on various platforms, and consults startups and scaleups on growth. She recently launched a course on growing B2C mobile apps, which has an average rating of 9.7 and 20 happy students.

Ekaterina Links

Ekaterina’s LinkedIn 

Ekaterina’s Twitter

Ekaterina’s online course to launch a marketing strategy for your app in 10 days. Special offer for our podcast listeners: Use the promo code 'League20'  for a 20% discount! 

Timestamps

0:00 Welcome to the Subscription League 

0:21 Ekaterina Gamsriegler and MIMO introduction 

1:42 Ekaterina's motivation for her app course 

4:36 The challenges Ekaterina faced with MIMO 

6:51 Difference between current vs old audience 

8:56 Ekaterina's takeaways from launching the app 

10:41 The expected user journey for the new offer 

13:06 Were you surprised by users' reasons to learn code? 

14:06 MIMO's experimentation culture and development 

20:22 How did you choose your course tagline? 

23:32 What are some common mistakes founders make? 

29:30 The importance of retention and measuring it 

35:14 Where to learn more about Ekaterina 

36:59 Thank you for listening!

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

App monetization is a hot topic in nearly any industry. While creating an app can be a lucrative business, it can be difficult to stand out and generate revenue with so many apps available. In the Subscription League podcast episode 21, Steve P. Young, an app marketing expert and founder and CEO of App Masters, shared his top tips for app monetization including the followings:

• target 100% paywall views
• add the paywall to the onboarding process
• stop building more features
• focus on improving the rate of trials to subscriptions
• carefully consider the length of the app’s trials
• use data as social proof

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article - 

How to Monetize Your App: Expert tips from Steve P. Young (App Masters)

Episode Topics at a Glance

• The story behind App Masters
• Steve’s youtube content initiative
• App monetization tips
• Why onboarding works and the proofs
• Why trial works and the proofs
• Showing a paywall early on to 100% of the users
• Paywall content tips (long vs short, pricing table)
• Feature led vs value-led
• Using data as social proof

More about Steve

Steve P. Young is the founder of App Masters the app marketing agency that helps grow apps faster, better & cheaper.

From top-charting apps to the world’s biggest brands to small indie app startups, App Masters guides you through our successes and failures to ensure that you have a proven framework to ultimately find your success.

He is an author, speaker, and host of the #1 app marketing YouTube channel. He has interviewed the biggest names including the co-founder of Shazam, Crossy Road, Mafia Wars, Color Switch, and more!

Steve’s Links

Steve’s Linkedin

Steve’s Twitter

App Master Youtube Channel

Podcast - App Marketing by App Masters

Timestamps

0:00 Welcome to the Subscription League 

0:21 Steve P. Young introduction and name explanation 

1:13 How Steve founded App Masters 

3:38 App Masters' brand partnerships 

6:31 Steve's advice for CEOs for app monetization 

9:34 What pushed you to get so involved with data? 

11:28 How to incorporate paywalls during onboarding 

13:11 The importance of showing a paywall early 

15:50 What to include in a paywall 

19:52 What is your experience with win-back offers? 

23:20 Is a hard paywall a good idea? 

28:31 Where to learn more about Steve 

29:11 Thank you for listening!

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

With over 50 million installs and a growing number of paying subscribers, PhotoRoom is scaling quickly across multiple markets across the globe. In our conversation, Olivier shares his insights on growth strategies in gaming and utilities, the challenges of scaling across markets, and the importance of experimentation and community-building.

We discuss how subscription-based utility apps like PhotoRoom defer from gaming apps that rely on one-time in-app purchases and user acquisition.

We also explore the challenges of scaling a business across multiple markets and how PhotoRoom is applying agile testing and learnings from one market to another.

Olivier also shares how PhotoRoom leverages TikTok content creators for user acquisition and emphasizes the importance of giving team members strong ownership and trust, making experimentation easy, and understanding the culture and needs of different markets.

Tuen in to learn more about PhotoRoom’s journey to grow its global footprint.

Episode Topics at a Glance

• What is PhotoRoom
• Market targeting and business strategies when growing an app internationally
• TV apps vs. Photo editing and utility apps
• PhotoRoom’s challenges ahead
• Leveraging TikTok content for user acquisition
• Growth tips for utility apps
• Balancing ownership in a team 

More about Olivier

Currently VP Growth at PhotoRoom, the leading AI photo-editing app for resellers, small businesses, and marketplaces, Olivier has been leading revenue and user base growth since 2020. Recently, PhotoRoom has reached 50 million installs, has millions of active users and several hundred thousand paying subscribers.  

Prior to joining PhotoRoom, Olivier was heading Molotov marketing operations, a TV streaming app used by millions of french households and recently acquired by Fubo and he led the monetization strategy of Wooga, the Berlin-based mobile gaming studio.

Olivier’s Links

1. PhotoRoom website
2. Olivier's Twitter
3. Olivier's Linkedin

Timestamps

0:00 Welcome to the Subscription League 

0:20 Olivier Lemarié introduction 

0:50 The PhotoRoom editing app 

2:59 Olivier's background and journey 

3:44 Growth for utility vs gaming apps 

4:49 Olivier's experience at Molotov vs Photo Room 

8:04 Core challenges at PhotoRoom 

9:30 PhotoRoom's test culture 

11:32 PhotoRoom's value and retention with users 

13:15 How PhotoRoom leverages TikTok content 

18:07 Olivier's advice for growth 

22:23 Balancing ownership in a team 

23:20 What is PhotoRoom's North Star Metric? 

24:20 Where to learn more about Olivier and PhotoRoom 

25:15 Wrap Up 

25:26 Thank you for listening!

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

In this episode of the Subscription League, we explore the crucial balance between maximizing revenue and preserving subscriber satisfaction. Our guest, Vahe Baghdasaryan, a seasoned Growth Marketing Manager and 5-star Growth Marketing Mentor at CoinStats, offers invaluable insights into effective pricing strategies and monetization models for subscription apps.

Join us as Vahe highlights the importance of considering all aspects of monetization and emphasizes the significance of paywall optimization as just one piece of the puzzle. 

You'll learn about:

1)the most commonly used pricing strategy

2)valuing features using Max-Diff Analysis

3)how to understand the willingness to pay using the drop principle

4)what to test when experimenting with pricing (subscription length, location, price)

Tune in for valuable tips and expert advice on optimizing your subscription app's monetization strategy.

Episode Topics at a Glance

• CoinStats’ approach to monetization 
• Why understanding customers is important
• What is a banded model in subscription pricing
• How to value subscription features, 
• How to measure the willingness to pay
• The drop principle - a commonly used product pricing strategies
• Price Experimentation - Big Testing for Big Results
• The impact of subscription length
• Location-based pricing 

More about Vahe

Vahe is a highly accomplished growth product and marketing professional with a wealth of experience in consumer startups across various industries, including education and fintech. He currently holds the position of Senior Growth Marketing Manager at CoinStats, where he is responsible for driving subscription optimization, user retention, and activation and leads the lifecycle marketing team. He has spoken internationally on engagement strategies, user activation, and onboarding optimization strategies. He’s also a 5-star rating mentor on GrowthMentor. Vahe has recently released his on-demand courses on subscription optimization & pricing strategy. More information can be found here.

Vahe’s Links

1. Vahe’s Subscription Optimization & Pricing Strategy Course
2. Vahe’s Twitter 
3. Vahe’s LinkedIn

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Subscription League 

00:21 Welcoming Vahe Baghdasaryan 

00:48 Vahe's transition from edtech to fintech 

01:25 What have you learned from startup founders? 

02:41 How has the FTX collapse impacted CoinStats? 

03:53 Subscription optimization at CoinStats 

10:04 Why pricing experimentation is important 

15:02 What countries are driving most of CoinStats' revenue? 

15:55 How do you set prices per region? 

18:19 How to be careful about price discrimination 

20:53 What is next for CoinStats? 

23:00 Thoughts on the sunk cost fallacy 

23:54 Where to learn more 

25:00 Thank you for listening!

Transcript

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr

When it comes to funding a young app venture, folks often seek out angel investors, venture capital, or equity investors. But in this episode, we sit down with Martin Macmillan, CEO of Pollen VC, to talk about a totally new way to finance an app business. It's called "revolving line of credit" funding and it's fast, flexible, and data-driven. 

Tune in to hear Martin share insights on 

• How this financing method works
• How Pollen VC’s funding model differs from the others
• Who can benefit from it 
• How "Clean Room Accounting" strategy can help apps better manage their finances
• Financial forecasting for subscription apps: Pollen's calculator

Join us for a fresh perspective on app financing with Martin Macmillan.

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article - A guide to financing your user acquisition with Martin Macmillan (Pollen VC)

Episode Topics at a Glance

• Fixed-income trading 
• Funding options for startups
• How Pollen VC invests in the UA stage 
• The ideal investee profile for Pollen VC
• How do you work and compete with your contenders? 
• Clean room accounting for UA/monetization 
• Why Pollen VC is moving toward subscription apps
• Pollen’s online calculator: ROAS, LTV, and cash flow 

More about Martin

Martin Macmillan is Founder and CEO of Pollen VC. He has 20 years of experience in launching and building technology businesses in financial services and media sectors and a prior career as an investment banker.

Having directly experienced the growth challenges facing tech start-ups and the lack of debt financing options open to early-stage technology businesses, he saw the opportunity to marry his traditional financial markets and technology experience to create a new financing model for the app and gaming economy.

Prior to founding Pollen VC, Martin was CEO at Soniqplay, CEO at Level Four (acquired by clear2pay), and a Director of UBS in London and New York, where he ran the Eurocommercial paper (ECP) trading group and conceived and delivered UBS’ first client-facing electronic debt trading platform.

Pollen VC’s Links

1. Subscription app calculator
2. The Definitive Guide to Selecting a UA Financing Partner
3. Clean Room Accounting for UA/Monetization blog post
4. RIP Mobile Games Publishing blog post

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Subscription League 

00:20 What is fixed-income trading? 

01:20 Martin's journey to founding Pollen VC 

02:28 Ways a founder can fund their start-up 

04:48 How Pollen VC pushes user acquisition later into the cycle 

09:05 When should start-up founders get a revolving line of credit? 

10:13 How do you work and compete with your contenders? 

13:35 Clean room accounting for UA/monetization 

15:58 Why are you moving towards subscription apps? 

18:12 Where to learn more 

22:49 Wrap Up 

23:06 Thank you for listening!

Transcript

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr