On today’s podcast we’re hosting the Subscription Trends 2022 event. We talk with Thomas and Eric about navigating content fortresses as a developer. They share their thoughts on regulating Apple’s App Store, affiliate marketing, and breakout trends for 2022. We also talk about Web3 and Crypto, and answer questions from folks in the event’s chat room. Our guests on the show are Thomas Petit and Eric Seufert. Eric has a depth and breadth of experience with mobile apps and games that few can match...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast we talk with Colette about selling MileIQ to Microsoft then buying it back, experimenting with an unlimited marketing budget, and unlocking higher retention with a focus on prosumers. Our guest today is Colette Nataf, Head of Growth at MileIQ and Co-Founder of Lightning AI. From founding multiple startups to spending more than $100M on marketing in growth roles at several great companies, Colette has spent her career using data science to grow businesses. In this episode, you’ll l...
Feb 16, 2022•49 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast we talk with Lisa about marketing an app with no revenue, the challenges of adding new revenue streams, and the importance of brand marketing in a post IDFA world. Our guest today is Lisa Kennelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Fishbrain, the #1 app for people who love fishing. At Fishbrain, Lisa manages a team of 20 people, and is responsible for everything from brand positioning and product marketing to business development and e-commerce. Lisa also mentors startup founders on mark...
Jan 19, 2022•48 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast we talk with Matt about how to not screw up switching your app to subscriptions, why offering lifetime subscriptions might not be a great option, and what it’s like when Apple ‘sherlocks’ your product. Our guest today is Matt Ronge, co-founder and CEO of Astropad. Having worked at Apple, Garmin, and founded several companies of his own, Matt is an experienced engineer and entrepreneur with a passion for building creative tools. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to switch your app...
Jan 05, 2022•49 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast we talk with Robbie about finding your super users, the real reasons for subscription fatigue, and why pricing isn’t as important as you might think, especially early on. Our guest today is Robbie Kellman Baxter, consultant, keynote speaker, and author. She’s advised many of the world’s leading subscription-based companies, including serving on the advisory board of Strava. Her most recent book, “The Forever Transaction” is a deep dive into everything consumer subscription, and a ...
Dec 13, 2021•53 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast I talk with Eric about the value destruction of App Tracking Transparency, the limitations of SKAdNetwork, and how to thrive as an app developer in this new paradigm. My guest today is Eric Seufert. Eric has deep operating experience, having worked in growth and strategy roles at consumer tech companies such as Wooga and Rovio, but he also founded and sold a marketing business intelligence company, Agamemnon, and is an active investor in the mobile gaming and ad tech categories. E...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast, we talk with Ron about the magic of consumer subscriptions, experimenting with freemium strategies, and how private equity isn’t always as bad as you’ve been led to believe. Our guest today is Ron Schneidermann, CEO at AllTrails, the ultimate guide for outdoor adventures. AllTrails was early to the consumer subscription space, launching a $3/month premium tier way back in 2012. Ron joined as CMO and COO in 2015, and then took over as CEO in 2019, helping to grow AllTrails to over...
Nov 17, 2021•52 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Eric Crowley, a tech investment banker with GP Bullhound. With investments in companies ranging from Spotify to Whoop, and clients such as AllTrails, Pinkbike, and Lingoda, GP Bullhound provides transaction advice and capital to many of the leaders in the Consumer Subscription Software space. On the podcast we talk with Eric about his 2021 report on Consumer Subscription Software, the truth about LTV calculations, and the new era of organic user acquisition. In this episode, y...
Oct 27, 2021•54 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Seth Miller, Founder and CEO at Rapchat. Seth is on a mission to democratize music creation with Rapchat’s mobile app. Rapchat takes the friction out of making music, and has helped millions of artists unleash their creativity. Seth earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, with an emphasis on management information systems, from Ohio University. Before founding Rapchat, Seth worked as a consultant for Adidas, and an IT Systems Engineer. On the podcast we talk w...
Oct 06, 2021•46 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Watch the video version of this show on YouTube » Matthieu Rouif is the co-founder and CEO of PhotoRoom. PhotoRoom enables anyone to create studio-quality photos on their iPhone. Before founding PhotoRoom, Matthieu was the Senior Project Manager at GoPro. Matthieu is also the co-founder and CTO of HeyCrowd, and co-founder and CEO of As-App. Matthieu earned his graduate degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford University, and his bachelor’s degrees in economics, and physics from ...
Sep 15, 2021•45 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast On the podcast, we talk with Ben about all things app stores. From Apple’s revolutionary launch of the App Store in 2008 to the monopoly-like powers both Google and Apple now wield today. With multiple lawsuits filed, government investigations ongoing, and developer sentiment at an all-time low, we take an honest look at the challenges and trade-offs in trying to bring two of the world’s largest companies to heel. Ben Thompson's Links Stratechery Ben’s Twitter: @benthompson Follow Us: David Barn...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Watch the video version of this show on YouTube » Shamanth Rao is the founder and CEO at Rocketship HQ. Shamanth also hosts the Mobile User Acquisition Show podcast, and is the lead instructor for the Mobile Growth Lab workshop series. RocketShip HQ is a boutique growth marketing firm with 8 figures in managed spend. Before founding RocketshipHQ, Shamanth led growth marketing resulting in 3 exits: Bash Gaming (sold for $170mm), Puzzle Social (acquired by Zynga), and FreshPlanet (acquired by Game...
Aug 25, 2021•48 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Watch the video version of this show on YouTube » Maddie Kirby is currently the Senior Social Media Manager for the video journal app, 1 Second Everyday. Maddie started her social media marketing career at Ozwest. Ozwest is an exclusive distributor of Zing branded toy products and the Ozwest toy line in the USA and Canada. While working at Ozwest, Maddie started growing her personal social media presence. Maddie has almost 400k followers on TikTok. Since joining 1 Second Everyday in 2019, Maddie...
Aug 11, 2021•53 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Watch the video version of this show on YouTube » Andy Carvell is the Partner & Co-Founder of Phiture, a mobile growth agency. Here he has worked with some of the biggest apps on the App Store, including Headspace, Spotify, Triller, and VSCO. Prior to founding Phiture, Andy worked on the marketing and growth teams at SoundCloud. His team built SoundCloud's activity notification system, which delivered over 500 million pushes per month, and increased M1 retention by five percentage points in ...
Jul 28, 2021•45 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Watch the video version of this show on YouTube » Alex Ross is the co-founder & CEO at Gregarious, Inc. Gregarious is the company behind Greg, an app dedicated to helping people grow healthier and happier plants. Greg’s community has grown from 100 beta users in August 2020 to over 50,000 monthly active users today. Alex graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, and studied data science and statistics at MIT. Alex has worked for companies such as Cisco, The Daily Aztec, and C...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast David Smith is a full-time independent app developer. Since 2006, David has owned and operated a small company focusing on creating applications for the iPhone and Apple Watch. David has built many successful apps over the years. His most recent app, Widgetsmith, went viral and hit #1 on the App Store. It has over 50 million downloads. David’s other successful apps include Watchsmith, Pedometer++, and Sleep++. David also co-hosts a weekly podcast called Under the Radar, where he and his co-host ...
Jun 30, 2021•57 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Ben Bajarin , CEO and Principal Analyst at Creative Strategies . For the past 20 years, Ben has been studying the consumer tech market and providing actionable insight and strategic recommendations to many of the top technology companies in the world. In this episode, you’ll hear about: The results from Ben’s survey of iOS developers Why positive developer sentiment is invaluable to platform owners How much developers think is fair for Apple to charge Follow Us: David Barnard:...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, you’ll hear about: The pros and cons of selling an app on your own versus going through a broker What to watch out for during negotiations What to expect after selling your app Follow Us: David Barnard: https://twitter.com/drbarnard Jacob Eiting: https://twitter.com/jeiting Eric Owens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericowens/ Here’s the Outline of Our Interview with Eric: (1:00) Eric and David have worked together before! (1:25) How Eric became an app broker. (5:09) The top reason...
May 19, 2021•56 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Leon Sasson , Co-Founder & CTO at Rise Science , a company dedicated to helping people overcome sleep challenges, feel better, and be more productive. Since its inception in 2014, Rise has primarily focused on elite athletes, helping some of the top NFL, NBA, and college football teams with their sleep. But in 2019 they decided to enter the consumer subscription space, which became even more important in 2020 as COVID challenged their B2B model. Leon and the team at Rise w...
May 05, 2021•52 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, you’ll hear about: Why most apps should do at least some paid user acquisition How paid user acquisition has evolved over the past decade How to think about marketing in the post-IDFA era
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Our guests today are Majd Taby and Jasper Hauser , co-founders of the Apple Design Award-winning app, Darkroom . Prior to founding Darkroom, Majd spent time at Apple, Facebook, and Instagram working as a product-focused engineer. Alongside Darkroom, Majd has also published a photobook documenting the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Jasper is a 3-time Apple Design Award winner, with 18 years of industry experience in creating digital products and mentoring people. Prior to founding Darkroom with Majd, Jas...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Ryan Jones, long-time indie developer of Weather Line and Flighty. Before going full-time on his apps in 2019, Ryan spent time in operations at Apple and as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at McGarrah Jessee, a full-service product marketing agency. In this episode, you’ll hear about: (3:53) Ryan’s background in mechanical engineering and the oil industry. (6:35) Ryan’s first app, Weather Line, hit #12 in the App Store (11:09) Weather Line’s Super Forecast (16:21) Networking with fa...
Mar 24, 2021•54 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Ed Zitron, the founder and CEO of EZPR, a media relations company based in San Francisco. Ed has worked with everyone from drone-maker Skydio to game-maker PUBG to app-maker SmartNews. He has a unique approach to media relations and is quite effective at helping his clients get results. In this episode, you’ll hear about: (4:41) Why PR is so much more difficult these days; Facebook ; Cambridge Analytica ; Theranos . (11:37) Joanna Stern may be the best tech journalist working ...
Mar 10, 2021•51 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Faye Keegan , co-founder and CTO of Dipsea . Part technology company and part story studio, Dipsea is the first audio platform for women's sexual wellness. Prior to founding Dipsea, Faye spent time at Neighborly as a software engineer and Bridgewater as an investment associate. With a background in economics and investment analysis, Faye isn’t your typical startup CTO. In this episode, you’ll hear about: (4:16) The growing popularity of audio as a medium; Headspace ; Calm . (1...
Feb 17, 2021•41 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Eric Crowley , a tech investment banker with GP Bullhound , focusing on consumer subscription software (CSS), enterprise software, and financial technology. With investments in companies ranging from Spotify to Fishbrain , and clients such as AllTrails , Partnerize , and Motif , GP Bullhound provides transaction advice and capital to many of the leaders in the consumer subscription software space. In this episode, you’ll hear about: (8:52) Prediction: There will be 50 more pub...
Feb 02, 2021•52 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Darius Mora is the Chief Marketing Officer at Reflectly , the world’s largest journaling app. Reflectly is consistently in the top 5 Health & Fitness iPhone apps in the US, competing with companies 10X its size. Over the past 6 months, Reflectly has broadened its scope, acquiring 8 new apps in the mental fitness space. Darius has been in the app space for almost a decade and founded 4 app startups prior to joining Reflectly in 2018. He’s been focused on ASO, free marketing, paid user acquisi...
Jan 20, 2021•55 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the podcast we have two guests from Big Sky Health : Vu Pham, who works on the product team, and his colleague Nick Robinson, Chief Business Officer. Big Sky Health was founded to help people live healthier, longer lives with the help of technology. They are currently working on 3 apps: Zero , the world's most popular fasting app, Less , an app for more mindful drinking, and Oak , a meditation and breathing app. In this episode, you’ll hear about: (6:07) Zero helped create the “fasting ...
Jan 12, 2021•47 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast While in college Zach built Hashtag Expert , an app for finding top-performing hashtags. After growing it organically for a bit, he started doing paid acquisition and quickly scaled it to hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in revenue. You can see exactly how much Zach spent to grow Hashtag Expert to that level because he publishes an interactive dashboard that shows the past couple years of income and expenses. Zach is now writing an email newsletter on his process of building a new app bu...
Dec 16, 2020•45 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Since Apple’s big announcement about upcoming privacy changes in iOS 14 , mobile app developers have been scrambling to understand how these changes will affect their businesses. With IDFA effectively dead in the water, developers will no longer be able to use device-level attribution and high-resolution tracking to send targeted ads to their users. So what can they do? In this week’s episode, we asked mobile marketing expert Eric Seufert for his take. Eric has had quite a career in mobile. From...
Dec 02, 2020•50 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast In This Episode Apple recently shocked the App Store developer community with news that small developers with revenue of less than $1M per year will pay a commission of 15% instead of 30%. Within hours of the news dropping, David and Jacob recorded this episode with the hottest of takes, exploring what this means for the future of the App Store. Here's what we cover in the episode: (1:32) Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (For once, David takes the cynical view!) (4:39) 97% of developers usin...
Nov 18, 2020•43 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast 
