RevenueCat

Meta Ads often feel like a moving target, but this expert interview breaks down exactly what’s working (and what isn’t) for subscription apps right now. Marcus Burke is the go-to guy for Meta Ads at scale, and in this blog, Daphne Tideman gets him to spill everything: creative strategies, funnel tactics, and how to actually grow spend from $10K to $500K/month. Here are five shifts app marketers need to know in 2025: 1️⃣ 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Marcus is using Midjourney, Veo, and Arcads to streamline everything from static visuals to UGC-style video. He’s also working with prompt-focused freelancers - what he calls “AI creatives” - to produce quality output faster. 2️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗞𝗔𝗡 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗘𝗠 Meta’s Aggregated Event Measurement has become the default. It offers real-time creative reporting and fewer constraints, but also less transparency. It’s changing how teams approach testing and iteration. 3️⃣ 𝗔𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲𝗱.... 𝘆𝗲𝘁 While creative burnout is real, the strongest ads still hold up. Volume helps, but quality matters more. The goal is thoughtful iteration, not just speed. 4️⃣ 𝗨𝗚𝗖 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀 Text wall ads, infographics, and even faceless AI content are outperforming classic talking-head video. These formats are easier to produce and feel more like content users post themselves. 5️⃣ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 Facebook Reels, Instagram Feed, Threads (coming soon) - each hits a different audience. Marcus shares how to align creative with placement and gather first-party data to evaluate trial-to-paid by channel. In the attached images, we also spotlight four ad formats that are trending right now, with visuals: 🧱 Text wall ads 🧠 Infographics 🤖 AI-generated “faceless” content 🟢 Comparison-style messaging (e.g. “Duolingo but for…”) Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eXAxBPbu #MetaAds #SubscriptionApps #AppMarketing

We're in Tokyo! 🗼 A few months back, we put a call out for app growth folks that wanted to join us on a study trip to Tokyo, to learn about the Japanese market and teach Japanese app growth people about the rest of the world in return Yesterday, that trip kicked off in full effect, with a day spent getting to know each other and the city. Later this week, we'll visit AnyMind Group for workshops on the Japanese market, co-host a meetup for Japanese founders looking to go global, attend App Growth Summit® (and organise the official afterparty together with Paddle!) and visit the try!Swift iOS conference Stay tuned for more updates as the week progresses 🇯🇵 (and thanks to Paddle's Ben Hillman for tagging along as our videographer for the week!)

Scaling Meta ads doesn’t have to send your customer acquisition cost (CAC) through the roof. But for many apps, that’s exactly what happens. Nathan Hudson and his team recently led a 3-week sprint that flipped the usual outcome: ✅ CAC dropped by 40% ✅ Ad spend scaled 74.6% ✅ Testing went from chaotic to strategic The key? A 5-step iterative testing system designed to surface winners fast and scale them without guesswork. Here’s what that process looks like 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eFmdqc25 Is your team testing like this? #appgrowth #subscriptionapps #metaads

The first signal that Tolan was working? OpenAI bills started to spike. Two weeks after launch, the team behind Tolan — a cartoonish alien AI companion — noticed something unexpected: users weren’t just poking around, they were chatting for 30 to 40 minutes at a time. That kind of usage revealed something big: emotional depth and real-time AI conversations can create a breakthrough consumer experience. But it also came with costs. In this episode of Sub Club with David Barnard and Jacob Eiting, Ajay Mehta (co-founder of Portola, makers of Tolan) shares how infra challenges, monetization pressure, and viral growth on TikTok shaped the app — and helped it hit $1M ARR within months. What's covered: 🔹 Why building a believable AI companion takes more than an API call 🔹 How high costs pushed the team to monetize early and why that helped 🔹 The creator-led marketing strategy behind Tolan’s explosive growth 🔹 Why personality and design aren’t just aesthetic, they’re part of distribution 🔹 How to tell when you’ve landed on something people need to share Listen in for a behind-the-scenes look at how Tolan turned early traction into real growth. 🎙️ Apple/Spotify → https://lnkd.in/eM98PTgh 📺 YouTube → https://lnkd.in/eug6p_zT #appgrowth #subscriptionapps

🧪 Time for a paywall A/B test... can you guess which versions won? We just published a new blog post by Vahe Baghdasaryan featuring four real paywall redesigns that show that results come from: 🔹 Reducing friction at the decision point 🔹 Structuring pricing to guide user choices 🔹 Using social proof and trust elements wisely 🔹 Giving users control (and why that often leads to more revenue) But before you go reading, let’s turn this into a game. We’ve included the before-and-after paywalls from each case study but shuffled their positions. 👇 Comment below: For each case (1–4), which paywall performed better: A or B? 🟣 RULES: - Look at each image - Drop your guesses in the comments (e.g. 1A, 2B, etc.) - Then hit the blog to check your answers and learn why they worked 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eAUmcYh7 #appgrowth #subscriptionapps

Onboarding is one of the most critical moments in the user journey - get it right, and you can significantly improve activation, retention, and revenue. But how do you design an onboarding experience that truly aligns with user needs? In this webinar, Jason Gossett, Head of Product Growth at Applica, will share how his team applied the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework and MaxDiff research to optimize Five Minute Journal’s onboarding experience. He’ll break down how they identified key user motivations, prioritized value propositions, and ran A/B tests that led to a 67% increase in trial starts and 27% higher ARPU.

Is your paywall doing too much to convince and not enough to convert? Sometimes, the most effective paywalls aren’t the ones that win design awards. They’re the ones that convert. And that can mean stripping out the extras: ❌ App Store badges ❌ Customer testimonials ❌ Long feature lists What’s left? ✅ A short, sharp headline ✅ 2–3 clear benefits ✅ A high-contrast CTA Apps like Strava, Fishbrain, and Headspace have tested “ugly” paywalls - minimal, almost boring designs that outperform their flashier counterparts. Why do they work? 🔹 They reduce friction 🔹 They increase clarity 🔹 They grab attention by not blending in In her debut RevenueCat blog, Hanna Grevelius (CPO & advisor) walks through why ugly paywalls convert and how to test one properly. You’ll also learn: 👉 What “ugly” actually means in this context 👉 How light vs. dark backgrounds affect readability (and results) 👉 How to run an effective A/B test without tanking your LTV Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/eP3GhrKb #appgrowth #subscriptionapps #paywalloptimization

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝗢𝗦 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 (𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸) We all know iOS makes more money than Android. But here’s what the data from State of Subscription Apps 2025 actually shows: ✅ It’s not that Android users spend less, it’s that fewer of them pay at all. ✅ When they do pay, their realized LTV is similar to iOS users. ✅ The apps that succeed on Android don’t just copy-paste their iOS strategy - they adapt it. Some of the biggest ways developers are making Android monetization work: 💡 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴: Ads are cheaper in certain markets, so dropping your prices can actually improve ROAS. 💡 𝗛𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Many apps make Android work by adding one-time purchases, feature unlocks, or ads. 💡 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀: Android users who won’t pay $10/month might pay $3. Bottom line: Android monetization isn’t broken, but if you’re treating it like iOS, you’re leaving money on the table. Have you found a way to make Android work for your app? #appgrowth #subscriptionapps #android

AI apps are making more money - but why? Earlier this week, Jacob Eiting and David Barnard broke down the biggest insights from the 2025 State of Subscription Apps Report on the Sub Club podcast. Naturally, the conversation started with AI.  "I contend that AI will be the second act of the mobile era," Jacob wrote in last year’s report. This year’s numbers back it up. One of the most interesting findings? 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀. But what they do is monetize better - driving higher revenue per user than the rest of the industry. Why? As Jacob puts it: "I think they're just better apps." The more value an app provides, the more people are willing to pay and the longer they stay subscribed. But for developers hoping to capture this opportunity, differentiation is essential. Anyone can build another ChatGPT wrapper. What separates a killer AI app from yet another drop in an ever-expanding ocean isn’t the technology - it’s differentiation and brand. AI is opening the door to entirely new app categories. Not just because of what the technology enables, but because 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀. If you’ve already started digging into the report, listen to the latest Sub Club episode to hear what these trends could mean for the future of subscription apps. Listen to the full episode: 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eTCvzPjv 🎙 Apple/Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ehM2bVes Haven’t read the report yet? Download it here: https://lnkd.in/essY66uR #appgrowth #subscriptionapps #ai

Didn’t have time to dive into the full State of Subscription Apps report? Here’s a recap of the biggest trends shaping subscription apps in 2025. Featuring insights from: 🔹 Vahe Baghdasaryan on the strength of hybrid monetization models 🔹 Thomas Petit on why thinking about churn proactively matters 🔹 Sylvain Gauchet on how pricing strategy can help close the revenue gap 🔹 and "Reluctant Thought Leader" ChatGPT on why AI apps are doing so well. Swipe through the doc for the full breakdown ⬇️ #appgrowth #subscriptionapps