Week of June 23
Reaching 300% ROAS, Product-Market Fit, TikTok Virality
📌 Quick Thoughts from Samet
This week, I'll cover using Google Ads to find product-market fit, the hard truths about going viral on TikTok, how to realistically achieve high ROAS, and insights from my recent chat with Adapty. Let's dive in clearly and practically.
🎯 Using Google Ads to Identify Product-Market Fit
Google Ads is a powerful tool for discovering product-market fit. If your campaign generates notably cheaper installs, that indicates your message resonates strongly. Look beyond basic CPI, strong early engagement to specific messages signals true alignment which can be fed to ASO and the product.
📱 TikTok Virality: Copying with Caution
One tough reality about TikTok: by the time someone explains how a viral trend works, it's usually already saturated. With my own app, we often take inspiration from existing viral formats but always add our distinctive twist.
The key takeaway:
Copying is valuable for quickly finding formats that fit your brand.
But be agile: Don’t hesitate to abandon a concept quickly if it isn’t performing well, no matter how attached you were initially.
🔑 How I Choose Keywords for Apple ASO
Two weeks ago, I shared my approach to picking the main keyword for new apps. Let me clarify with specifics:
High impressions: Significant search volume.
Strong TTR: High relevance, indicated by clicks.
Good CVR: Users see what they expect and convert accordingly
Here’s the actual keyword selection example that made it into my app title:
This blend ensures both visibility and conversions.
🛠️ Stop Reinventing: Proven Tools are Affordable
Many developers still waste valuable time and resources building their infrastructure. Here's a straightforward recommendation:
RevenueCat and Adapty.io : Affordable subscription management.
RevenueCat and Superwall : Efficient and cost-effective paywall testing.
Mixpanel : Offers a free one-year plan specifically for indies.
Invest your time in product and marketing, not rebuilding widely available infrastructure tools.
📊 Realistically Achieving 200–300% ROAS
"How do I get high ROAS?" is a frequent question. The truth is there’s no quick hack. And this one is more or less on the spot:
❌ Bad product + bad marketing: Results always disappoint.
⚠️ Good marketing + bad product: You get close but never achieve true scale.
⚠️ Good product + bad marketing: Same as above, limited results.
✅ Good product + good marketing: Real potential to achieve and maintain 200–300% ROAS.
If you're stuck around an 80% ROAS, you’re likely held back by one weak aspect of your operation. Clearly ask yourself:
Is the issue my product?
Is it my marketing?
Or is it a combination of both?
The clarity of identifying your bottleneck, rather than trying to "hack" ROAS, is what genuinely moves the needle.
🚩 Meta Ads Reality Check: IPM Benchmarks
No matter your Meta campaign budget, check your U.S. install campaign’s IPM (installs per 1,000 impressions):
Below 2: You're likely wasting significant money. Pause and reassess immediately.
Around 5: Impressive performance, but there's room for improvement.
10 or higher: You're operating at elite levels. Please share your secrets!
My stealth app is currently testing new concepts and creatives, recently approaching this top-tier benchmark. It's a constant iteration process involving competitor analysis and creative refinement, led by my sister who oversees our creative operations.
🎙️ Upcoming Podcast with Adapty Turkey
I recently spoke with Burak I. from Adapty Turkey, and they manage an impressive Telegram community of 2,000+ app developers in their Telegram. We dove deep into Paid Social and Meta Ads. Gave all my best answers to tough and relevant questions.
Podcast and YouTube links will be shared shortly. Stay tuned!
🧐 Evaluating TikTok Virality Critically
Viral growth stories (like this example on LinkedIn) often omit key details. Always critically evaluate:
What’s the actual revenue generated by those views? ( AppMagic revenue report under each app helps me track this.)
Were Spark Ads used to boost visibility?
The individual behind this case seems genuinely skilled and is actively job-hunting. Potentially a valuable hire for you?
🌱 Reminder: Join Tiny App Circle
Finally, another quick reminder about our Slack group, Tiny App Circle, where indie developers targeting Tier-1 markets exchange authentic 5-star app reviews.
Interested? Simply comment "circle" for your invite 🌱
Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next week!
Samet Durgun, Growth Therapist 🌱