Sub Club by RevenueCat

RevenueCat
RevenueCat

Interviews with the experts behind the biggest apps in the App Store. Hosts David Barnard and Jacob Eiting dive deep to unlock insights, strategies, and stories that you can use to carve out your slice of the 'trillion-dollar App Store opportunity'.

  1. 1d ago

    Why BoldVoice Charged From Day 1 and Ignored the Duolingo Freemium Playbook — Anada Lakra

    On the podcast: scaling to $10M ARR with a team of ten, having every employee do two user interviews a week, and why their hard paywall "win" backfired. Top Takeaways: 🧪 Trial-start rate is the wrong scoreboard A hard paywall and a no-exit discount both lifted trial starts, then refunds spiked by more than the gain; judge paywall tests on net revenue after refunds, on a matured cohort. 🗣️ Every employee does two user interviews a week, engineers included Automated invites to a mixed sample of users book whoever has calendar space, so the whole team hears customers directly instead of through a PM. 💳 Charge from day one to find out who you're building for A plain $10-a-month paywall with a one-week trial at launch filtered for willingness to pay and freed the team to work on onboarding and the core product instead of pricing tests. 🧩 Mixing other apps' playbooks is the worst strategy of all Duolingo's freemium base only works because it teaches the basics of everything to hobby learners; a product for high-intent professionals should ignore that base entirely. 📅 Lead with annual to know your channel ROI the week the trial ends Annual cash lands after the seven-day trial, so payback per channel is visible immediately and can be reinvested; monthly leaves you guessing between one month and 24. 🧑‍💻 $10M ARR with 10 people runs on owners, one meeting a week, and everyone shippingHire founder-type doers, hold a single Monday sync, and let AI coding tools turn the whole team, including a non-technical CEO, into builders. About Anada Lakra:Anada Lakra is the Co-Founder and CEO of BoldVoice, an AI accent and speech coach for the billion people who speak English as a second language. The app provides real-time feedback powered by our proprietary speech models and lessons from Hollywood accent coaches. 👋 LinkedIn 🗣️BoldVoice  Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ Episode Highlights:[00:00] Building a subscription app by focusing on product value over paywall hacks [01:12] Anada's personal experience with communication barriers [08:53] The early founding story of BoldVoice [13:30] Why BoldVoice charged from day 1 [16:36] Why over-optimizing paywalls distracts teams from improvement [18:40] Why mature net revenue after refunds is an important metric [22:04] How hard paywall experiments backfired once refunds were factored in [24:17] BoldVoice's reverse-trial freemium model & why it ignored the Duolingo playbook [33:32] How BoldVoice found its real ICP: professionals over students [36:42] Keeping customer obsession alive with user interviews [43:29] How Accent Oracle drove a major viral growth moment [48:33] BoldVoice's approach to paid growth and annual plans [50:45] How BoldVoice reached $10M ARR with 10 people [55:02] The expansion from accent training to spoken-English fluency [1:00:37] The stigma around accents and how BoldVoice hopes to change that

    Why BoldVoice Charged From Day 1 and Ignored the Duolingo Freemium Playbook — Anada Lakra

  2. Sep 2

    Scaling Meta Ads from zero to $100K a month — Ethan Ethier, Built With Science

    On the podcast: scaling Meta ads from zero to $100,000 a month, why they waited a year after launch before buying ads, and how a pricing page experiment shifted users toward annual subscriptions. Top Takeaways: 📉 A big audience buys you a launch spike, not a growth engine Even 7 million subscribers produce a bump at launch and a steady trickle after; durable growth still came from paid ads, SEO, and a product that converts cold traffic. 🧱 Fix trial-to-paid before you spend a dollar on ads A full year of product work before the first ad lifted the conversion floor for every channel, because paid traffic always converts colder than organic. 🧲 Cold traffic converts better on a quiz than in the App Store A long, personalized web quiz educates users, overcomes objections, and raises perceived value — and it beat direct-to-store traffic in a head-to-head test, which is why 90% of traffic goes there. 💰 Show annual first and shrink the perceived risk, not the price Presenting annual upfront with a day-by-day trial timeline and a promised day-12 reminder shifted plan choice from 60/40 to 75–80% annual, with no price change. 👯 A two-person plan is retention insurance disguised as a discount 15% off for adding a workout partner gets 15% of trial starts to take it, raising order value and keeping both users subscribed longer. 🔬 70% of experiments fail on the first try — winners come from documenting why Locking in the problem before brainstorming solutions, and writing every test down, turns failures into iterations instead of dead ends. About Ethan Ethier:🏋️Head of Growth and Operations at Built With Science, a science-based fitness app founded with YouTuber Jeremy Ethier. Personalized workout plans, nutrition guidance, and AI-powered coaching designed to help users train with research-backed methods. 👋 LinkedIn 🚀 Built with Science  🖥️ Built with Science Careers Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ

    Scaling Meta Ads from zero to $100K a month — Ethan Ethier, Built With Science

  3. Aug 19

    $10M ARR Without Ever Testing A Paywall — Luke Martin-Fuller, Visible

    On the podcast: hitting $10M ARR without ever testing a paywall, paying their own customers to help make video ads, and why you might want to turn away some potential customers. Top Takeaways: 💸 You can reach $10M ARR with the growth playbook still in the box $1M to $10M in subscription ARR in two years, with no lifecycle email, no paywall test, and no SEO, TikTok, or AdWords. The precondition was over a year of giving the product away first. 🚪 Screening buyers out protects every metric that matters A web quiz that tells some visitors the product isn't for them caps conversion on purpose, because the wrong subscriber wrecks retention, reviews, and product signal. 🎬 Your own customers can be a creative engine Members submit an audition tape, get a weekly brief, and receive a flat fee in real money (not credits, not discounts) for any video that’s used as an ad. 🏷️ Where you put the hardware margin is a bet on where the value lives Sell the band at cost, roughly $80, and the $20 subscription carries the value; charge a premium for the device only if it reads as an object people want. 🆓 Hardware kills the free trial, so the free tier has to do the de-risking You can't give away a physical device, so the free tier becomes the proof of quality that a trial would normally provide. 🔬 Published research is a moat nobody can clone over a weekend Opt-in anonymized data sharing, ethics sign-off, and peer-reviewed papers move no revenue number this quarter, but are exactly what a skeptical buyer finds when they research your product. About Luke Martin-Fuller:🫀Co-founder of Visible, a wearable activity tracker built for illness, not fitness. Real-time heart rate data and personalized insights help users pace activity within their energy envelope. 👋 LinkedIn 🛥️Visible 🖥️Visible Careers 💬Visible on X Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights:[00:00] From $1M to $10M ARR in Two Years [01:57] How Long COVID Led to Visible's Founding [04:18] 5,000 Waitlist Signups for a Product That Didn't Exist [05:54] Building the Founding 100 With a Free App [07:33] Raising Just Enough Money to Get Started [08:27] Why Visible Won't Call Itself a Cure [11:06] Turning Research Into a Credibility Engine [16:49] The Stigma Around an Invisible Illness [19:40] Why Lived Experience Matters for Investors and Employees [21:57] Why an Existing Wearable Wasn't Good Enough [24:46] Designing for Brain Fog and Limited Energy [26:53] Partnering With Polar Instead of Building Hardware [29:12] The Hidden Complexity of Hardware-Enabled Subscriptions [30:59] Oura, Whoop, and the Three Hardware Pricing Models [37:13] From $1M to $10M ARR Without Testing a Paywall [42:09] Meta, UGC, and the One Paid Channel Behind Growth [44:37] Paying Customers to Create and Test Video Ads [47:56] Running an Influencer Program With a Team of Two [51:21] Why Visible's Funnel Qualifies Customers Before They Buy [55:24] Why Hardware Forces Visible to Sell Through the Web [58:49] A 10-Day Journey From Landing Page to Purchase [1:00:44] Using the Free App to De-Risk a Hardware Purchase [1:02:08] A Quiet Series A at $7M in Revenue [1:07:11] Biggest Win: Rebuilding the Web Funnel In-House [1:08:00] Biggest Fail: An AI Feature Users Hated [1:09:41] Why Growth Depends on Insurance, and Who Visible Is Hiring Next

    $10M ARR Without Ever Testing A Paywall — Luke Martin-Fuller, Visible

  4. Aug 5

    Why he crowdfunded millions instead of raising VC — Jelte Liebrand, Savvy Navvy

    On the podcast: crowdfunding millions of dollars to accelerate growth, the two-year subscription that transformed his CAC payback, and why removing signup friction backfired. Top Takeaways: 💰 Raising money means selling your business Equity crowdfunding turned 10,000 engaged users into 2,500 investors, and the smartest founders still raise half of what they think they need. 📈 A 2-year subscription can transform CAC payback Offering 2 years at a ~30% discount ($183 vs. $129/year) pulls revenue forward, funding marketing spend the moment it happens. 🚧 Removing signup friction can backfire spectacularly Killing account creation looked like a huge win in early tests, but multi-device sync complaints and support grief erased the gains at 100% rollout. 🤝 Not every mouth is worth the same in word of mouth Instructors and industry insiders who refuse affiliate kickbacks carry more trust than any paid channel, precisely because they aren't sales reps. 🧪 Most startups don't have the sample size to A/B test properly With a billion users, testing is easy; without them it's dangerously easy to read whatever you want into the numbers while a metric further down the funnel quietly breaks. About Jelte Liebrand:🚀Founder of Savvy Navvy, a marine navigation app that is Google Maps for boats. Charts, tides, weather, and everything you need for sailing and motorboat navigation 👋 LinkedIn 🛥️ Savvy Navvy 🖥️ Savvy Navvy Careers 💬 Savvy Navvy on X Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights: [00:00] Six Days to an Oversubscribed Crowdfunding Raise [00:36] Introducing Jelte Liebrand of Savvy Navvy [01:46] A Bad Day at Google and a Yacht Race Sign-Up [03:09] Plotting Courses by Hand on a Racing Yacht [05:12] Realizing This Wasn't Just an Ocean Racer's Problem [06:10] Buying a Clipboard to Research the Boating Market [08:16] What AI Teaches Us About Shifting Expectations [13:15] Even Dropping a Pin Is Starting to Feel Dated [14:31] Sitting Down With VCs and Walking Away [16:46] What Equity Crowdfunding Actually Means [20:56] Why VC Only Fits a Narrow Set of Businesses[24:44] Raise Half of What You Think You Need [27:31] Inside Savvy Navvy's First and Later Funding Rounds [29:25] No Preferred Shares and the Same Terms for Everyone [32:35] Why He Tells Founders Not to Raise At All [35:42] Setting a Revenue Multiple Instead of a VC Multiple [39:34] From Just an App to a B2B Platform [42:27] The Arc Boats Partnership That Opened Doors [46:50] Spotting Hardware Opportunities Like Tessie and Tesla [48:30] How the Manufacturer Flywheel Actually Works [52:57] Instructors, Chandleries, and Trust Without Kickbacks [57:44] Two-Year Subscriptions and the CAC Payback Win [01:00:13] Biggest fail of the year: The Anonymous Accounts Experiment That Backfired

    Why he crowdfunded millions instead of raising VC — Jelte Liebrand, Savvy Navvy

  5. Jul 22

    Make Ugly Ads to Grow Your App – Yuliya Lennox (Solid Starts)

    On the podcast: why founders belong in the marketing trenches more often, what makes ‘ugly’ ads perform so well, and why stable ad performance is actually a red flag. Top Takeaways: 🚨 Stable ad performance is a warning sign, not a win A $30 acquisition returning $50 can feel safe enough to scale, but that comfort may stop the search for the breakthrough creative that halves CPA or triples purchases. 👀 Ugly ads earn the attention that polished ads lose When every feed looks perfectly branded, an unpolished ad that explains the product in the first second has a better chance of stopping the scroll. 🛠️ Founders cannot outsource market intuition Sitting in acquisition meetings and developing early creative gives founders a firsthand understanding that no agency or marketing hire can manufacture for them. 🧪 Validate demand before building the product Selling a PDF, concept, or promise—even if it must be refunded—is a cheaper test than spending months building an app the market never asked for. 🌍 Localization is a testing advantage, not just a translation task Similar-converting international markets can turn a $1,000-a-day US creative test into a $10-a-day experiment, provided the team still accounts for local culture. About Yuliya Lennox:🚀App marketing professional helping apps scale through strategy, experimentation, and deep understanding of user behavior. Experienced in B2C growth, monetization design, and funnel optimization across startups and established teams. Thrives on turning data into actionable insights and collaborating cross-functionally to drive sustainable, user-focused growth. 👋 Linkedin Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ Episode Highlights: [0:00] The founder thesis: Why marketing has to be felt, not just understood. [2:34] Stability is the enemy. Steady CPMs and CPAs mean you've stopped pushing. [6:54] The case for ugly ads: Why the least polished creative usually wins. [8:46] Sell before you build a single line of code. [14:47] No silver bullet: Why founders can't outsource marketing to a hire. [19:02] The belly fat ad. When brand caution costs you your best-performing creative. [24:49] When brand actually matters: The Solid Starts backlash that proved the exception. [26:31] Betting on localization for cheaper testing and bigger markets outside the US. [32:45] The case for a marketer camp: Why sharing wins beats guarding them. [40:11] Inside Higgsfield's grind: 17-hour days and an early bet on AI video. [46:43] Organic growth's double edge. How Replika and Solid Starts hit a ceiling. [56:14] Hire the obsessed: Why passion beats headcount on a great team. [1:01:06] The end of black hat growth. Subscription quizzes, regulators, and a reckoning. [1:06:45] The $1 trial that charged $350, dissected. [1:10:32] Lightning round: Biggest win, biggest fail, and the red ocean/blue ocean divide.

    Make Ugly Ads to Grow Your App – Yuliya Lennox (Solid Starts)

  6. Jul 8

    The Bootstrapper's Path to $10M ARR – Andrew Maguire, Volo Ventures

    On the podcast: the bootstrapper's path to $10 million in ARR, what's actually investable in consumer in 2026, and why product taste is the new bottleneck, not engineering.Top Takeaways: 🎨 Product taste is the new bottleneck, not engineering Build costs have collapsed, but the number of great apps is still capped by the rare ability to make hundreds of small product decisions well. 💰 There has never been a better time to bootstrap a $10M app With infrastructure like RevenueCat, paid UA financing, and near-zero build costs, a solo developer can now reach eight figures without ever talking to a VC. 🔒 Low churn is the only thing that makes consumer investable Network effects and deep AI-powered personalization are the two credible paths to building a subscription product that retains long enough to compound. 🚫 Don't raise venture unless you can articulate the billion-dollar outcome Venture capital comes with preferred stock, liquidation preferences, and outcome expectations that will make your life miserable if the ceiling ends up being $10M, not $1B. 🏗️ Bootstrap first, raise later if the market proves bigger Building a cash-flowing business before raising gives you better terms, less dilution, and the option to stay indie if the venture-scale opportunity never materializes. 🛡️ Apps aren't going anywhere — agents won't replace beautiful visual experiences People want to interface with products using their eyeballs, and dedicated apps built by focused teams will always beat bespoke AI-generated software. About Andrew Maguire:🚀Andrew founded Volo Ventures in 2021 and is now the Managing Partner. Andrew has spent 20 years building and backing technology companies. He founded Looksharp (acquired) and later became a Partner at Oakhouse Partners, where he invested in a top-decile fund. He also served as COO of The Mind Company, helping scale Elevate (Apple's App of the Year) and Balance (Google's Best App of the Year). 👋 LinkedIn 🖥️Volo Ventures 💻 Zo Computer Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights: [1:36] The consumer thesis: Why AI makes this a great time to build consumer apps. [3:39] The real bottleneck: Taste and judgment, not capital, drive app quality. [6:49] Money doesn't buy PMF: Why more engineers won't get you there faster. [11:12] Breaking the one-shot myth: How X1 turns app-building into modular decisions. [13:09] Neutral by design: What models trained to avoid a point of view cost consumer products. [19:29] The power of utility: Why 15-year-old apps like Strava still win. [22:48] The indie developer moment: Building a $10M app without raising a dime. [25:39] The personal coach thesis: How AI personalization creates a new moat. [28:02] The inference cost bet: Why timing matters more than direction. [36:36] Should you raise venture capital: A real conversation with a founder chasing the wrong outcome. [38:28] Debt vs. equity: What venture debt and preferred stock mean for founders. [53:00] The problem with star ratings: Why review farming broke app quality signals. [1:02:31] Biggest fail of the year: The rise in AI-driven security incidents.

    The Bootstrapper's Path to $10M ARR – Andrew Maguire, Volo Ventures

  7. Jun 24

    How Simply Finally Cracked Facebook Ads with Web Funnels – Yoav Sharon, Simply

    On the podcast: reaching brand-new audiences through web funnels, how they created their own ‘Big Mac index’ for global pricing, and why monthly plans can beat annual for LTV. Top Takeaways:🌐 Web funnels unlock audiences that app stores can't reach Moving users from a lean-back social scrolling mindset to an active download requires an intermediate web flow to build intent and explain value. 🍔 Global pricing requires more than currency conversion Building a custom purchasing power index for international markets can dramatically increase conversion, but impact can be further improved by combining it with deep, culturally aware localization. 🗓️ Monthly plans create a faster feedback loop for product value While annual plans offer better upfront cash flow, monthly subscriptions provide the undeniable truth about usage and retention. With strong retention, monthly plans can generate much higher lifetime value. 🎨 Delightful product moments are the best ad creatives Features that create genuine emotional reactions—like bringing a child's drawing to life—naturally become high-performing marketing assets because they clearly demonstrate the product's core value. 🤝 Treating platforms as partners yields strategic advantages Sharing roadmaps, challenges, and user insights with Apple and Google unlocks beta access and design partnerships that adversarial approaches miss. About Yoav Sharon:🎹 Head of Growth and Product at Simply, the company behind Simply Piano, Simply Guitar, Simply Sing, and Simply Draw, which are apps used by millions of learners across more than 180 countries. 👋 LinkedIn 💪 X Follow us on X:  David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQEpisode Highlights:[2:57] Dreams into habits: Helping people learn creative skills through smaller steps. [7:10] The portfolio playbook: How Simply expanded into different instruments. [10:05] Avoiding cannibalization: Measuring interactions between apps and channels across a multi-product business. [15:15] Family first: Why multi-profile and multi-app households become the strongest retention segment. [18:02] Beyond attribution: How web funnels unlocked new audiences and new growth channels. [21:11] From lean-back to action: Using onboarding flows to move users from passive browsing into active intent. [24:24] Web as audience expansion: Why Simply views web funnels as a growth engine, not a fee-reduction strategy. [26:26] Partners, not platforms: Building close relationships with Apple and Google. [32:54] The future of learning: Why immersive platforms could transform skill development. [37:52] The case for monthly plans: How faster renewal cycles improve product learning and LTV. [44:24] The truth about pricing: Balancing annual discounts with long-term customer value. [50:54] The localization advantage: Building a pricing model inspired by the Big Mac Index. [56:01] Japan surprise: The localization lesson that completely changed a paywall strategy. [59:11] AI and visible value: Bringing children's drawings to life and increasing willingness to pay.

    How Simply Finally Cracked Facebook Ads with Web Funnels – Yoav Sharon, Simply

  8. Jun 15

    WWDC 2026: What Subscription Apps Need To Know

    Every year, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference introduces updates that ripple through the App Store economy for years to come. In this special post-WWDC edition of Sub Club Live, host David Barnard sits down with RevenueCat developer advocate Charlie Chapman and world-renowned growth expert Thomas Petit to cut through the keynote hype. Together, they analyze the technical realities and strategic implications of the biggest announcements coming out of Apple Park. Rather than offering a generic recap of consumer features, the panel focuses entirely on the practical mechanics that impact subscription app growth, retention, and monetization. From the deprecation of SiriKit in favor of mandatory App Intents to the introduction of App Store Creative Assets and new subscription bundling options, this session provides a clear roadmap of what subscription businesses should test immediately, adopt eventually, or safely ignore. More content from the RevenueCat family:👉 Launched – Our sister show that features indie app developers and solo creators about what it really takes to ship something new into the world: https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchedFM👉 StartApp School – Practical courses on monetization, growth, acquisition, and everything else that turns an app into a business. Completely free: https://www.startapp.school/👉 RevenueCat blog: Mobile Paywalls: The Ultimate Guide for Subscription Apps: https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/growth/guide-to-mobile-paywalls-subscription-apps/👉 Subscription App Churn: Why Users Cancel and How to Fix It: https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/growth/subscription-app-churn-reasons-how-to-fix/👉 App Trial Conversion Rate: Benchmarks and Insights: https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/growth/app-trial-conversion-rate-insights/👉 Apple Search Ads: The Complete Guide for App Marketers: https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/growth/apple-search-ads-guide/📆 Subscribe to the Sub Club livestream calendar: https://rev.cat/subclubcalendar 🔔 Subscribe to the Sub Club YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SubClubPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Follow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ Episode Highlights:00:00 Intro01:11 Welcome to Sub Club Live WWDC 2026 Special Edition02:00 Upcoming Events: UGC Marketing & Meta Ads Masterclass03:02 Meet the Panel: Charlie Chapman & Thomas Petit04:47 Is Apple Competing for Payments? The "Carrot Era" of the App Store08:45 Why Apple Omitted Hardware Announcements This Year10:33 Keynote Vibes: A Return to a More Authentic, Humble Apple17:07 The Siri Overhaul: Hands-On Beta Impressions of iOS 27 Speed24:22 App Intents: The Mandatory Shift That Could Make Your App Invisible|01:21:54 App Store Creative Assets: Images & Videos in Search Results01:31:51 Custom Product Pages: A Workaround for Testing Header Images01:35:06 The App Store Cleanup: Why Apple Is Cracking Down on Limited Utility Apps01:38:42 The Ad Attribution Stalemate: Why Apple Didn't Update SKAdNetwork01:13:11 Seat-Based Licensing & Group Pricing: Supporting Prosumer & B2B Apps01:05:05 Subscription Bundles & Suites: New Packaging and Retention Strategies01:45:57 Live Q&A: Resetting Trial Eligibility & App Store Cancellation APIs01:49:38 Outro & Wrap Up

    WWDC 2026: What Subscription Apps Need To Know
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About

Interviews with the experts behind the biggest apps in the App Store. Hosts David Barnard and Jacob Eiting dive deep to unlock insights, strategies, and stories that you can use to carve out your slice of the 'trillion-dollar App Store opportunity'.

Information

  • Channel
    RevenueCat
  • Creator
    David Barnard, Jacob Eiting
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023 RevenueCat
  • Show Website
    Sub Club by RevenueCat

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