The Exchanges

Q next project, head to the link in the description to check out Starter Story Build. All right, let's get back to the episode. All right, let's jump into the growth side of things. I know that you grew this app from zero to four million plus downloads. What are some of the tactics or maybe the top three things when it comes to growing a mobile or an iPhone app?

A First, it was Active social media engagement, but I remember that I used to spend literal hours going through posts, writing helpful comments, leaving links back to rooted and really trying to be helpful in what I wrote. Secondly, I would say press releases in the early days. I didn't want to be even known as like the anxiety girl. I didn't want that to like define me. Then I realized, you know, once you actually put your name to a story, it does resonate better with the audiences. I would Find people online, journalists that wrote about mental health, and then I would read it, reach out to them either on LinkedIn or try to get their email and send pitches that way. It was a ton of work because not many people ever respond to me, but what ended up happening is every now and then we'd get featured in a pretty major way for small apps. So we were in cosmopolitan. We've been in woman's health. We were even in time magazine, which was the big one. All of that really happened from these organic Cold emails. And then the third thing would be a huge focus on app store optimization. So I focused a lot on making sure that the product matches what the users are looking for. They see on your product page, they download the app, they use it, and then they use the same keywords to describe their experience via the user reviews. That was like the holy circle. And if you can get that loop goi…

AI assessment note: “First, it was Active social media engagement... Secondly... And then the third thing”

Q Okay. Well, perfect segue on that. Let's talk about how you built that MVP, how you built the first version of that app. I understand that you don't have a technical background. You're not a programmer or a coder. How did you do it? How'd you build something worth using?

A I basically started taking what I thought would be helpful and I started drawing it out in a notebook. And I was thinking about the way I wanted the information to be presented. What would be most helpful for me in that moment of a panic attack? How do I keep things super simple in the app when somebody is really overwhelmed as they're using it? And so I took these ideas and sketches from my notebooks, and then I taught myself how to basically create them as wireframes in Photoshop and illustrator. And then I went to an agency and I could not afford to work with the agency. So that certainly sent me back time-wise, but then at one point, a student developer said that he would love to work with me. And so that's how I was able to finally launch that first MVP.

AI assessment note: “a student developer said that he would love to work with me.”

Q Okay. So beyond the tactics, which we talked a little bit about, I want to know now, you know, what's the bigger strategy? What does it take to build a successful app in 20, 25? What would be your playbook that you'd give to someone who was just starting out today?

A Right. So step one, build a product that actually delivers what your page promises. That'll lead not only to more positive downloads, AKA like people leaving positive experiences, but people will also then share it. And like the word of mouth engagement is quite important. Step two, listen to your users. So user reviews are super important. Oftentimes everything you need to know is written in the user reviews. And sometimes your own assumption of what a user needs might not actually be what they do need. Step three, optimize app store presence continuously. Doing a release frequently shows that you continue to work on the app. I do one once every week. And that shows that you're constantly working on fixing bugs, improving the user experience and step four partners strategically. So be that a wellness organization. Um, we've done a few B to B contracts as well. A ton of different therapy groups and psychologist offices are recommending and using rooted. And this has been something that's been helpful now in.

AI assessment note: “So step one, build a product that actually delivers what your page promises.”

Q Yeah. If you could just give me a breakdown of, you know, how long this took, how much did you actually spend to get this prototype put together? What did that look like?

A With the student developer, what I did was I just put in all my savings, you know, as a non-technical founder, it just took a few months once I actually had the developer. And that's because all of the content, all of the wireframes before then were already created. I did want to learn enough to at least be able to communicate what I wanted better. I just sort of focused a lot on the design, making sure all of that was really simple. The first prototype of rooted was essentially the panic attack button that would walk you through a panic attack. And that actually hasn't changed a ton over the years because it's really the core of rooted. It's the aha moment that really resonates with users. What's changed is the design and the way it looks right now. But that core idea of how to stop a panic attack is still there and rooted after all these years. So I launched with that, a simple breathing tool, and then the lessons on how to understand panic attacks and anxiety and where they're coming from.

AI assessment note: “I just put in all my savings... it just took a few months”