How a 17-Year-Old Built an App That's Making $1 Million Every Month
Creating a Million-Dollar App: Unveiling the Viral Marketing Strategy
How old are you? I'm 17. This 17-years-old built an app that's making $1 million every single month, and I'm about to break down exactly how he did it. Stick around because, at the end of this blog article, I'll reveal the single most powerful strategy that made his app go viral and how you can apply it to your own app ideas.
The App: Cal
Monitor Your Calories with a Simple Picture
The app is called Cal, and here's how it works: You take a picture of your food, and it instantly tells you how many calories are in it. It's 90% accurate. You don't have to spend 15 minutes to weigh out your food manually. Of course, it's not as accurate as scanning barcodes directly, which provides precise data, but it is way easier and quicker to use since you literally just take a picture of the food.
The app is extremely simple, but that is exactly why people love it. In just 6 months, Zach Yadgari scaled this app to $1 million a month in revenue with 50% profit margins. And basically anyone could make this app, but what made him able to make it earn this amount of money is just all in how he marketed it.
Marketing Strategy: Extreme Dedication
This kid was extremely dedicated because he reached out to hundreds of health and fitness creators, knowing that just one viral video could skyrocket his download of his app. But here's the twist: He scaled this strategy to 150+ influencers, all creating videos for his app. That is insane dedication, if you ask me!
But why did influencers love promoting this app? The answer lies in how Zach designed it. The app was just bound to go viral, and the influencers showcased it naturally in their "What I Eat in a Day" videos. Their followers flooded the comments asking, "What app is this?" because all of the viewers are used to spending 30 minutes on tracking their food using MyFitnessPal.
How Zach Knew It Would Work
How did Zach know all of this would work before he even started building the app? The answer lies in how he validated the idea. He saw that calorie tracking apps like MyFitnessPal were outdated and frustrating. So then he combined that pain point with new AI, like ChatGPT APIs, and created an easier-to-use version.
Longevity of the App's Success
But can success like this actually last, or is it just a short-term win? The app operates on a subscription model, priced at $10 per month or $30 per year. Due to this pricing model, most users opt for the annual plan, which is exactly what he wants. Monthly subscribers often discontinue after the first month, making the $30 upfront payment for the yearly plan a more profitable approach.
I don't know about you, but I have actually found myself buying an app for the annual subscription, completely forgetting about it, and then a year later realizing I paid for the subscription again. By then, you're unlikely to ask for a refund since it's only $30 for a full year, and you have already paid for it.
Plus, his onboarding process is genius. When new users download the app, they get asked about their fitness goals. The only reason they ask about this is to make the potential customer aware of why they are willing to pay to use this app.
The Secret Strategy
So what's the secret strategy that skyrocketed his app to $1 million a month? He didn't just think, "Wow, this is a cool idea for an app." He thought, "Will influencers want to share this app? Will people actually find value in this app?" If the answer wasn't an obvious yes, he didn't pursue it.
Here's the takeaway: Don't build an app and then figure out how to market it. That's like cooking a dinner for 1,000 people without knowing if anyone even wants to eat it. You should build something you already know will go viral. And if you need help with that, send me a massage either of our social media handle, and I'll help you get started.
