Sub Club by RevenueCat

• How to Time Reactivation Campaigns for Maximum Impact — Jackson Shuttleworth, Duolingo

  This episode is shorter than usual and will be featured in RevenueCat’s State of Subscription Apps report.On the podcast: Keeping users engaged through habit-forming experiences, Duolingo’s approach to reactivating churned users, and why building daily habits is the foundation for long-term retention success.Top Takeaways:🏎️ Act fast - most users don’t come back after a weekThe best time to re-engage a churned user is within the first three to four days. Duolingo found that users who stay away for longer become significantly harder to bring back. They send daily reminders for up to seven days, stopping when effectiveness drops.📅  Use behavioral signals to personalize timingInstead of relying on fixed schedules, time win-back messages based on past engagement patterns. Duolingo schedules reminders 23.5 hours after a user last engaged, ensuring notifications land at a moment when the user is most likely to take action.👥 Use social connections for long-term reactivationFor users who have been inactive for weeks or months, social reactivation beats app-driven outreach. Duolingo prompts active users to bring back their friends, which consistently outperforms standard win-back campaigns - even leaderboard competitors drive higher reactivation rates than app reminders.About Jackson Shuttleworth:🌟 Head of Retention at Duolingo, focused on keeping users engaged and driving daily habit formation through innovative features and thoughtful strategies.📈 Jackson brings expertise in user reactivation, data-driven experiments, and crafting experiences that foster long-term loyalty and growth.💡 "The easiest way to retain a user is to never let them churn. It’s all about building habits and delivering value consistently."👋 Connect with Jackson on LinkedIn!Resources: Duolingo’s WebsiteFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ

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• How to Turn Gamification Into a Retention Powerhouse — Anton Derlyatka, Sweatcoin

  On the podcast, I talk with Anton about building sustainable viral growth loops at scale, how to effectively gamify user incentives, and why emotional connections drive more value than economic ones.Top Takeaways: 🚀 Building sustainable virality through strategic growth loopsSweatcoin’s explosive growth didn’t happen by chance. Anton detailed how they engineered a viral engine through a combination of influencer-driven groundswell, controlled user-to-user invites, and strategic use of organic boosts. By balancing short viral spikes with long-term retention strategies, Sweatcoin has maintained stability and continued scaling without relying on traditional paid acquisition.🎮 Gamification redefined: Turning steps into currencyUnlike traditional gamification tactics, Sweatcoin reframes users’ steps into a virtual currency, creating a balance they feel emotionally invested in. This subtle but powerful shift motivates users to keep walking—not just for rewards but to maintain and grow their “wealth.” It’s less about streaks and badges, and more about building perceived value.❤️ Emotional connections outweigh economic incentivesAnton shared a fascinating insight: Sweatcoin users valued their own coins up to 50 times more than they’d pay for someone else’s. This shows the power of emotional connection and personal investment. By helping users see value in their own activity, Sweatcoin taps into a deeper motivational layer than just financial incentives.🔄 Retention through positive habits, not guiltSweatcoin’s success is partly due to its focus on positive reinforcement rather than guilt-based nudges. By emphasizing natural daily habits and offering fun, valuable incentives, Sweatcoin maintains high retention without making users feel pressured or judged. This approach resonates with a broader audience, including the 70% of people who struggle with intrinsic motivation for fitness.📈 From freemium to subscription—scaling with intentInstead of starting with hard paywalls, Sweatcoin built a value-packed free tier that users love. This created a loyal, engaged user base before introducing premium features like ad-free experiences and advanced fitness tools. By establishing this solid foundation, Sweatcoin avoids the pitfalls of high customer acquisition costs and effectively bridges the gap from free to paid without alienating users.About Anton Derlyatka:👟 Co-founder & CEO of Sweatcoin, the app that turns movement into currency—used by 180M+ people worldwide.🎯 Anton built one of the most viral fitness apps by rethinking incentives, gamification, and how people form habits.💡 “We’re not born to be active—we’re born to be lazy. The challenge is building an experience that makes movement rewarding.”👋  LinkedInFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ

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• How to Maximize Revenue with Regional Pricing — Dmitry Gurski, Flo

  This episode is shorter than usual and will be featured in RevenueCat’s State of Subscription Apps report.On the podcast: why the Big Mac Index falls short for app pricing, how Flo Health’s regional pricing strategy drives profitable user acquisition in emerging markets, and the importance of aligning pricing with long-term user retention for sustainable growth.Top Takeaways:💭 Know your audience - not just the economyDon’t rely on basic indexes like the Big Mac Index. Instead, understand your audience in each region. For example, iOS users in emerging markets are typically wealthier than Android users, so pricing should reflect each platform’s unique audience.💸 Test prices with a focus on revenue, not conversionMeasure pricing success by average revenue per user (ARPU), not just conversion rates. Lower prices can boost retention and unlock profitable user acquisition by winning more auctions through better conversion signals.🌎 Adapt to cultural norms and changing habitsPrice sensitivity varies by culture and is influenced by local norms. Streaming giants like Spotify and Netflix are paving the way for digital subscriptions globally. Monitor cultural shifts and adapt pricing strategies accordingly.About Dmitry Gurski:🌍 CEO and Co-Founder of Flo Health, Dmitry Gurski leads the world’s largest health app, with 73 million monthly active users globally and a mission-driven approach to health and wellness.📊 Dmitry is an expert in regional pricing strategies, leveraging extensive experimentation to optimize average revenue per user (ARPU) while maintaining accessibility. Under his leadership, Flow has achieved remarkable revenue growth by tailoring subscription models to meet diverse market dynamics worldwide.💡 "When people can’t pay, it’s almost sinful to block access. Flow’s mission is to empower women globally, whether through paid or gifted subscriptions. Pricing isn’t about conversions—it’s about maximizing long-term value while staying true to our purpose."👋 Connect with Dmitry on LinkedIn!Resources:Flo HealthCareers at FloFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ

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• How to Optimize Trial-to-Paid Conversions — Rachel Chukura, The Weather Company

  This episode is shorter than usual and will be featured in RevenueCat’s State of Subscription Apps report.On the podcast: balancing freemium and premium experiences, how The Weather Company uses AI to predict subscriber behavior, and why focusing on user value rather than monetization is the key to subscription success.Top Takeaways🎯Target high-value users with personalized experiencesIdentify your most valuable cohorts through deep segmentation and user research. Tailor paywalls and premium features to resonate with each segment’s needs, maximizing conversion rates without alienating casual users.🌍Leverage contextual triggers and data-driven targetingUse contextual signals (like weather data) and AI propensity models to reach users at the right moment. This makes paywall prompts more relevant and effective, driving higher conversions while maintaining a positive user experience.⌨️Test, learn, and iterate continuouslyAdopt a rigorous approach to A/B testing with clear hypotheses and well-defined KPIs. Be patient and run experiments long enough to account for external variables. Regularly refine AI models and adapt strategies based on evolving user behaviors and market conditions.About Rachel Chukura:🌦️ Head of Consumer Product at The Weather Company, specializing in driving subscription growth and balancing freemium and paid user experiences.📊 Rachel has a deep expertise in leveraging data analytics, user research, and AI propensity models to optimize conversion strategies while maintaining a seamless and valuable customer experience.💡 "We don’t lead with monetization—it’s an outcome of creating a truly useful and performant experience for our users. It’s all about meeting them where they are and delivering value when it matters most."👋 Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn!Resources:The Weather Company websiteFollow us on X: David Barnard - @drbarnardJacob Eiting - @jeitingRevenueCat - @RevenueCatSubClub - @SubClubHQ

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• The Right (and Wrong) Way to Grow with Google App Campaigns — Ashley Black, Candid Consulting

  On the podcast I talk with Ashley about what makes Google App Campaigns so effective for growth, proven optimization strategies, and why lower CPMs can sometimes be a warning sign rather than a win.Top Takeaways:📈 Google App Campaigns: Big reach, but fewer levers to pullGoogle’s ad platform delivers massive scale - search, YouTube, the Play Store - but hands much of the control to machine learning. That tradeoff can work in your favor, but only if you guide the system with structured testing, smart bidding, and strong creative input.🎯 Lower CPMs aren’t always a reason to celebrateLower ad costs might look good on paper, but they often mean your ads are running in lower-quality placements. Understanding where Google is serving your ads - whether in search, display, or YouTube - helps you avoid cheap but ineffective traffic.🚀 Scaling requires patience, not just budgetGoogle’s algorithm doesn’t respond well to drastic changes. Scaling too fast can throw off performance, leading to unstable results. The best approach? Increase budgets by 20% every few days to give the system time to adjust.🔍 Creative testing looks different on Google - play the game accordinglyUnlike Meta, Google doesn’t allow direct A/B testing for creatives. That doesn’t mean you can’t optimize. The best way to guide the algorithm? Set up multiple ad groups with distinct creative themes, then monitor what Google prioritizes.💡 Google Ads on iOS: A challenge, but still worth itGoogle’s iOS campaigns rely heavily on search and YouTube, but ATT and SKAdNetwork make tracking conversions trickier. Google fills in gaps with modeled conversions, but advertisers need to understand the discrepancies between Google’s reports and their MMPs.About Ashley Black 👨‍💻 Founder of Candid Consulting, an agency specializing in helping apps run effective marketing campaigns for Android and iOS.🎶 Ashley spent years at Google leading app ad strategy, helping developers scale through machine learning, user acquisition, and optimization.💡 “If you have an app and you’re starting to think about how you actually pay to get users to download that app, you’re probably going to start looking at Google.”👋  LinkedIn

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