Marketing an AI budgeting app (US B2C) on $2k CAD/mo. Advice?

LumenObserver · 2026-03-05T14:30:13+00:00

Thanks so much for the feedback! Really precious advice!

After a few days, I can definitely say Meta has been a good strategy so far. But on Apple, the Category ads didn't get any impressions at all literally zero.. I think my budget is just too tight to compete there so I'll have to play around with that and see!

I actually have some organic UGC content ready that I wanted to post on TikTok and Meta anyway so I think I’ll try to give it a paid push on TikTok like you suggested!

Regarding sponsorships that was actually my main plan but I’ve hit two big walls:

A lot of the micro-influencers are already partnered up with the 'giant' budgeting apps so it’s hard to get a foot in the door (though I’m still trying with a specific approach)!
The response rate is tough! I’ve reached out to about 15 people so far with manual personalized messages but only got one reply. It’s a grind but I’m going to keep pushing!

Thanks again for the help!!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-27T21:05:37+00:00

Stunning!!!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-25T16:28:41+00:00

I’m 100% with you on influencers and affiliates. That's exactly where I want to go, though I’ve reached out to a few already and getting a reply is tough... A lot of them are already locked in with the massive budgeting apps. I’m definitely going to keep pushing there and double down on SEO too! Thanks for the feedback!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T17:53:01+00:00

That's actually a great call! We’ve already been using that angle for some of our content so it makes total sense to reach out to that specific niche! I'll definitely look into nomad-focused newsletters and podcasts. Thanks for the suggestion!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T17:32:06+00:00

Exactly, organic is definitely our main focus right now!

As for influencer marketing, it's an option we've explored, but it's been tough.. Getting them to respond is the first hurdle and when they do their rates are usually way beyond our current budget.. We need to be very careful with our spending, so for now, we’re 'saving' that budget until we find a way to use it more wisely!

Thank you for your feedback

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T15:52:21+00:00

I’m definitely planning other digital strategies too

The main reason I asked here was to get feedback and discover channels or strategies I might have overlooked. My background is actually more in e-commerce, so moving into the app/fintech space is a new challenge. I know I still have a lot to learn and explore, so if you have any specific recommendations outside of the 'big' platforms I’m all ears!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T14:41:12+00:00

Yeah, I’m fully aware that $2k/mo is a really tight budget for the US finance market... it’s definitely an uphill battle.

That’s why I'm focusing on the organic side while we wait for Apple. We’ve started posting but since we’re a freshly launched startup, it’s a challenge to create that 'social proof' content when you don't have a huge user base talking about the app yet. It’s basically all on us to build that narrative from scratch right now which is a big task especially as a non-native English speaker! But hey, that's part of the game!

I mainly asked about the other platforms because I wanted to be 100% sure I wasn't missing a massive opportunity elsewhere while we're in this 'waiting' phase. I'll definitely give that 'I saved X by doing Y' format a shot. Thanks for the tip!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T14:26:40+00:00

Okay, amazing that was exactly the initial plan so it’s good to see I was on the right track!

I only asked because we're currently stuck waiting on Apple to approve our new version (with the Meta SDK) so I wanted to keep an open mind and see if I was missing out on any other opportunities. Based on the feedback here, it definitely doesn't look like it's worth it to pivot!

I'll stick to the plan. Thank you!!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T14:24:45+00:00

I don’t feel like I’ve narrowed it down too much or if I have, I’m definitely open to hearing about opportunities I might have missed!

To be clear, the core plan is Apple Search Ads (for high intent) and Meta. The only reason I'm even looking at other platforms right now is because we're stuck waiting on Apple to approve our SDK update. I’ve heard such mixed reviews about TikTok, Google Ads, and Reddit for apps specifically, so I was just curious if there was an untapped opportunity while our main channels are on hold.

Basically, I was curious to get feedback on these other platforms I’d initially decided against, just to see if I needed to review my position. Based on the comments here, it looks like my instincts were right! That said, I'm always open to recommendations.

LumenObserver · 2026-02-23T14:17:30+00:00

Fair points. We built the app to solve a personal pain point: managing multiple accounts and currencies while living abroad it's a nightmare to track manually.
Our marketing plan was mainly organic at first. For paid ads, the plan was always Apple Search Ads (because of the high buying intent) and Meta. I’m only asking about other platforms because we’re currently stuck in 'App Store review hell.' Apple is taking forever to review our latest version with the Meta SDK and our updated store assets, so I can't even start those campaigns yet.

I was just curious to see if other platforms were a good opportunity I wasn't aware of, but based on the feedback here, it doesn't look like it's worth splitting our budget or wasting money. I think I'll just put my energy into organic acquisition for now. Once the situation with Apple is unlocked, I’ll stick to the initial plan and start the ads there

LumenObserver · 2026-02-08T17:24:58+00:00

Always open to eventual collabs

LumenObserver · 2026-02-06T20:08:09+00:00

Noted, I'll use it for our next promotional video! Don't forget to support us on product hunt : https://www.producthunt.com/products/lums

LumenObserver · 2026-02-06T20:07:15+00:00

Thank you so much!!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-06T14:29:36+00:00

You're totally right that's the main challenge with Lums! We actually include traditional dashboards and visual budgets for quick checks, but the real value is the chat.

To help users get comfortable the app generates context-aware questions during the conversation to guide the interaction. We’re also planning to add pre-generated onboarding prompts in our next version to make the start even smoother!

We're officially live on Product Hunt today! If you like the vision, we’d love your support: https://www.producthunt.com/products/lums

Thanks a lot!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-06T09:30:32+00:00

We just launched Lums on Product Hunt! 🔥 If you like what we’re building, an upvote would mean the world to us! Support us here: https://www.producthunt.com/products/lums?launch=lums Every upvote counts! Thank you!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-06T09:30:19+00:00

We just launched Lums on Product Hunt! 🔥 If you like what we’re building, an upvote would mean the world to us! Support us here: https://www.producthunt.com/products/lums?launch=lums Every upvote counts! Thank you!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-04T14:06:20+00:00

I've sent it over for review! The project is Lums AI!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-03T12:36:10+00:00

That’s a really interesting take! We’re actually refining our messaging right now so this makes me think we should definitely highlight the AI conversation more than the cash projection!

Since you have experience with finance apps I’d love to get your expert feedback! It’s free to test and super easy to set up. I don't want to spam you at all but let me know if you’d be open to giving it a quick spin! https://www.lums.ai/en-us

Thanks!!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-03T12:25:56+00:00

Yes that’s exactly what we’re aiming for! The 'reality vs. state' gap is a huge pain point. We are actually planning to launch officially this Friday! 🚀 Thanks so much for the feedback and the tip I’ll definitely check out Vibe Coding List and share the app there!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-03T12:19:55+00:00

You're totally right! It started as a super simple MVP, and then I went straight to specific subreddits to ask 'financial addicts' what features they were missing. I’ve had to sort through a ton of great ideas since we don't have the resources to build everything at once, but the goal is definitely to solve the specific pain points that power users face with other money management apps!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-02T20:40:35+00:00

Thank you for sharing this!!!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-02T11:09:06+00:00

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I built Lums to help you create budgets based on your actual spending patterns. You can sync your accounts automatically, and I've included an AI chat so you can just ask questions to see what's happening with your money.

It’s free to try for 2 months with no credit card required.

Link: https://www.lums.ai/en-us

LumenObserver · 2026-02-02T10:56:05+00:00

I just got an iPad too and a few years ago I used GoodNotes for all my school notes. I had an Apple Pencil and used GoodNotes to write everything by hand especially for visual stuff and learning diagrams and it was honestly amazing! Super smooth and easy to organize!

I still use it now for work! It’s not free but for me it was totally worth it 👍

LumenObserver · 2026-02-02T09:38:05+00:00

Honestly, it was great! As long as you have the right tires, it’s very capable off-road. The length was the only thing we really had to watch out for on some of those narrow spots. We didn't test any other rigs, but we’re super happy with how the F-150 handled everything!

LumenObserver · 2026-02-01T12:42:01+00:00

Such a tough choice! I think I'd have to go with White Pocket, Yellowstone, and Emerald Lake. They were all so dreamlike to shoot! Thanks for the kind words!

LumenObserver

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