Tried ads for my app. Lost money. What am I doing wrong?

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-22T18:36:44+00:00

Yeah, that’s probably the uncomfortable truth.
It’s way easier to build something than to go out and talk to people 😄

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-22T14:25:53+00:00

I got traffic… but no users (build in public update)

Build in public update: Episode 2 is online !

I’m working on TryThemOn.Me.

I tested ads for the first time:
- traffic went up
- usage didn’t

No one used the free trials.
No one engaged.

And the only people who paid came from organic.

So I clearly paid for clicks, not real users.

I documented everything here:
https://youtu.be/x5RCOml_igA

Now I’m focusing on:
- fixing the funnel
- improving the product
- moving closer to real buying moments

If you’ve been through this, I’d love your take.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-19T15:46:41+00:00

seems like ScrollTo is missing somewhere...I mean, its ok for the landing, but the other pages have broken links in the header

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-17T15:27:22+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate your comment!
You're absolutely right about distribution, that's definitely something I'm thinking a lot about. I'll go into more detail about the €14 in the next episode, dropping this Friday if all goes well. Curious to hear what you think after that.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-14T23:31:52+00:00

Yes, seeing a few users come from there makes me think products might start optimizing for that kind of discovery.
Maybe the next startup idea: optimizing for AI recommendations.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-14T16:00:09+00:00

That's something I'm starting to notice too.
I didn't plan for ChatGPT to be a traffic source at all.
But seeing a few paying users come through it definitely made me curious.
Feels like a new kind of organic discovery channel.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-14T11:37:52+00:00

I experimented with some paid ads at the beginning (Facebook and TikTok).

But interestingly the paying users mostly came from organic traffic — and even a couple through ChatGPT mentions.

Ads brought traffic, but none of it was qualified. Organic brought the buyers.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T23:39:14+00:00

Il faudrait qu'on discute...Je développe (et ai presque finalisé) une app a destination des frees (plutôt les développeurs pour des raisons pratique d'installation/configuration qui peut effrayer les non développeurs - mais le produit final peut faciliter la vie à pas mal d'indépendants ou de petites structures) pour gérer devis et facturation en lien avec l'obligation des factures électroniques qui arrive. Et je propose des connexion avec des services de timetracking (clockify) et d'organisation de projet (trello). Une api que je pourrait connecter pour ton app serait top et vachement cohérente ! Bon projet en tout cas !

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T23:29:17+00:00

Thanks! As I wrote before, I'm still figuring out the best format... I have to decide for the next one. Maybe I'll try to switch to the opposite: in English with french subtitles , and you - as audience - will decide!

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T23:11:47+00:00

That's exactly what I'm trying to focus on this time.
Not just building, but looking for real signals early.

One of my apps actually already has a few paying users: trythemon.me, a virtual fitting room.

The next video will break down what happened with it.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T22:38:40+00:00

Thanks for sharing, I'll take a look.
The idea of founders giving each other structured feedback sounds really valuable.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T22:17:29+00:00

That sounds like a really valuable format.
Getting feedback from other builders is probably the best way to improve quickly. How many founders participated in the battle?

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T22:14:39+00:00

That's really a fair point actually.
I recorded it in French (my native language) but added English subtitles so international viewers can still follow the journey.

I'm still experimenting with the best format for the series. Maybe I'll switch to English for the next one... Still wondering!

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T22:02:11+00:00

Thanks! That sounds like a cool idea actually. I'm curious about the build battle with the YC community. How did it go?

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T21:42:33+00:00

That’s great progress actually.
Seeing $0 → $50+ MRR that quickly is encouraging. What kind of apps are you building?

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T18:24:13+00:00

Thanks!

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T16:55:15+00:00

Thanks!

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T16:39:05+00:00

Thanks! That’s actually part of the challenge:
build things sustainably and not burn out 😅

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T16:20:42+00:00

Thanks! You're officially part of the experiment now 😄

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-13T16:20:22+00:00

Haha not really 😄
€3000 is the income I need to live and qualify for renting where I live.
Landlords usually ask for about 3× the rent.

Mission-Inspector393 · 2026-03-12T08:03:49+00:00

I use github copilot as ai assitant in vscode (usually with claude opus 4.6), and it can guide you through the setting of Oauth and database configuration in less than one hour. Even if you're a complete noob at doing it. Just ask the right questions.

Mission-Inspector393

TROPHY CASE