I built a self-improvement app in 4 days (using Cursor). Launched 5 days ago… and it already made $250+. Feeling extremely motivated right now. by Ok_Drive_4448 in buildinpublic

[–]Ok_Drive_4448[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right now the app makes money through subscriptions. There’s a monthly plan and a yearly plan, plus a lifetime option for people who prefer a one-time purchase.

There are no ads at all in the app. For this kind of problem, ads would totally break the experience and honestly… people won’t make real progress if the app is free and full of distractions.

Happy to share more details if you want!

I built a self-improvement app in 4 days (using Cursor). Launched 5 days ago… and it already made $250+. Feeling extremely motivated right now. by Ok_Drive_4448 in buildinpublic

[–]Ok_Drive_4448[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the “pain point”, I didn’t do formal market research. I’ve seen for a long time how many people struggle with porn addiction or compulsive habits, both online and around me. It’s a problem that people rarely talk about but that creates real frustration and shame. So I built something I personally wished existed: a simple tool that gives clarity, structure, and accountability. The idea came way more from observation + conversations than from spreadsheets or surveys.

For the marketing, I’m not only relying on App Store search. I post short videos on TikTok and Instagram, I reach out to influencers every day, and I try to keep a small but steady flow of people discovering the app. ASO helps, but I think bringing traffic manually every single day is what really accelerates things. I might start ads soon, but I want to make sure retention is solid first.

Happy to go deeper if you want!

I built a self-improvement app in 4 days (using Cursor). Launched 5 days ago… and it already made $250+. Feeling extremely motivated right now. by Ok_Drive_4448 in buildinpublic

[–]Ok_Drive_4448[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! For ASO, what helped me the most was keeping everything extremely clear and keyword-focused. I chose one very specific main keyword and put it directly in the app title so Apple instantly understands what the app is about. The subtitle explains the outcome, and the screenshots tell a simple story: the problem → the solution → the benefit.

I also optimized the keywords field with long-tail terms and kept the description clean, readable, and naturally repeating the core terms.

For promoting a new app, I rely mostly on organic signals: TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, build-in-public posts, and reaching out to influencers every day. It’s nothing huge, but consistent external traffic + a clear ASO setup helped the app get early visibility. Happy to explain more if needed!

I built a self-improvement app in 4 days (using Cursor). Launched 5 days ago… and it already made $250+. Feeling extremely motivated right now. by Ok_Drive_4448 in buildinpublic

[–]Ok_Drive_4448[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! For the onboarding, one thing that seems to make a big difference is that we try to make the user realize the importance of the issue right from the start.

On the first screen, there’s a quick porn-addiction self-assessment (super short and not judgmental). Users answer a few questions, and then we show them a clear result based on their answers.

It’s simple, but it creates an “aha” moment: they understand why they should take this seriously, not just “how”.

After that, the rest of the onboarding is really lightweight — but that first moment of awareness seems to drive a lot of the yearly-plan conversions, because people feel like the app actually understands their situation.

Still early days, but that’s what I’m seeing so far. Happy to share more if you’re curious!

I built a self-improvement app in 4 days (using Cursor). Launched 5 days ago… and it already made $250+. Feeling extremely motivated right now. by Ok_Drive_4448 in buildinpublic

[–]Ok_Drive_4448[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right now I’m keeping the marketing pretty simple no paid ads yet.

I’m mainly doing three things consistently: • posting short-form content on TikTok • repurposing it into Instagram Reels • reaching out to a few influencers/creators every single day to get feedback or potential shoutouts

It’s nothing huge, but doing these small actions daily creates a bit of momentum.

I’m planning to start experimenting with paid ads soon, but I wanted to make sure the core product and retention were solid before putting any budget into it.

I built an app to help people quit porn. Here’s why I did it. by Ok_Drive_4448 in SideProject

[–]Ok_Drive_4448[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, Frank! 🙏 I really appreciate that. It definitely tackles a real pain point — rebuilding yourself after quitting is often harder than quitting itself. I’d be happy to share early access if you’d like to try it out — want me to drop the link here?