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TL;DR
AppAdvice shutting down does not kill apps-gone-free campaigns, but it makes the tactic more fragile. Steve frames lifetime-free promos as a discoverability hack that can seed downloads, ratings, and ASO momentum, while warning that Apple scrutiny is rising because too many apps are using the review-kickstart loop. This source belongs to the app-masters-youtube batch.
Biggest lessons
- A January 2024 campaign generated 106,000 downloads, 800 ratings, ~$7,000 in month-one revenue, and ~$90,000 in year-one revenue for one client.
- The mechanic is simple: make a non-consumable lifetime IAP free, drive deal-site traffic, and ask for ratings after the user claims value.
- Indie App Santa and subreddit deal posts replace some of AppAdvice’s role, but frequency and review prompts need caution.
- The explosion of AI-generated apps makes every discoverability hack more visible to Apple.
Why it matters
- It adds operator-level detail to the wiki’s mobile growth system instead of another founder story.
- It connects execution tools and funnel mechanics back to durable concepts like seo-growth, mobile-app-monetization, paid-ads-scaling, and app-tool-stack.