What I learned spending $30,000 marketing my indie app

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Worklog with Shawn Hickman

Shawn Hickman

9 episodes

6 months ago

Building an indie app business is a journey full of challenges, insights, and lessons learned. Worklog is a behind-the-scenes look at my experience designing, developing, and growing Sofa, an iOS app that helps you be more intentional with your downtime. I’m Shawn Hickman—a designer, developer, and indie app creator—sharing my process, what I’m working on, and the hard (and fun) parts of running a solo business. Whether it’s app development, YouTube, marketing, or unexpected lessons along the way, Worklog is an open journal of everything that goes into turning an idea into a sustainable indie business. If you’re an indie maker, aspiring developer, or just curious about the process, tune in—and don’t hesitate to reach out! 👋 https://www.shawnhickman.me/worklog-podcast/

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Technology

Business,

Entrepreneurship

What I learned spending $30,000 marketing my indie app

Worklog with Shawn Hickman

20 minutes

10 months ago

What I learned spending $30,000 marketing my indie app

In this video, I share the lessons I’ve learned after investing $30,000 into marketing my app over the past three years. For an indie app developer, it’s a significant amount, and I dive into why I chose to spend it, where it went, and what came out of it.

I discuss the challenges of getting attention in today’s competitive market and why I decided to focus on sponsoring podcasts and YouTube channels in the Apple and tech world. I also explain my goals for this marketing effort—building brand awareness rather than immediate conversions—and the results I’ve seen, including increased sales, recognition from Apple, and turning this into my full-time job.

If you’re an indie developer or just curious about the business side of app development, this is for you!

📺 Watch on YouTube

Chapters

(00:00) - Intro
(01:41) - Why spend money for marketing?
(03:54) - Where did I market?
(04:30) - Why I chose those channels
(08:17) - My goals
(12:23) - The results
(18:06) - Some advice
(19:55) - Outro

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