signalReddit r/SideProject2026-10-02
I spent ~500 on ads for my first app. Here's what 50+ Reddit comments taught me
After spending about $500 on ads across Google, Apple, Meta, TikTok and X for his first app Finelly, the developer got hundreds of installs but almost no real users. Lessons from 50+ Reddit comments include that install bidding buys installs but not users, with a CPI of $0.35 but a real cost per registration of around $19, and that a 12.5% CTR with 20% invalid traffic indicates accidental taps. Small budgets should optimize for an intermediate event first, and product changes like a no-account option and better store listing are needed.
- for who
- Independent app developers running paid acquisition for a cold start
- what changes
- Shifts focus from install volume to meaningful user actions and product iteration based on feedback
- to do
- Measure event-based costs, optimize for intermediate events, redesign store assets, and test with real friend groups
key points
- Install bidding gave $0.35 CPI but $19 per registration
- 12.5% CTR and 20% invalid traffic signal ad accidents
- Advice: optimize for intermediate events with small budgets
#advertising#cold start#independent developer
score
score 6 out of 10. 0-10: how dense the facts are, multiplied by how much you can do with them after reading. 8+ means the topic's evidence bar is met: benchmarks and availability for a new model, amount and investors for a funding round, revenue figures for a solo-money story. Below 5 an item does not enter the digest. A press release scores 3 or less, a reprint loses 2, anything older than 14 days loses 1, a headline that misleads loses 3.
read the source